Navigating Multiple Identities Across Multiple Boundaries: A Cross-Level Model of Organizational Identification

Much of the existing research on organizational identification presumes a singular, central organizational identity with which individuals may come to identify rather than explicitly recognizing the multiple dimensions of identity likely embodied in the organization as well as the multi-dimensional nature of individual identity. In this cross-level, multi-method research, we provide a boundary perspective on identity and identification to illuminate the complex processes by which an organization manages a hybrid identity and individuals manage multiple personal identities within a hybrid identity context, and the impact this process has on organizational identification and member loyalty. The results show that organizational actions to integrate the hybrid identity create high- and low-status factions resulting in different levels of identification and member loyalty.