I Communicate, Therefore I Belong: Processes of Identification Among Organizational Representatives

Stephanie L. Dailey Texas State University ; Jeffrey W. Treem The University of Texas at Austin ; Jacob S. Ford The University of Texas at Austin

Abstract

Although research has explored employees’ organizational identification, few scholars have investigated liminal workers’ identification. This gap is problematic because nonmembers represent organizations and their attachments may influence their work. To understand this poorly understood phenomenon, we conducted interviews with agency social media writers who were not employed by organizations they represented online. Contrary to practitioners avowing that only internal employees can communicate via social media, we found agency writers adopt multiple identification lenses, which lead to different work practices. These results contribute to organizational, stakeholder, and consumer-company identification research and help social media writers better communicate on behalf of organizations.

Journal
Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
Published
2016-09-01
DOI
10.1177/2329490616644753
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Cited by in this index (1)

  1. Journal of Business and Technical Communication

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