This research investigated how experiences in a particular boundary-spanning context (community outreach) affected members' organizational identity and identification. Multimethod panel data from 219 participants showed that intergroup comparisons with clients (emphasizing differences) and intragroup comparisons with other organization members (emphasizing similarities) changed how members construed their organization's defining qualities. Intergroup comparisons also enhanced the esteem members derived from organizational membership, which, in turn, strengthened organizational identification. Supervisors reported higher interpersonal cooperation and work effort for members whose organizational identification became stronger. The results reveal potential outcomes of boundary-spanning work as well as how organizational identification processes operate in everyday work contexts.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AshforthB. E.HumphreyR. E.: 1995“Labeling processes in the organization: Constructing the individual.” In CummingsL. L.StawB. M. (eds.), Research in Organizational Behavior, 17: 413–461. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
2.
AshforthB. E.MaelF. A.: 1989“Social identity theory and the organization.”Academy of Management Review, 14: 20–39.
3.
AshforthB. E.MaelF. A.: 1996“Organizational identity and strategy as a context for the individual.” In BaumJ.A.C.DuttonJ. E. (eds.), Advances in Strategic Management, 13: 19–64. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
4.
BacharachS. B.BambergerP.McKinneyV.: 2000“Boundary management tactics and logics of action: The case of peer-support providers.”Administrative Science Quarterly, 45: 704–736.
5.
BagozziR. P.BergamiM.: 2000“Self-categorization and commitment as distinct aspects of social identity in the organization: Conceptualization, measurement, and relation to antecedents and consequences.”British Journal of Social Psychology39: 555–577.
6.
BarkerJ. R.TompkinsP. K.: 1994“Identification in the self-managing organization: Characteristics of target and tenure.”Human Communication Research, 21: 223–240.
7.
BaronR. M.KennyD. A.: 1986“The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations.”Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51: 1173–1182.
8.
BhattacharyaC.RaoH.GlynnM. A.: 1995“Understanding the bond of identification: An investigation of its correlates among art museum members.”Journal of Marketing, 59: 46–57.
9.
BrewerM. B.: 1993“The role of distinctiveness in social identity and group behaviour.” In HoggM.AbramsD. (eds.), Group Motivation: 1–16. London: Harvester Wheatsheaf.
10.
BrewerM. B.GardnerW.: 1996“Who is this ‘we'? Levels of collective identity and self representations.”Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 71: 83–93.
11.
ChinM. G.McClintockC. G.: 1993“The effects of intergroup discrimination and social values on levels of self-esteem in the minimal group paradigm.”European Journal of Social Psychology23: 63–75.
12.
CrockerJ.LuhtanenR.BlaineB.BroadnaxS.: 1994“Collective self-esteem and psychological well-being among white, black, and Asian college students.”Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 20: 503–513.
13.
CroweE.HigginsE. T.: 1997“Regulatory focus and strategic inclinations: Promotion and prevention in decision making.”Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 69: 117–132.
14.
DuttonJ. E.DukerichJ. M.HarquailC. V.: 1994“Organizational images and member identification.”Administrative Science Quarterly, 39: 239–263.
15.
ElsbachK. D.: 1999“An expanded model of organizational identification.” In SuttonR. I.StawB. M. (eds.), Research in Organizational Behavior, 21: 163–200. Stamford, CT: JAI Press.
16.
ElsbachK. D.GlynnM. A.: 1996“Believing in your own ‘PR': Embedding identification in strategic reputation.” In DuttonJ. E.BaumJ. A. C. (eds.), Advances in Strategic Management, 13: 65–90. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
17.
ElsbachK. D.KramerR. M.: 1996“Members’ responses to organizational identity threats: Encountering and countering the Business Week rankings.”Administrative Science Quarterly, 41: 442–476.
18.
ForwardD. C.: 1994Heroes after Hours: Extraordinary Acts of Employee Volunteerism. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
19.
GaertnerS.DovidioJ.AnastasioP.BachmanB.RustM.: 1993“The common ingroup identity model: Recategorization and the reduction of intergroup bias.” In StroebeW.HewstoneM. (eds.), European Review of Social Psychology, 4: 1–26. Chichester, UK: Wiley.
