Identification in organizational contexts: linking theory and research from social and organizational psychology

Abstract

Research in organizational psychology has shown that commitment to the organization correlates with different criteria of work effectiveness. This paper argues that social psychology and, particularly, the Social Identity Approach to intergroup relations extend the concept of commitment theoretically. Above that, it provides a broader conceptual framework for the understanding of underlying processes in the relation between organizational identification and job‐related attitudes and behaviours. This theoretical analysis is completed with a review of empirical findings in different fields of application (group performance, work‐related attitudes, group norms).