Social identities and commitments at work: toward an integrative model

TLDR

Social identities and work‑related commitment are important aspects of employee attachment, but their distinctions and relationships have not been clearly articulated. The paper proposes that identity and commitment are distinct in meaning, focus, mindset, volition, and behavior, that situated and deep‑structure identities differentially predict exchange‑ and value‑based commitments with commitment mediating identity effects on motivation and work behavior, and that multiple identities have implications for employees in nested and cross‑cutting collectives. The authors suggest that situated and deep‑structure social identities differentially antecede exchange‑based and value‑based commitments, and that commitment mediates, at least partially, the effects of identities on motivation and work behavior. © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Abstract

Abstract Although social identities and work‐related commitment are important aspects of employee attachment, distinctions between and relations among the two have not been clearly articulated. In this conceptual piece, we propose that identity and commitment are distinguishable in terms of their essential meaning, foci of attachment, mindsets, volitionality, and behavioral implications. We further suggest that situated and deep structure social identities are differentially antecedent to exchange‐based and value‐based commitments, and that commitment mediates, at least partially, the effects of identities on motivation and work behavior. Finally, we consider the implications of multiple identities for employees in different kinds of collectives (nested and cross‐cutting). Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.