20.
GagnonA.BourhisR. Y.: 1996“Discrimination in the minimal group paradigm: Social identity or self-interest?”Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 22: 1289–1301.
21.
GilbertD. T.GieslerR. B.MorrisK. A.: 1995“When comparisons arise.”Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69: 227–236.
22.
GioiaD. A.SchultzM.CorleyK. G.: 2000“Organizational identity, image, and adaptive instability.”Academy of Management Review, 25: 63–81.
23.
HallD. T.SchneiderB.: 1972“Correlates of organizational identification as a function of career pattern and organizational type.”Administrative Science Quarterly, 17: 340–350.
24.
HartleyW. S.: 1970Manual for the Twenty Statements Problem. Kansas City, MO: Greater Kansas City Mental Health Foundation.
25.
HelgesonV. S.TaylorS. E.: 1993“Social comparisons and adjustment among cardiac patients.”Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 23: 1171–1195.
26.
HigginsE. T.: 1998“Promotion and prevention: Regulatory focus as a motivational principle.” In ZannaM. A. (ed.), Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 30: 1–46. New York: Academic Press.
27.
HoggM. A.: 2000“Social identity and social comparison.” In SulsJ.WheelerL. (eds.), Handbook of Social Comparison: Theory and Research: 401–421. New York: Plenum.
28.
HoggM. A.AbramsD.: 1988Social Identifications: A Social Psychology of Intergroup Relations and Group Processes. London: Routledge.
29.
HoggM. A.TerryD. J.: 2000“Social identity and self-categorization processes in organizational contexts.”Academy of Management Review, 25: 121–140.
30.
HornseyM. J.HoggM. A.: 2000“Assimilation and diversity: An integrative model of subgroup relations.”Personality and Social Psychology Review, 4: 143–156.
31.
Independent Sector: 1999“Giving and volunteering in the United States: Findings from a national survey.” Washington, DC. http://www.independentsector.org.
32.
KramerR. M.: 1991“Intergroup relations and organizational dilemmas: The role of categorization processes.” In CummingsL. L.StawB. M. (eds.), Research in Organizational Behavior, 13: 191–228. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
33.
KramerR. M.: 1993“Cooperation and organizational identification.” In MurnighanJ. K. (ed.), Social Psychology in Organizations: Advances in Theory and Research: 244–268. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
34.
KramerR. M.BrewerM. B.: 1986“Social group identity and the emergence of cooperation in resource conservation dilemmas.” In WilkeH.RutteC.MessickD. M. (eds.), Experimental Studies of Social Dilemmas: 205–234. Frankfurt, Germany: Peter Lang.
35.
LibermanN.MoldenD. C.IdsonL. C.HigginsE. T.: 2001“Promotion and prevention focus on alternative hypotheses: Implications for attributional functions.”Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80: 5–18.
36.
LockeK. D.NekichJ. C.: 2000“Agency and communion in naturalistic social comparison.”Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 26: 864–874.
37.
LongK. M.SpearsR.MansteadA. S. R.: 1994“The influence of personal and collective self esteem on strategies of social differentiation.”British Journal of Social Psychology, 33: 313–329.
38.
LuhtanenR.CrockerJ.: 1991“Self esteem and intergroup comparisons: Toward a theory of collective self esteem.” In SulsJ.WillsT. A. (eds.), Social Comparison: Contemporary Theory and Research: 211–234. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
39.
LuhtanenR.CrockerJ.: 1992“A collective self esteem scale: Self evaluation of one's social identity.”Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 18: 302–318.
40.
MaelF. A.AshforthB. E.: 1992“Alumni and their alma mater: A partial test of the reformulated model of organizational identification.”Journal of Organizational Behavior, 13: 103–123.
41.
MarkusH.KitayamaS.: 1991“Culture and the self: Implications for cognition, emotion, and motivation.”Psychological Review, 98: 224–253.
42.
