Organizational identification

About: Organizational identification is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 1988 publications have been published within this topic receiving 97047 citations.

Do employees value strategic CSR? A tale of affective organizational commitment and its underlying mechanisms

Abstract: Virtually all studies that focus on the relationship between CSR perceptions and employees’ organizational commitment have not taken into consideration the fit between social and environmental activities and a firm’s business‐unit strategy. This is essential to inquire because scholars have argued that when companies ingrain CSR activities into their strategy‐making process (i.e., in their vision, mission, and overall business model), this might send a more compelling message that resonates closer to workers’ personal standards, and actually enhance employee‐level outcomes. Nevertheless, there is no certainty “if” and “how” these evaluations could affect employees’ organizational commitment. To address this issue, we use cue consistency theory and social identity theory as overarching frameworks to develop a model where we conceptually link perceptions of strategy‐CSR fit with a particular type of organizational commitment: affective. In addition, we posit and test three mediators to understand the underlying psychological mechanisms of this relationship: perceived external prestige, organizational identification, and work meaningfulness. Through structural equation modeling, and using a heterogeneous final sample of 579 employees, we find compelling evidence to support the fact that strategy‐CSR fit enhances employees’ affective organizational commitment through the proposed mediators. Academic contributions and practical implications are then discussed.

The Group Psychology of Mergers & Acquisitions: Lessons from the Social Identity Approach

Abstract: The presumed financial benefits of mergers & acquisitions (M&As) often do not materialize. At the same time, M&As are reported to create a host of negative reactions on the part of the employees involved. In recent years, these circumstances have led many scholars to use the social identity approach (SIA) in order to better understand the group psychology of M&As. This paper reviews recent M&A research inspired by the SIA and derives three general lessons that are explained in some detail: First, post-merger identification is important for M&As integration and success. Second, M&As pose a threat to organizational identification. Therefore, and third, if you have to merge – merge right.

An explication and test of communication network content and multiplexity as predictors of organizational identification

Abstract: Communication network research has been criticized for being based on an atheoretical method with little explanatory power. Research on organizational identification (OI), although theoretically rich, has been criticized for the paucity of research which examines the relationship between identification and communication. This research used OI as a theoretical framework from which to study communication networks. Incoming graduate students from three communication departments specified the content and patterns of their communication with members of their respective departments and indicated their organizational identification at three points in time during their first academic year. Results indicate that (a) multiplex communication relationships are positively associated with OI; (b) these respondents specified an array of ten content topics rather than the three traditionally used by network researchers; and (c) OI is related to specific conversational content. Academic talk during initial interactions wa...

Perceived corporate social responsibility and pro‐environmental behaviors: The role of organizational identification and coworker pro‐environmental advocacy

Abstract: Despite research suggesting that pro-environmental behaviors offer a range of positive benefits for organizations and that corporate social responsibility (CSR) positively affects employee behaviors and attitudes, very few studies have investigated how CSR affects pro-environmental behaviours. As such, this study investigates the impact of perceived CSR on employees' pro-environmental behaviours through organizational identification and coworkers' pro-environmental advocacy. Using a multistage sampling technique, a survey of line managers was conducted across 32 hotels in the understudied context of Malaysia's hotel industry. Based on 331 completed questionnaires, the results suggest that perceived CSR activities drive organizational identification and trigger coworkers’ pro-environmental advocacy, which in turn generate employees’ pro-environmental behaviours. The study offers valuable insights into the complex relationship between perceived CSR and pro-environmental behaviors and discusses the theoretical and research contributions and managerial implications.