Research Article
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Analysis of the Relationship between Teachers' Perceptions of Organizational Identification and Meaningful Work

Year 2022, Volume: 15 Issue: 4, 958 - 974, 31.10.2022
https://doi.org/10.30831/akukeg.1144116

Abstract

Teachers that identify with their organizations and find meaning at work can contribute to their students and schools from various aspects. However, there is limited evidence on teacher perceptions of organizational identification and meaningful work in the literature. The present research aims to determine the relationship between teachers' organizational identification and meaningful work perceptions. This quantitative research is in correlational design. The sample of the research consists of 330 teachers working in Kahramanmaraş. The scales of meaningful work for educational organizations and organizational identification were used as data collection tools. In the analysis of the data, Pearson correlation coefficient was calculated, and regression analyses were performed. Research findings show that there is a positive, moderately significant relationship between organizational identification and meaningful work. Organizational identification is a significant predictor of meaningful work. Organizational identification has positive and moderately significant relationships with the sub-dimensions of meaningful work (meaning at work, transcendence at work, work relationships, meaning leadership at work, humility at work), and while it is a significant predictor of these dimensions. Nevertheless, it shows no significant relationship with the dimension of search for meaning at work. Implications for identifying with organizations and meaningful work are discussed.

References

  • Akdoğan, A. A., Arslan, A., & Demirtaş, Ö. (2016). A strategic influence of corporate social responsibility on meaningful work and organizational identification, via perceptions of ethical leadership. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 235, 259-268.
  • Allan, B. A., Batz-Barbarich, C., Sterling, H. M., & Tay, L. (2018). Outcomes of Meaningful Work: A Meta-Analysis. Journal of Management Studies, 56(3),500-528, doi:10.1111/joms.12406
  • Avanzi, L., Fraccaroli, F., Castelli, L., Marcionetti, J., Crescentini, A., Balducci, C., & van Dick, R. (2018). How to mobilize social support against workload and burnout: The role of organizational identification. Teaching and Teacher Education, 69, 154-167.
  • Chalofsky, N. (2003). An emerging construct for meaningful work. Human Resource Development International, 6(1), 69-83.
  • Chughtai, A. A., & Buckley, F. (2009). Linking trust in the principal to school outcomes. International Journal of Educational Management, 23(7), 574–589. doi:10.1108/09513540910990816
  • Correia, I., & Almeida, A. E. (2020). Organizational justice, professional identification, empathy, and meaningful work during COVID-19 pandemic: Are they burnout protectors in physicians and nurses?. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1-13.
  • Creswell, J. W. (2015). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (5th ed.). Pearson Education
  • Demirtas, O., Hannah, S. T., Gök, K., Arslan, A., & Capar, N. (2015). The moderated influence of ethical leadership, via meaningful work, on followers’ engagement, organizational identification, and envy. Journal of Business Ethics, 145(1), 183-199.
  • Dinçman, M. P. (2021). Mediating effect of organizational identification on the relationship between leader-member exchange and organizational commitment among primary school teachers. Journal of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, 5(1), 1-24
  • Edwards, M. R. (2005). Organizational identification: A conceptual and operational review. International journal of management reviews, 7(4), 207-230.
  • Field, A. (2018). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications
  • Frémeaux, S., & Pavageau, B. (2022). Meaningful leadership: how can leaders contribute to meaningful work?. Journal of Management Inquiry, 31(1), 54-66.
  • Fuchs, S. (2012). Understanding psychological bonds between individuals and organizations: The coalescence model of organizational identification. Palgrave Macmillan.
  • Ghadi, M.Y., Fernando, M. and Caputi, P. (2015). Describing work as meaningful: towards a conceptual clarification. Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance, 2(3), 202-223. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOEPP-11-2014-0064
  • Göçen, A. (2021). How do teachers perceive meaningful leadership? Overview of a qualitative exploration. Journal of Pedagogical Research, 5(1), 31-49.
  • Göçen, A., Cülha, A. & Kuş, E. (2021). The relationship between teachers' meaningful work perceptions and decision-making styles. Gaziantep University Journal of Educational Sciences, 5(1), 54-65.
  • Göçen, A. & Terzi R. (2019). Meaningful work scale for educational organizations. Gazi University Journal of Gazi Educational Faculty, 39(3), 1487-1512.