McAllisterD. J.: 1995“Affect-and cognition-based trust as foundations for interpersonal cooperation in organizations.”Academy of Management Journal, 38: 24–59.
43.
MilesM. B.HubermanA. M.: 1994Qualitative Data Analysis. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
44.
PearceJ. L.GregersenH. B.: 1991“Task interdependence and extrarole behavior: A test of the mediating effects of felt responsibility”Journal of Applied Psychology, 76: 838–844.
45.
Points of Light Foundation: 1999“Corporate volunteer programs: Benefits to business.” Washington, DC. http://www.pointsoflight.org.
46.
PrattM. G.: 1998“To be or not to be? Central questions in organizational identification.” In WhettenD. A.GodfreyP. C. (eds.), Identity in Organizations: Building Theory through Conversations: 171–207. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
47.
PrattM. G.RafaeliA.: 1997“Organizational dress as a symbol of multilayered social identities.”Academy of Management Journal, 40: 862–898.
48.
RubinM.HewstoneM.: 1998“Social identity theory's self-esteem hypothesis: A review and some suggestions for clarification.”Personality and Social Psychology Review, 2: 40–62.
49.
SchlenkerB. R.: 1985“Identity and self-identification.” In SchlenkerB. R. (ed.), The Self in Social Life: 65–99. New York: McGraw-Hill.
50.
SteeleC. M.: 1988“The psychology of self-affirmation: Sustaining the integrity of the self.” In BerkowitzL. (ed.), Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 21: 261–302. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
51.
SulsJ.WheelerL.: 2000“A selective history of classic and neo-social comparison theory.” In SulsJ.WheelerL. (eds.), Handbook of Social Comparison: Theory and Research: 5–19. New York: Plenum.
52.
TajfelH.: 1982“Social psychology of intergroup relations.”Annual Review of Psychology, 33: 1–39.
53.
TajfelH.TurnerJ. C.: 1986“The social identity theory of intergroup behavior.” In WorchelS.AustinW. G. (eds.), Psychology of Intergroup Relations: 7–24. Chicago: Nelson-Hall.
54.
TichyN. M.McGillA. R.St. ClairL. (eds.): 1997Corporate Global Citizenship: Doing Business in the Public Eye. San Francisco: New Lexington Press.
55.
TroppL. R.WrightS. C.: 1999“Ingroup identification as the inclusion of ingroup in the self.”Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 5: 585–600.
56.
TurnerJ. C.: 1982“Towards a cognitive redefinition of the social group.” In TajfelH. (ed.), Social Identity and Intergroup Relations: 123–137. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
57.
TurnerJ. C.HoggM. A.OakesP. J.ReicherS. D.WetherellM. S.: 1987Rediscovering the Social Group: A Self-categorization Theory. Oxford: Blackwell.
58.
TurnerJ. C.OakesP. J.HaslamS. A.McGartyC.: 1994“Self and collective: Cognition and social context.”Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 20: 454–463.
59.
Van de VenA.FerryD. L.: 1980Measuring and Assessing Organizations. New York: Wiley.
60.
Van DyneL.GrahamJ. W.DieneschR. M.: 1994“Organizational citizenship behavior: Construct redefinition, measurement, and validation.”Academy of Management Journal, 37: 765–802.
61.
WheelerL.MiyakeK.: 1992“Social comparison in everyday life.”Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 62: 760–773.
62.
WiesenfeldB. M.BrocknerJ.ThibaultV.: 2000“Procedural fairness, managers’ self-esteem, and managerial behaviors following a layoff.”Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 83: 1–32.
63.
WoodJ. V.: 1989“Theory and research concerning social comparisons of personal attributes.”Psychological Bulletin, 106: 231–248.
64.
WoodJ. V.: 1996“What is social comparison and how should we study it?”Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 22: 520–537.
65.
ZabuskyS. E.BarleyS. R.: 1997‘“You can't be a stone if you're cement': Reevaluating the emic identities of scientists in organizations.” In.
66.
StawB. M.CummingsL. L. (eds.), Research in Organizational Behavior, 19: 361–404. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
