This research examines how members of top-20 business schools respond to the 1992 Business Week survey rankings, which posed a two-pronged threat to their perceptions of their schools' identities. The rankings questioned the value of core identity attributes and challenged their beliefs about their schools' standing relative to others. Members responded by affirming positive perceptions of their school's identity through selective categorizations that highlighted favorable identity dimensions and interorganizational comparisons not recognized by the rankings. These tactics were used to manage identity threats and restore a positive social identity. The study integrates findings with insights from social identity, self-affirmation, and impression management theories to develop a new framework for organizational identity management.This research examines how members of top-20 business schools respond to the 1992 Business Week survey rankings, which posed a two-pronged threat to their perceptions of their schools' identities. The rankings questioned the value of core identity attributes and challenged their beliefs about their schools' standing relative to others. Members responded by affirming positive perceptions of their school's identity through selective categorizations that highlighted favorable identity dimensions and interorganizational comparisons not recognized by the rankings. These tactics were used to manage identity threats and restore a positive social identity. The study integrates findings with insights from social identity, self-affirmation, and impression management theories to develop a new framework for organizational identity management.