  • Guglielmi, D., Panari, C., Simbula, S., & Mazzetti, G. (2014). Is it possible to motivate teachers? The role of organizational identification. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 116, 1842-1847.
  • Ji, D., & Cui, L. (2021). Relationship between total rewards perceptions and work engagement among Chinese kindergarten teachers: Organizational identification as a mediator. Frontiers in psychology, 12, 648729, 1-8, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.648729
  • Kaya, A., Göçen, A. & Uzun, M. (2022). The relationship between teachers' reasons for whistleblowing, organizational cynicism and identification: A path analysis study. Inonu University Journal of the Faculty of Education, 23(1), 207-224. DOI: 10.17679/inuefd.992293
  • Lee, E. S., Park, T. Y., & Koo, B. (2015). Identifying organizational identification as a basis for attitudes and behaviors: A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 141(5), 1049–1080. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000012
  • Lee, S. M. (1971). An empirical analysis of organizational identification. Academy of Management journal, 14(2), 213-226. https://doi.org/10.5465/255308
  • Mael, F. A., & Tetrick, L. E. (1992). Identifying organizational identification. Educational and psychological measurement, 52(4), 813-824.
  • Martela, F., & Pessi, A. B. (2018). Significant work is about self-realization and broader purpose: Defining the key dimensions of meaningful work. Frontiers in psychology, 9, 363, 1-15, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00363
  • Martela, F., & Steger, M. F. (2016). The three meanings of meaning in life: Distinguishing coherence, purpose, and significance. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 11(5), 531-545.
  • O'Connor, M.-F. (2003). Making meaning of life events: theory, evidence, and research directions for an alternative model. OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying, 46(1), 51–75. doi:10.2190/0CKD-PVQ0-T260-NTXU
  • Orphan, C. M., & Broom, S. (2021). Life at the “people’s universities”: Organizational identification and commitment among regional comprehensive university faculty members in the USA. Higher Education, 82(1), 181-201.
  • Ouwerkerk, J. W. & Bartels, J. (2022). Is anyone else feeling completely nonessential? Meaningful work, identification, job insecurity, and online organizational behavior during a lockdown in the Netherlands. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(3), 1514. doi:10.3390/ijerph19031514
  • Rosso, B. D., Dekas, K. H., & Wrzesniewski, A. (2010). On the meaning of work: A theoretical integration and review. Research in organizational behavior, 30, 91-127.
  • Schnell, T., Höge, T., & Weber, W. G. (2019). Belonging and its relationship to the experience of meaningful work. In R. Yeoman, C. Bailey, A. Madden, & Thompson (Eds), The Oxford handbook of meaningful work (165-185). Oxford University Press
  • Schwartz, A. (1982). Meaningful work. Ethics, 92(4), 634–646. doi:10.1086/292380
  • Specht, J., Kuonath, A., Pachler, D., Weisweiler, S., & Frey, D. (2018). How change agents’ motivation facilitates organizational change: Pathways through meaning and organizational identification. Journal of Change Management, 18(3), 198-217.
  • Steger, M. F. (2012). Making meaning in life. Psychological Inquiry, 23(4), 381-385.
  • Steger, M. F., Dik, B. J., & Duffy, R. D. (2012). Measuring meaningful work: The work and meaning inventory (WAMI). Journal of career Assessment, 20(3), 322-337.
  • Şahin, E. (2014). Organizational identity, organizational image, organizational identification and organizational justice in high schools (Bursa example) (Unpublished master's thesis), Ege University Institute of Social Sciences, İzmir.
  • Tabachnick, B. G. & Fidell, L. S. (2013). Using multivariate statistics. Pearson.
  • Toptaş, B. (2018). The level of teachers’ finding work meaningful and factors affecting teachers’ finding work meaningful. Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal University Journal of Faculty of Education, 18(1), 521-542
  • Van Dick, R. (2001). Identification in organizational contexts: Linking theory and research from social and organizational psychology. International Journal of Management Reviews, 3(4), 265-283.
  • Van Dick, R., Christ, O., Stellmacher, J., Wagner, U., Ahlswede, O., Grubba, C., ... & Tissington, P. A. (2004). Should I stay or should I go? Explaining turnover intentions with organizational identification and job satisfaction. British journal of management, 15(4), 351-360.
  • Wrzesniewski, A. (2003). Finding positive meaning in work. In K.S. Cameron, J.E. Dutton, & R.E. Quinn (Eds.), Positive Organizational Scholarship: Foundations of a New Discipline (296-308), Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
  • Wrzesniewski, A., Dutton, J. E., & Debebe, G. (2003). Interpersonal sense making and the meaning of work. Research in organizational behavior, 25, 93-135.
Year 2022, Volume: 15 Issue: 4, 958 - 974, 31.10.2022
https://doi.org/10.30831/akukeg.1144116

