Exploring the identity and reputation of departmental groups: whose opinions matter most to their members?

Abstract

This article focuses on perceptions of a collective's contribution identity (i.e. how its own members view the effectiveness of its contributions towards organisational goals) and contribution reputation (i.e. how the rest of an organisation views its contributions), and how they are associated with the job satisfaction of its members. Data from 187 employees across 10 organisational departments was used to test competing hypotheses developed from three different theoretical perspectives. Results suggest that satisfaction was positively linked to member beliefs about their department's contributions to organisational success. Reputation had a positive impact on satisfaction only when it is derived from individuals from other departments that a department interacted frequently with.