How Identity Conflict and Identity Synergy Influence Innovative Performance of Employees With Multiple Team Membership

Abstract

Multiple team membership refers to the extent to which team members are engaged in more than one team and switch between different teams. In order to reduce cost and improve efficiency, many organizations or work units allow their employees to work in different teams simultaneously. The purpose of this study is to examine how identity conflict and identity synergy of employees with multiple team membership may influence their innovative performance. Survey data were collected from 149 Chinese employees with multiple team membership. Hierarchical regression was used to test the hypotheses. The results show that identity synergy of employees with multiple team membership has a positive influence on innovative performance, and that self-reflection partially mediates this positive effect. Identity conflict of employees with multiple team membership has a negative impact on innovative performance, and self-reflection partially mediates this negative effect. This study stresses the importance of providing identity synergy and reducing identity conflict to increase the innovative performance of employees with multiple team membership.