When Do Employees Identify? An Analysis of Cross‐Sectional and Longitudinal Predictors of Training Group and Organizational Identification1

Organizational research has shown the impact of organizational identification on employees' attitudes and behavior, and its relevance for economic success ( Haslam, 2004 ). Furthermore, the necessity to differentiate levels of identification within organizations has been emphasized ( van Knippenberg & van Schie, 2000 ). Little is known, however, about predictors of different identification levels within organizations and their influence on the development of identification. In a longitudinal study with training groups of flight attendants, we investigated how foci of identification (training group, organization) were differentially predicted by cross‐sectional and longitudinal variables. Interpersonal attraction related to training group identification, whereas professional motivation related to organizational identification. Furthermore, expected job circumstances and professional motivation were longitudinal predictors for training group identification and organizational identification, respectively.     

Determinants of Flu Vaccination among Nurses: The Effects of Group Identification and Professional Responsibility

Five hundred and thirty-one nurses completed a questionnaire assessing knowledge about the flu and flu vaccination, professional group identification, perception of the flu vaccination as a professional duty, previous year's vaccination status, intention to receive vaccination in the following year, and the extent to which motivation to accept vaccination is primarily for self-protection or for patient protection. Results showed that knowledge about the flu and flu vaccination constitutes a major reason for rejecting immunisation. Group identification also constitutes an independent predictor of vaccination. Furthermore, the effect of identification on willingness to receive the vaccination was partially mediated by perceived professional responsibility: the more nurses identified with their group, the more they perceived vaccination as a professional duty and, as a consequence, the more likely that they (a) had been vaccinated the previous year, (b) intended to be vaccinated in the following year, and (c) were motivated to be vaccinated for patient protection (but not for self-protection).     

通过法则关系区分员工对组织的认同与反认同

员工对组织的认同与反认同有相关的心理机制(如员工对自尊的追求)与社会基础(如组织身分的多样性), 但它们是相互独立的两个构念。在个人建立自己的社会身分时, 认同体现了“求同”、而反认同则体现“存异”。基于理论分析所构建的法则关系中, 二者具有不同的前因变量和结果变量。对5家企业250名员工的问卷研究发现, 对组织认同的员工会更倾向于主动维护组织利益, 而对组织反认同的员工在工作中敷衍了事。嵌套的系列结构方程结果表明二者分离的模型对数据的拟合, 好于将二者合并的模型, 验证了这两个构念不同的基本论点。     

Multiple professional identities: examining differences in identification across work-related targets

Although there is a growing literature on organizational identification, relatively little research has investigated other possible targets of identification. In a sample of veterinarians working in a wide range of organizations, the authors compared their identification with the veterinary profession, their organization, and their workgroup. The authors found different patterns of identification across these targets depending on whether the individual (a) worked in a veterinary medicine or nonveterinary medicine organization and (b) was an owner/partner or an associate. Owners of veterinary medicine organizations identified more with the organization than with either the profession or their workgroup. Associates in veterinary medicine organizations identified more with the organization and the workgroup than with the profession. Veterinarians in nonveterinary medicine organizations identified more with the profession and their workgroup than with the organization. Identification with each of the targets provided independent predictive validity of job satisfaction.     

大学生人格类型与专业认同间的关系研究

本研究对旅游管理专业大学生进行了MBTI人格测验,并采用问卷调查与内隐联想测验(IAT)两种方式了解被试的专业认同状况。研究发现样本的专业认同存在显著的外显—内隐分离,在内隐层面上缺乏足够认同。性别、人格类型与专业认同之间存在一定关联,部分人格维度可作为判断大学生专业认同状况的有效变量。     

Organizational identification and leader evaluation in a global workplace: Interaction of self-uncertainty,self-construal,and organizational culture

