Does Ethical Membership Matter? Moral Identification and Its Organizational Implications

Abstract

This research contributes to the literature on the broad concept of organizational identification (OI) by proposing a new and more specific construct of moral identification (MOI). MOI is defined here as the perception of oneness or belongingness to an ethical organization, which involves a deliberate concern of the membership with an ethical organization. Integrating social identity theory with the identity salience framework, this research examines three theoretical models where MOI plays a role in explaining employee attraction, motivation, and retention, respectively. Our findings from the three studies revealed that MOI explained why job seekers with a strong vs. weak moral identity were more attracted to a socially responsible organization (Study 1). Second, MOI was associated with lower employee unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB), whereas OI was marginally related to higher levels of UPB (Study 2). Last, MOI amplified the negative relationship between organizational legal compliance and employees’ turnover intentions, whereas OI did not qualify that relationship (Study 3). Taken together, these studies suggest that MOI offers new insights beyond OI in explaining both potential and current employees’ behaviors when morality is contextually relevant and subjectively meaningful. Theoretical contributions and practical implications are discussed.