Identifying with Values: Examining Organizational Culture in Farmers Markets

This study examines culture, values, and identification in farmers markets as organizations that function as an alternative to the mainstream food/grocery industry. Utilizing observation and interviews with a grounded theoretical approach to data analysis, we investigated the culture of five farmers markets. Findings indicate that individuals identified with four main values of farmers markets through their communication: economic interests, nostalgia, fellowship, and education. In certain markets, findings revealed a dichotomy between expected and enacted organizational values. To overcome this dichotomy, sensebreaking and sensegiving communication by market managers and vendors was vital for the management of meaning and culture in markets.