Past studies in social psychology, and in organizational psychology, have incorporated social identity theory but have not specifically examined the effects of self-construal and self-uncertainty on an individual's organizational identification. Through two social psychology experiments, the present research advances the literature by studying the effects of three predictor variables (self-construal, self-uncertainty, and organizational culture) on the criterion variables of identification with the organization, commitment to the organization, extra-role behaviors (Study 1), and leader evaluations (Study 2). Study 1 (N = 256) found that participants evaluated a self-inclusive organization more favorably when it possessed a relational (as opposed to nonrelational) organizational culture. This effect was, as predicted, moderated by self-uncertainty such that it was significantly stronger under high rather than low self-uncertainty. Study 2 (N = 336) examined the same criterion variables as the previous study but with the addition of leader evaluation. It was found that interdependent participants identified with and were more committed to their organization. Participants with an interdependent self-construal and high levels of self-uncertainty rated their leader more favorably when in a relational (as opposed to nonrelational) organization. Additionally, a significant three-way interaction between the predictors was explored. Future research directions and wider implications for strengthening employee identification and leader evaluations in organizations are discussed.     

Change‐oriented organizational citizenship behaviour: An interactive product of openness to change values,work unit identification,and sense of power

Due to the increased frequency of organizational changes, predicting employees’ voluntary involvement in the development of organizational practices and individual work is of particular importance in organizational psychology. This study focused upon change‐oriented organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB) as an expression of openness to change values, and also upon psychological factors that can moderate the value–behaviour relationship. We propose that personal values, group identification, and a sense of power interact in predicting change‐oriented OCB of employees. One hundred and eighty‐four employees rated their values, their identification with the work unit and their sense of power. In line with our predictions, the results showed that openness to change values and work unit identification interacted positively in predicting supervisor‐rated change‐oriented OCB in workers with a high sense of power, but not in workers with a low sense of power. This finding suggests that workers who have a high sense of power and are highly identified with the work unit tend to pursue their openness to change values in a way that contributes to the organization. The authors further conclude that an interactive approach, rather than one of direct effect, is advantageous when studying values as antecedents to change‐oriented OCB.     

Individual‐ and group‐level effects of social identification on workplace bullying

A study of 494 employees nested in workgroups from 19 different organizations revealed group identification to be an important factor influencing work-related bullying at both the individual and the group level. Results show that the more employees identified with their group, the less likely they were victims of bullying, which is in line with previous social identity-based analyses of work stress. More importantly, the higher the average level of group identification in the organization, the lower the odds of being a victim versus not being a victim. The latter effect constituted a genuine context effect. These findings redress a neglect of the social bases of workplace bullying and suggest that bullying needs to be understood within a broader perspective of workgroup identities.     

Dynamique des processus de développement de carrière en contexte contre-stéréotypique : modélisation de la réussite des femmes militaires aux formations professionnelles

Careers in the French Navy are determined by successive certifications allowed military to have more and more managerial responsibilities. Women are unequally represented in the hierarchy. Military identity is deeply associated with male characteristics (Sorin, 2003). Women encounter difficulties to be perceived as military in their own right (Héritier, 2011), but also to articulate their identity as women with their professional identity, de facto in opposition (Toulgoat, 2002). On the one hand women's family life is seen as incompatible with service life (Caraire & Léger, 2000), on the other hand, within the crews of warships, their skills are underestimated (Matthews, Ender, Laurence, & Rohall, 2009). The objective of this study is to model the effects of professional identifications and self-assessment of competences on the success of military women in professional certifications. We interviewed 154 students in training to become “experienced operators” (including 73 women) with an average of 3.32 years of duty (SD = 2.11) and 61 students in training to become “team leader” (including 20 women) with an average of 9.28 years of duty (SD = 3.30). The questionnaire measures self-efficacy (Bandura, 1977), performance expectations compared to their colleagues (Rosenthal, Crisp, & Suen, 2007), identification to the professional group (Laplante & Tougas, 2011) and identification to the organization (Tougas, Rinfret, Beaton, & de la Sablonniere, 2005). The final score at the end of the training is considered as an indicator of success. While women are as successful as men in the certification “operator”, they are less successful in the certification “team leader”. The structural equation model (path analysis) (χ²(15, n = 215) = 21.32, p = .13; CFI = .982, GFI = .976, RMSEA = .044) emphasizes the centrality of professional identifications to succeed in training. Women are less identified with sailor than men and feel less able to succeed, they develop lower performance expectations and they underestimate their performance compared to their colleagues, which has a negative effect on their success in training. In parallel, changes in family life are associated with reduced professional identifications, but this effect is independent of the sex of the individuals. Women are therefore exposed to two independent sources of influence limiting their career development: gender, which leads to less professional identifications and to compare unfavorably with their colleagues, and family status. These results highlight the importance of the dynamic of self-realization processes throughout the career.     

