Dual Identification
Dual Identification of Organizational Members across Contexts: The Relations
between Identity Integration, Identification Strength and Dual Identity Solutions
Individuals are often members of many social groups and thus hold multiple
social identities. In the context of work organizations, organizational members often
have multiple foci of identification: internal (e.g., one's organization, work team or
department), trans-organizational (e.g., one's profession), and extra-organizational
(e.g., the customer) (Russo, 1998; van Knippenberg & van Schie, 2000). The current
research focuses on one's identification with two important foci of identification: the
organization and the profession. It explores the way in which organizational members
integrate and manage these two identities.
The current research explores the interplay between three theoretical
constructs of dual identification -- strength of identification, Identity Integration, and
dual identity solutions. Strength of identification refers to the level of identification
with each of one's dual foci. Identity Integration (II) concerns the extent to which
individuals perceive their two identities as integrated or as conflicting or distanced
(Benet-Martínez & Haritatos, 2005; Huynh & Benet-Martinez, 2009). Dual identity
solutions refer to the pattern that one uses to organize or manage one's dual identities
(Weinreich & Saunderson, 2003). The interplay among these constructs was explored
through a series of studies across varied contexts using meta-analysis, MDS and SEM
methods.
Three studies examined the research hypotheses using seven different samples
of orchestra players and accountants. Study 1 sampled orchestra players in Germany
and distinguished between the contexts of professionals and amateurs. Study 2
replicated Study 1 in another culture -- Israel. Study 3 focused on professionals,
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Dual Identification
sampled accountants in Israel, and distinguished between the contexts of accounting
firms versus non-accounting firms. Study 3 included three samples of accountants -- a
large accounting firm, varied accounting firms and non-accounting firms.
I hypothesized that organizational and professional identifications are
positively related. Studies 1, 2, and 3 found support for this hypothesis for both
professionals and amateurs. Study 3 compared organizations with a dominant
profession and other organizations for the same profession of accountants and found
the difference to be in the expected direction, but not significant.
I further hypothesized that Identity Integration would be positively related to
both identifications. Studies 1, 2, and 3 found support for the hypothesized relation
between II and organizational identification in all samples (n.s. in varied accounting
firms' and non-accounting firms’ samples). Study 2 found support for the
hypothesized relation between II and professional identification. Studies 1 and 3
found partial support for this relation, namely for professionals in Study 1 and for
accountants in a large accounting firm in study 3.
The current research focuses on Roccas and Brewer's (2002) typology of
solutions,
including
five
solutions:
professional
dominance,
organizational
dominance, intersection, compartmentalization, and merger. I hypothesized low
Identity Integration to be positively related to compartmentalization -- the only
solution that enables one to keep two identities in their original form or content
through their separation, without any attempt to integrate them. Studies 1 and 2 found
support for this hypothesized relation in three samples of orchestra players, namely
for German professionals, German amateurs (not significant) and Israeli amateurs.
Nevertheless, Study 3 did not find support for it in any of the accountants' samples.
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Dual Identification
I hypothesized that the more one identifies with the organization, the more one
tends to adopt the organizational dominance solution that acknowledges only the
organizational identity. Studies 1, 2, and 3 found support for this relation. I
hypothesized that the more one identifies with the profession, the more one tends to
adopt solutions other than the organizational dominance solution, which acknowledge
the profession as the only identity (i.e., professional dominance solution) or as a
complementary identity to the organization (i.e., intersection, compartmentalization
and merger solutions). Studies 1, 2, and 3 found identification with the profession to
be positively related to solutions other than organizational dominance (i.e.,
professional dominance, intersection, merger, and compartmentalization) in four
samples -- German professional orchestra players, German amateur orchestra players,
Israeli amateur orchestra players and accountants in large accounting firm. For Israeli
professional orchestra players, professional identification was positively related only
to the professional dominance and merger solutions. For the two samples of
accountants in varied accounting firms and in non-accounting firms, professional
identification was positively related to all hypothesized solutions except
compartmentalization. In sum, the hypothesized model of inter-relations between the
research variables was quite stable across the different contexts.
The findings of the current research contribute to the organizational literature
by being the first research to integrate the two theoretical frameworks of Identity
Integration and dual identity solutions. It further contributes to Identity Integration
theoretical framework by exploring the relations between II and identification
strength. The current research also suggests practical ways of strengthening
organizational identification among employees.
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References
Benet-Martínez, V., & Haritatos, J. (2005). Bicultural Identity Integration (BII):
Components and psychosocial antecedents. Journal of Personality, 73(4),
1015–1050.
Huynh, Q., & Benet-Martínez, V. (2009). Measurement, validity, and psycho-social
correlates of Bicultural Identity Integration (BII). Unpublished manuscript.
Roccas, S., & Brewer, M. B. (2002). Social Identity Complexity. Personality and
Social Psychology Review, 6(2), 88-106.
Russo, T. C. (1998). Organizational and professional identification: A case of
newspaper journalists. Management Communication Quarterly, 12, 72-111.
Van Knippenberg, D., & Van Schie, E. C. M. (2000). Foci and correlates of
organizational identification. Journal of Occupational and Organizational
Psychology, 73(2), 137–147.
Weinreich, P., & Saunderson, W. (2003). Analysing identity: Cross-cultural, societal
and clinical contexts. Routledge: New York.
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