Organizational attachment in hybrids: identification, commitment and exit/voice/loyalty
ISSN: 2040-8269
Article publication date: 5 August 2024
Issue publication date: 23 October 2024
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine member attachment in hybrid identity organizations (HIOs), assessing the distinct effects of identification with respect to two elements (normative and utilitarian) of a hybrid’s identity. Specifically, the author explored how such dual identifications influence commitment and exit/voice/loyalty.
Design/methodology/approach
To distinguish the effects of the two identities, the author used the mechanism of identity congruence – the gap between identity perceptions and expectations – as an analog of identification. The models of identity gap, commitment and exit/voice/loyalty were examined via a survey of agricultural cooperative members.
Findings
Both the social and economic forms of identity gap were significantly related to commitment and exit/voice/loyalty. In addition, commitment mediated the relationship between identity gap and exit/voice/loyalty.
Research limitations/implications
The results demonstrate the distinctive effects of the dual identities and reinforce the importance of delineating such differences when examining identification in hybrid organizations.
Practical implications
Managers should recognize the duality inherent in hybrid organizational identification and understand the potential for different outcomes stemming from the separate identities.
Originality/value
This study represents the first quantitative examination of an integrated model of dual identification and commitment in HIOs. It is also unique in exploring the exit/voice/loyalty framework as a consequent of identification.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The author wishes to first acknowledge the assistance of Kurt Klein and Randall Westgren in conducting the survey that produced the data for this study. In addition, the author is grateful to Randall Westgren, David Whetten and Mathew Sheep for their comments, insights and encouragement on this project. Finally, the author wishes to thank the editor, Lerong He and two anonymous reviewers for their constructive feedback, which significantly improved this paper. A prior version of this research was presented at the Academy of Management Meetings.
Citation
Foreman, P. (2024), "Organizational attachment in hybrids: identification, commitment and exit/voice/loyalty", Management Research Review, Vol. 47 No. 11, pp. 1855-1872. https://doi.org/10.1108/MRR-07-2023-0520
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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