The Effect of Professional Partnership on the Development of a Mutual-help Organization

The effects of partnership between Schizophrenics Anonymous (SA, a mutual-help organization) and the Mental Health Association in Michigan (MHAM, a professionally staffed advocacy organization) on SA's growth and development were explored. Following the initiation of a formal partnership, SA groups were more available throughout the state, more likely to be associated with formal mental health settings, and less likely to have leaders who had been participants in other SA groups. Groups with consumer leaders had significantly greater longevity than groups with professional leaders. Changes in the organizational structure and process of SA were also identified. SA leaders reported that SA moved from a collective to a more bureaucratic structure. As a result, there was greater consistency, administrative capacity, and response capacity. This enhanced capacity came with costs reported by SA leaders. The leadership role of SA members became less defined. SA members expressed concerns about the more hierarchical structure of SA's organization, decreased consumer control, increased professional involvement in SA, and an excessive focus on group development as opposed to group maintenance. Mental Health Association in Michigan staff reported that MHAM was also impacted by the partnership, both with regard to internal functioning and external perception. Implications for effective partnerships between mutual-help and professional organizations are discussed.     

As the Lights Fade: A Grounded Theory of Male Professional Athletes’ Decision-Making and Transition to Retirement

Retirement can be particularly challenging for professional athletes, given their commitment and identification with their sport. The purpose of this study was to examine how American male professional athletes make the decision to retire and how that decision process affects transition in retirement. The researchers used constructivist grounded theory to analyze personal accounts from professional athletes who wrote about retirement, and a model on the decision-making and transition process of retirement was developed. The findings show that athletes struggle in retirement, but by relying on their social support, they can accept the conclusion of their career as a professional athlete.     

The interaction between values and organizational identification in predicting suggestion‐making at work

The present study proposed and found that personal values and organizational identification interact in predicting making suggestions for organizational improvements at work. One hundred and forty‐eight employees of children's day‐care centres rated their values, their identification with the organization and their suggestion‐making behaviour. Their behaviour was also rated by their supervisors. As expected, the value dimension of openness to change vs. conservation predicted suggestion‐making more strongly amongst individuals highly identified with the organization than amongst individuals weakly identified with the organization. This was found using self‐ratings of behaviour as well as supervisor's rating of behaviour. The study points to the importance of values and identification in understanding suggestion‐making and innovative behaviour at work, and it opens new avenues for examining this interaction in predicting other kinds of organizational behaviours.     

授权赋能领导行为与组织公民行为:员工的领导认同感和组织心理所有权的作用

认同感和控制感出发,研究授权赋能领导行为对员工组织公民行为的作用机制和边界条件。通过问卷调查,搜集了162名主管及其460名直接下属的数据。研究结果表明,授权赋能领导行为对员工对主管的领导认同感有积极影响作用;领导认同感在授权赋能领导行为与员工组织公民行为之间起到中介作用;员工对组织的心理所有权对领导认同感的中介效应起到调节作用。     

Identification in the Self-Managing Organization Characteristics of Target and Tenure

This study examines the characteristics of worker identification with two targets at the same time: the workers' self-managing team and the larger organization that created the teams. We administered the Organizational Identification Questionnaire in such a way as to tap levels of identification with each target and used the results of an ethnographic study of the subjects to enhance our analysis. Our data suggest that workers identified more strongly with their team than with their company, particularly in terms of loyalty. In addition, long-term workers reported more identification with both their team and company than did short-term workers. The results support the assertion that a concertive (or team-based) system of control is more powerful, even if less obtrusive, than its bureaucratic predecessor.     

