Why and how do individuals seek to identify with organizations?
?
An individual’s view of the world is reliant on the experiences that they have been subject to in their own lives. The way in which people see things is directly related to the identity that they assume for themselves, and therefore also the organizations to which they identify. A woman whose mother has been diagnosed with breast cancer may have strong feelings about fundraising for the advancement cancer research, perhaps specifically through the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation (http://www.komen.org/).
According to Cheney, Christiansen, Zorn and Ganesh, “…there is a tendency for our organizational attachments to become self-reinforcing”(112). Because our affiliations are self-reinforcing, they make up our own personal identity.
People will also de-identify or dis-identify with organizations based on certain decisions that are made or directions the organization chooses to take. The moment that the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation is scrutinized for shady business dealings or misplacement of funds, the woman who identifies with the organization will choose to either fight for the organization, or abandon her affiliation in favor of another organization, whose identity she continues to hold in positive standing.
People choose to identify themselves with organizations for a variety of reasons. Some reasons include the organizations reputation, stance on issues and demonstrated social responsibility. For individuals who regard their work life and employer as an extension of themselves, they will seek an organization that is built on the types of morals and ethical codes that they can relate with on a personal level.
According to Cheney, Christensen, Zorn and Ganesh, “As organizations become more concerned about who they are and what they stand for, we see an increasing focus on notions like corporate personality, corporate profile, corporate reputation and corporate image” (109).
The following is Williams-Sonoma’s statement of corporate values:
We are in the business of enhancing the quality of life at home. To succeed, we live by a short, but important list of values.
People First
We believe the potential of our company has no
limit and is driven by our associates and their
imagination. We are committed to an environment
that attracts, motivates and recognizes high
performance.
Customers
We are here to please our customers—without them
nothing else matters.
Quality
We must take pride in everything we do. From our people, to our products and in our relationships with business partners and our community, quality is our signature.
Shareholders
We must provide a superior return to our shareholders. It's everyone's job…
http://www.williams-sonomainc.com
According to the text, “Organizational identification, in other words, suggests a feeling of oneness with the organization” (114). Williams-Sonoma’s corporate values statement is highly focused on its associates, its customers and its shareholders. The statement emphasizes the importance of people with regard to the company. Williams-Sonoma’s focus on people would make it an easy organization to identify with, while feeling comfortable that the company has the individual’s best interest in mind. From reading the corporate values statement, it is safe to infer that Williams-Sonoma’s associates, customers and shareholders have a strong sense of “oneness” and loyalty to the organization based on the company’s focus on their people.
How?
People identify themselves with organizations in a variety of ways. An organization to which an individual identifies can be viewed as an extension of self for that individual. If this is the case, then individuals who feel strongly about a cause will identify themselves with the organization that supports that cause.
From an employment perspective, people want to work for companies that support the same ideals and belief systems that are present in their own lives outside of work. In the current corporate culture, generations of workers are growing up with the belief that their work should be an extension of their personal lives.
A recent news article, that has gained national media attention, is the story of a company in Okemos, Michigan who made it a fire-able offense to smoke, even at home. Howard Weyers, founder of Weyco Inc., has so far fired four employees. The MSNBC article states:
Chief Financial Officer Gary Climes estimated that 18 to 20 of the company’s 200 employers were smokers when the policy was announced in 2003. Of those, as many as 14 quit smoking before the policy went into effect. The company offered them help to kick the habit.
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6870458/
Weyers goes on to call the new policy a “victory” for the company.
In an organization such as this one, there were 14 people that were willing to give up a very addicting habit immediatly in order to save their job. The company was willing to help their people give up this dangerous habit, because they want their employees healthy and happy. While it is safe to say that some employees probably quit smoking because they needed the job more than the cigarettes, it may also be true that they enjoy their company so much, and identify with the organization, that they were willing to sacrifice for their job. The way that they chose to identify with their place of employment was to stop smoking. As a result of this decision, the nonsmokers at the company were also pleased, because their workplace was now a healthier environment in which to work.
Finally, individuals are all made up of different and unique identities and the organizations that they choose to identify themselves with are equally different and unique. For whatever reason an individual chooses to identify with an organization, they will do so as an extension of themselves.