Social Identity Processes in Organizational Contexts

Organizations are groups. They compete with other groups; they are internally structured into subgroups and roles; and they influence and are influenced by social identity processes. This new volume brings together social, social/organizational, and organizational psychologists to write about ways in which they explore social identity theory in organizational contexts, or explore social identity phenomena that are particularly relevant in such contexts. In recent years there has been an explosion of interest in social identity processes among both social and organizational psychologists. However, the two groups have rarely appeared on the same stage--this book is a first attempt at a closer relationship between these two literatures. The contributors to this volume range from primarily social psychologists to primarily organizational psychologists, but through various shades of combined emphasis. The chapters are wide ranging--they deal with basic social identity theory, organizational diversity,leadership, employee turnover, mergers and acquisitions, organizational identification, cooperation and trust in organizations, commitment and work, and socialization and influence within organizations. This book is an integrative platform for a closer relationship between social psychologists and organizational psychologists who study social identity processes in organizations--a relationship that will fuel new directions in basic and applied social identity research, and will significantly advance our understanding of organizational life.