Developing identities and attitudes in musicians and classroom music teachers

Background. The Western classical training of many secondary music specialist teachers may be inappropriate for the demands of the contemporary secondary school classroom, leading to a conflict between their self‐concepts as ‘musicians’ and as ‘teachers’. Aims. To undertake a short‐term longitudinal comparison of the developing identities and the attitudes of a group of intending specialist secondary music teachers, during the transition into their first teaching post, with a group of music students from university and conservatory backgrounds. Sample. Twenty‐nine trainee music teachers completed Phases 1 and 2 of the study during their final weeks of training and during the second term of their teaching career, and a comparison group of 29 final‐year undergraduate music students did so in the first and last terms of their final year. Method. A specially devised composite Musical Careers Questionnaire gathered information in both phases about self‐efficacy in music and in teaching, identification with professional groups in these two domains, and attitudes towards important skills for musicians and teachers. Results. A series of ANOVAs comparing the student groups' scores in each of the two phases revealed no significant main effects or interactions for either of the self‐efficacy measures, a significant group effect for professional group identification, and some changes in the attitude measures. Conclusion. Although participants' views of their own general effectiveness as teachers and as musicians changed very little over the period of the study, their attitudes towards music teaching and perceptions of the skills required showed some changes.     

Professional women in organizations: New paradigms for research and action

Writings about professional women in organizations often adopt an advocacy approach and look at problems of women in isolation from the rest of the organization. This article suggests a systems perspective for viewing these problems as concerns of an organizational subsystem that can have important ramifications for the other subsystems and for the organization as a whole. Reviewing research on some major issues encountered by professional women at the workplace, this article demonstrates the usefulness of complementary research to integrate these issues into an organizational framework.     

Ethical clinical practice and sport psychology: when two worlds collide

From their own practices, the authors offer insight into potential ethical dilemmas that may frequently develop in an applied psychology setting in which sport psychology is also being practiced. Specific ethical situations offered for the reader's consideration include confidentiality with coaches, administration, parents, and athlete-clients; accountability in ethical billing practices and accurate diagnosing; identification of ethical boundaries in nontraditional practice settings (locker room, field, rink, etc.); and establishment of professional competence as it relates to professional practice and marketing.     

Psychoanalytic training experience and postgraduate professional development: A survey of six decades of graduate analysts

This exploratory study explored the training and post‐training experience of graduates of the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis. All living graduates of the past six decades were invited to complete a survey that addressed their training analysis, classroom work, supervision and other training experiences as well as their degree of post‐graduation involvement in teaching, supervising, study groups and other professional endeavors. They were also asked to rate their sense of themselves as psychoanalysts and their satisfaction with their analytic career. Further, they were encouraged to provide spontaneous narrative data. Our findings contribute to the current understanding of the careers of psychoanalysts – including that there is a difference in generational cohorts regarding professional satisfaction, identification as an analyst, and experience of training. We also found that there are no real differences between analysts who do and do not have analytic patients on some important variables: supporting analysis as a treatment method, identifying oneself professionally with psychoanalysis, and disillusionment with psychoanalysis – which is consistent with other studies. Also discovered were differences between male and female analysts' perception of certain aspects of their training.     

Identification and goal choice of managerial candidates–organizational and individual perspectives

Abstract

Goal-setting theory and organizational culture research both emphasize that correspondence of individual and organizational goals is important, especially for executives and managerial candidates. The formerly dominating perspective of a passive individual eager to adopt organizational goals has recently been contrasted by a perspective of an active individual trying to pursue his/her own personal work goals in the organization. In a longitudinal study, 904 German academic managerial candidates were surveyed in order to investigate the causes of their identification with organizational goals, their expectations of advancement and their choice of personal work goals. The influence of organizational characteristics, i.e. number of employees, sector, and organizational culture, as well as the influence of individual job orientations were examined. Results show, that on the one hand organizational culture influenced managerial candidates' identification with organizational goals and their expectations of advancement, but had hardly any impact on their personal work goals. On the other hand, job orientations of managerial candidates affect both their identification with the organization and their personal work goals beyond organizational characteristics. Implications for selection and development of managerial candidates are discussed.