Intellectual Contribution by Jennifer Tosti-Kharas

Contribution Title

Tosti-Kharas, J. In Press. Continued organizational identification following involuntary job loss. Journal of Managerial Psychology.

Publication

Journal of Managerial Psychology

Co-author

Year

2012

Description

Continued identification with a former employer may provide valuable self-enhancement during transition, or it may highlight unsettling self-discontinuity. This study develops and tests competing hypotheses regarding the extent to which continued organizational identification relates to psychological well-being following involuntary job loss. I conducted a two-wave survey study spanning 6 months during the recent financial crisis in 2008 to test these hypotheses. Results are presented for 86 employees in two samples, 45 who were unemployed at the beginning of the study and 41 who lost their jobs during the study. Results indicate that continued organizational identification positively related to psychological well-being in both samples. In a post-hoc analysis, this relationship held only for employees who attributed their job loss to themselves, rather than to external factors such as their organizations. I discuss theoretical implications for research on job loss and organizational identification, as well as practical implications.

Complete Citation

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