The Communication Glue that Binds Employees to an Organization: A Study of Organizational Identification in Two Thai Organizations

• Published in: Asian journal of communication 2005-07, Vol.15 (2), p.188-214
• Main Authors: Maneerat, Nittaya, Hale, Claudia L., Singhal, Arvind
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Communication; Comparative analysis; Employees; Identification; Non-governmental organizations; Organizational Culture; Organizational effectiveness; Organizational Identification; Social Service Organizations; Social services; Thailand
• ISSN: 0129-2986; 1742-0911
• DOI: 10.1080/01292980500118821

Organizational communication scholars have paid scant attention to the motivations of people who choose careers in social service organizations. This study examined organizational identification in the context of two Thai social service organizations: government-run Community Development Department (CDD) and non-governmental Population and Community Development Association (PDA). The degree to which CDD members identified with CDD and PDA members identified with PDA was assessed by using the Organizational Identification Questionnaire constructed by George Cheney ( 1982 ). Comparison of CDD and PDA scores on Cheney's OIQ provided findings that mirror those of previous studies of organizational identification. Specifically, the level of organizational identification among employees who work for the non-governmental privately-run social-cause organization (PDA) was significantly higher than for employees who work for the government organization (CDD). Thus, the non-governmental organization appears to be more effective than the government organization in fostering employee identification. Interestingly, a factor analysis of Thai responses to the Cheney instrument revealed three dimensions that were different from the three dimensions theorized by Cheney ( 1982 ). While Cheney's conceptualization of identification included employees sense of membership, similarity, and loyalty to their organization, the Thai dimensions reflected life values ('pride in membership'), social values ('fit with organization'), and personal values ('comfort zone'). These findings hold important implications for communication scholars who study employee motivation in non-Western organizational contexts.