Investigating the "we" in me: Within-person fluctuations in organizational identification

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Authors
Coulombe, Claudie
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University of Guelph
Abstract

Workplaces are becoming more flexible, virtual, and dynamic. Concerns that these changes may affect employees’ organizational attachment have provoked interest in better understanding what shapes the formation and maintenance of these bonds (Pattnaik & Tripathy, 2020). Increased attention has been paid to organizational identification (OID), reflecting the degree to which employees self-define as organizational members (Ashforth & Mael, 1989). Research has examined between-person predictors and outcomes of OID, but we still know little about how it unfolds within persons in the short term. To better understand these dynamics, an experience-sampling study (N = 108) was conducted. Results suggested that on a within-person, daily level, (a) OID may fluctuate, (b) levels of two motives may predict OID, and (c) OID may predict turnover intentions. This study constitutes a promising step towards better understanding OID dynamics in everyday organizational life and the factors that may affect employees’ attachment in the short run.

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Keywords
organizational identification, within-person fluctuations, intra-individual variability, multilevel modeling, organizational citizenship behaviour, counterproductive work behaviour, task performance, turnover intentions, identity motives
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