Being the Same and Being the Different Simultaneously: Identifying (or not) with the Organization

Abstract

This paper analyzes the theoretical foundations for organizational disidentification and tests the validity of organizational disidentification in a structural equation model. Organizational disidentification is defined as (1) a cognitive separation between one's identity and the identity of an organization, and (2) a negative relational categorization of oneself and the organization (Elsbach & Bhattacharya, 2001: 397). In other words, defining oneself in terms of separateness or as different from the characteristics and values of the organization. Juxtaposing organizational identification and disidentification and differentiating their antecedents and consequences enhances our understanding how workers identify with or separate themselves from their organizations. Survey data strongly supported the hypothesized model implying that identification and disidentification are different constructs rather than two ends of a continuum, as suggested by Dukerich, Kramer and McLean Parks (1998). Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.