Antecedents of Organizational Identification: A Review and Agenda for Future Research

Abstract

Research on the antecedents of organizational identification (OI), individuals’ sense of oneness with the organization, has developed over time with four major categories: organizational characteristics, managerial policies and practices, interpersonal interactions, and personal attributes. OI research has flourished due to the exploration of antecedents under these four research categories, but it is not well integrated across them. The current lack of integration hinders understanding of the factors that can contribute to OI and how these might jointly shape OI development. To address this important unresolved issue, we seek to provide a comprehensive review of research on the antecedents of OI. In our review, we first summarize the existing research that reflects each of the four major research categories. We then suggest several avenues for future research, including exploration of the longitudinal dynamics between the antecedents and how the antecedents will operate in the context of key emerging work trends: remote work and digital transformation.