TY - JOUR

T1 - Organizational attractiveness after identity threats of crises

T2 - how potential employees anticipate social identity

AU - Onken-Menke, Greta

AU - Lauritzen, Ghita Dragsdahl

AU - Nüesch, Stephan

AU - Foege, Johann Nils

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - This study examines how organizations shape potential employees’ social identity prior to joining the organization. This is relevant in light of growing demands for knowledge workers together with a lack of knowledge about the determinants of employer attractiveness for this group. Our study uses different organizational crises as identity-threatening events and extends current research by showing how such events influence potential employees’ anticipations about social identity, as well as their perceptions of the organization’s attractiveness. Empirical evidence from our scenario-based experiments in the United Kingdom and the United States shows that identity changes occurring from organizational crises reduce organizational attractiveness and that anticipated self-continuity and anticipated self-esteem mediate this relationship. The effects become stronger with increasing crisis responsibility. More surprisingly, our qualitative data indicate that certain forms of crises can also attract certain types of employees by triggering organizational compassion, engagement to help the organization recover, and beliefs in learning and future improvements.

AB - This study examines how organizations shape potential employees’ social identity prior to joining the organization. This is relevant in light of growing demands for knowledge workers together with a lack of knowledge about the determinants of employer attractiveness for this group. Our study uses different organizational crises as identity-threatening events and extends current research by showing how such events influence potential employees’ anticipations about social identity, as well as their perceptions of the organization’s attractiveness. Empirical evidence from our scenario-based experiments in the United Kingdom and the United States shows that identity changes occurring from organizational crises reduce organizational attractiveness and that anticipated self-continuity and anticipated self-esteem mediate this relationship. The effects become stronger with increasing crisis responsibility. More surprisingly, our qualitative data indicate that certain forms of crises can also attract certain types of employees by triggering organizational compassion, engagement to help the organization recover, and beliefs in learning and future improvements.

KW - anticipated organizational identity

KW - Identity threats

KW - organizational attractiveness

KW - organizational crises

KW - signalling theory

KW - social identity theory

U2 - 10.1080/1359432X.2021.1990266

DO - 10.1080/1359432X.2021.1990266

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:85118676767

VL - 31

SP - 622

EP - 640

JO - European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology

JF - European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology

SN - 1359-432X

IS - 4

ER -