Organizational Identification at a Multinational Company

Objective: The present case study investigates to what extent employees working at the Dutch site of an American multinational biotechnology organization identify with this company. According to prior research, organizational identification leads to higher commitment to the organization. Gaining more insight into which factors drive or impede organizational identification can help organizations increase their employees’ identification and thus, commitment. Two hypotheses were tested. First, organizational identification was expected to be higher among international employees than Dutch employees. Second, a correlation was expected between organizational identification and organizational commitment.Methodology: A questionnaire was conducted among 296 employees of the company site. The scale of Edwards and Peccei (2007) was used to measure the construct of organizational identification. Mowday et al.’s (1979) Organizational Commitment Questionnaire was used to measure the construct of organizational commitment. All data was statistically analyzed with the software SPSS; an independent samples t-test was performed to test the first hypothesis and a Pearson correlation coefficient was computed to test the second hypothesis.Findings: Both hypotheses were confirmed. A significant difference was found between international employees (M = 5.25, SD = 1.05, n = 81) and Dutch employees (M = 4.96, SD = 1.12, n = 215) regarding organizational identification (t(293) = -2.03, p =.04, d = 0.27). Moreover, a significant positive correlation exists between organizational identification and organizational commitment (r(295) = .81, p < .001).Value Added: Most prior research regarding organizational identification has focused on top-down processes, stressing the roles managers play in developing organizational identification among employees. Scholars have devoted little attention to what factors drive or impede organizational identification in cross-cultural workplaces. Taking on a bottom-up perspective, this study concentrates on the impact of employees’ social identities, mainly considering expatriate membership, on the extent of their organizational identification.Recommendations: In order to increase organizational identification, multinational organizations could: 1) facilitate identity synergy by acknowledging the full portfolio of identities employees seek to enact within organizations, and 2) increase peer identification among employees by initiating group activities that facilitate peer-to-peer interactions, create a sense of community and strongly bond individuals to the organization.

How Identity Conflict and Identity Synergy Influence Innovative Performance of Employees With Multiple Team Membership

Multiple team membership refers to the extent to which team members are engaged in more than one team and switch between different teams. In order to reduce cost and improve efficiency, many organizations or work units allow their employees to work in different teams simultaneously. The purpose of this study is to examine how identity conflict and identity synergy of employees with multiple team membership may influence their innovative performance. Survey data were collected from 149 Chinese employees with multiple team membership. Hierarchical regression was used to test the hypotheses. The results show that identity synergy of employees with multiple team membership has a positive influence on innovative performance, and that self-reflection partially mediates this positive effect. Identity conflict of employees with multiple team membership has a negative impact on innovative performance, and self-reflection partially mediates this negative effect. This study stresses the importance of providing identity synergy and reducing identity conflict to increase the innovative performance of employees with multiple team membership.

The strategic co-creation of content and student experiences in social media

Purpose This study aims to enhance the understanding of how co-created content (CCC) can facilitate relevant and meaningful customer experiences in social media brand communities (SMBCs). It investigates the characteristics of CCC and explores the effects they have on member engagement from an identity theories perspective. Design/methodology/approach A netnography of a university’s Facebook and Instagram accounts was undertaken to analyse exemplary content co-creation practice and resulting user reactions in an organic setting. Findings The analysis of CCC confirmed a strong presence of identity narratives and cues that can be categorised into university, sub-group and student role identity themes. Members’ identity-consistent reactions highlight that CCC can influence member perceptions of the distinctiveness, prestige and similarity of the identities they enact. University identity theme CCC allows members to project other member’s identity narrative, while sub-group and student-role identity theme CCC can help increase identity synergy. Research limitations/implications The paper adds to the social media marketing literature that SMBC members are important integrators of symbolic resources that influence other members’ identity constructions and further their perceived relationships with the organisation and other members. Social media enables marketers to leverage members’ diverse identities to enhance customer experiences. The study’s single context focus may be a limitation. Practical implications The paper provides a useful framework for designing social media content that facilitates meaningful engagement. Originality/value The use of identity theories to enhance the understanding of CCC and its role in SMBCs is original. The paper generates new lines of future enquiries to advance theorisation of social media marketing.