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This paper looks at the challenges to identity at both individual and organizational levels of analysis, posed specifically by merger‐induced change. Merger‐induced change can seriously challenge processes of identification, by disrupting cognitive alignments and emotional attachments. An extensive literature review reveals that maintaining continuity of identity from pre‐ to post‐merger is critical to successful cognitive and emotional adjustment to transformational change. Maintaining continuity is a multi‐dimensional consideration contingent not just on issues of content (image, meaning) but at a more fundamental level of identity process (maintaining distinctiveness, esteem and efficacy). It is argued, therefore, that one way in which subjective permanence can be assured is to actively manage individual careers. The literature consistently shows that for many employees, the new investment criterion (on which their contribution to an organization is predicated) is “opportunities for development”. This could be said to hold a key to maintaining and/or forging “relational” relationships in contemporary organizations. So long as employees feel that they are “developing” (e.g. learning new transferable skills, acquiring important knowledge, gaining personal credibility and confidence) and thereby increasing their employability, organisations can, to some extent, overcome employee concerns about future job insecurity by facilitating “subjective security” by furnishing maximum personal potential. In so doing, the organization can secure the human investment it needs to succeed in financial terms.

The papers in this special edition were presented at the symposium, “Current developments in human resource management and organizational behaviour”, organized at the University of Surrey, School of Management on 22 May 2003. What emerged at this symposium was the significance of “relationships” both within and around organizations as well as between communities of academics, practitioners, and consultants in understanding the development of careers and career contexts such as organizational forms, institutional structures and networks. In order to map out a way to study careers and career contexts through an understanding of relationships, this editorial explores the relevance of relationships for each paper contribution. This special edition, therefore, is an implicit attempt at the formation of relational perspectives for the study of careers and career contexts.

To provide positive benchmarking examples of hospitality, tourism and leisure small management enterprises in the area of organizational culture.

Extreme case sampling was used; locating information‐rich key informants or critical cases. A total of 89 small businesses were researched including hotels (and guest houses), restaurants, pubs, visitor attractions and leisure opportunities.

Semi‐structured interviews were analysed using an iterative approach based on the assumptions of Argumentation Theory. Results suggest that best‐performing small to medium‐sized (SME) operations in the hospitality, tourism and leisure industry share certain elements of culture including: supporting values such as building the future together, cooperative setting of missions and strategies, development of teamwork and organizational learning.

The research completed is illustrative of positive benchmarking elements of organizational culture. Further research, however, could also look at negative features which may hinder the success of hospitality, tourism and leisure industry SMEs.

The work provides clear suggestions for hospitality, tourism and leisure industry SMEs to improve managerial practice, focusing on five main cultural dimensions: organizational performance, teamwork, building the future together, building the ability to learn, and collaborative setting of strategies.

This paper begins to fill the gap of a very under‐researched area: benchmarking organizational culture in hospitality, tourism and leisure industry SMEs. Both academics and practitioners will find it very illuminating.