Organizational identification: a case study of the Davis County Cooperative Society, the Latter Day Church of Christ, or Kingston Order

In this dissertation, I address the concept of organizational identification in the Davis County Cooperative Society, or Kingston Order. Carefully crafted organizational rhetoric and powerful compliance structures to solidify the organizational messages produce a remarkably high degree of organizational identification among its members. After examining the historical and rhetorical influences that have led to the creation of the Kingston organization, I describe three major ideological platforms that guide the organization's policies and procedures: consecration/communal living, polygamy, and intermarriage (Chapter 2). I discuss three key terms that are instrumental to understanding organizational identification (OI) in the Kingston polygamous organization: rhetoric, organization, and religion (Chapter 3).