Public and private dimensions in the identity-mission nexus: the BikeMi case

The paper investigates the management of multiple organisational identities in hybrid organisational contexts, or, more specifically, those characterised by a guiding vision (or mission) informed by both publicness and privateness. The exemplary case of a public bike‐ sharing service (BikeMi) born from the partnering of the Comune di Milano (City of Milan) with the business firm Clear Channel Italia (CCI), a subsidiary of a global media and advertising group, opens an insightful window to the identity‐mission nexus. The study delivers preliminary evidence of the elements of materiality that help shape the organisational identity of CCI; the publicness and privateness of BikeMi; the symbiotic relationship between the normative (in terms of social impact and public accountability) and the utilitarian (in terms of business goals) dimensions of the CCI organisational identity; and the pragmatism of top management.