Identity of and identification with organisations

Abstract

Interest on research on employees’ identification with their organization has emerged rapidly in the recent decade. A topic that has not reached much attention is disidentification. That is why the following article deals with different forms of identification and disidentification in an organizational context. Identification and disidentification are not the opposite, but two different variables that define four different types of identification: high identification, high disidentification, neutral identification and ambivalent identification. After giving an overview of the discussion on identification and disidentification a qualitative case study shows different forms of identification and disidentification after a change process. The reason for the different forms among employees lies in the missing involvement of the employees, missing profit and prestige. That is why the main factor of influence for disidentification in this case study is grounded in the history of the employee in the organisation and the job tenure. Finally, the article makes recommendations for management to hold up identification during and after a change process.