Organizational Identification as a Double-Edged Sword
Abstract. Previous research on organizational identification has almost exclusively focused on its positive effects on organization-related outcomes, paying relatively less attention to its effects on individual-related outcomes and its potential negative effects on both organization-related and individual-related outcomes. We proposed a model in which organizational identification was hypothesized to have both positive and negative effects on job and life satisfaction. Further, we proposed work-to-family conflict as a mediator of the negative effects of organizational identification. Participants in this survey research were 545 teachers in the People’s Republic of China. Results based on structural equation modeling largely supported our proposition that in addition to the well-established positive effects, organizational identification may also have negative effects on organization-related and individual-related outcomes.