Abstract

References

  • Akdoğan, A. A., Arslan, A., & Demirtaş, Ö. (2016). A strategic influence of corporate social responsibility on meaningful work and organizational identification, via perceptions of ethical leadership. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 235, 259-268.
  • Allan, B. A., Batz-Barbarich, C., Sterling, H. M., & Tay, L. (2018). Outcomes of Meaningful Work: A Meta-Analysis. Journal of Management Studies, 56(3),500-528, doi:10.1111/joms.12406
  • Avanzi, L., Fraccaroli, F., Castelli, L., Marcionetti, J., Crescentini, A., Balducci, C., & van Dick, R. (2018). How to mobilize social support against workload and burnout: The role of organizational identification. Teaching and Teacher Education, 69, 154-167.
  • Chalofsky, N. (2003). An emerging construct for meaningful work. Human Resource Development International, 6(1), 69-83.
  • Chughtai, A. A., & Buckley, F. (2009). Linking trust in the principal to school outcomes. International Journal of Educational Management, 23(7), 574–589. doi:10.1108/09513540910990816
  • Correia, I., & Almeida, A. E. (2020). Organizational justice, professional identification, empathy, and meaningful work during COVID-19 pandemic: Are they burnout protectors in physicians and nurses?. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1-13.
  • Creswell, J. W. (2015). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (5th ed.). Pearson Education
  • Demirtas, O., Hannah, S. T., Gök, K., Arslan, A., & Capar, N. (2015). The moderated influence of ethical leadership, via meaningful work, on followers’ engagement, organizational identification, and envy. Journal of Business Ethics, 145(1), 183-199.
  • Dinçman, M. P. (2021). Mediating effect of organizational identification on the relationship between leader-member exchange and organizational commitment among primary school teachers. Journal of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, 5(1), 1-24
  • Edwards, M. R. (2005). Organizational identification: A conceptual and operational review. International journal of management reviews, 7(4), 207-230.
  • Field, A. (2018). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications
  • Frémeaux, S., & Pavageau, B. (2022). Meaningful leadership: how can leaders contribute to meaningful work?. Journal of Management Inquiry, 31(1), 54-66.
  • Fuchs, S. (2012). Understanding psychological bonds between individuals and organizations: The coalescence model of organizational identification. Palgrave Macmillan.
  • Ghadi, M.Y., Fernando, M. and Caputi, P. (2015). Describing work as meaningful: towards a conceptual clarification. Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance, 2(3), 202-223. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOEPP-11-2014-0064
  • Göçen, A. (2021). How do teachers perceive meaningful leadership? Overview of a qualitative exploration. Journal of Pedagogical Research, 5(1), 31-49.
  • Göçen, A., Cülha, A. & Kuş, E. (2021). The relationship between teachers' meaningful work perceptions and decision-making styles. Gaziantep University Journal of Educational Sciences, 5(1), 54-65.
  • Göçen, A. & Terzi R. (2019). Meaningful work scale for educational organizations. Gazi University Journal of Gazi Educational Faculty, 39(3), 1487-1512.
  • Guglielmi, D., Panari, C., Simbula, S., & Mazzetti, G. (2014). Is it possible to motivate teachers? The role of organizational identification. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 116, 1842-1847.
  • Ji, D., & Cui, L. (2021). Relationship between total rewards perceptions and work engagement among Chinese kindergarten teachers: Organizational identification as a mediator. Frontiers in psychology, 12, 648729, 1-8, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.648729
  • Kaya, A., Göçen, A. & Uzun, M. (2022). The relationship between teachers' reasons for whistleblowing, organizational cynicism and identification: A path analysis study. Inonu University Journal of the Faculty of Education, 23(1), 207-224. DOI: 10.17679/inuefd.992293
  • Lee, E. S., Park, T. Y., & Koo, B. (2015). Identifying organizational identification as a basis for attitudes and behaviors: A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 141(5), 1049–1080. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000012
  • Lee, S. M. (1971). An empirical analysis of organizational identification. Academy of Management journal, 14(2), 213-226. https://doi.org/10.5465/255308
  • Mael, F. A., & Tetrick, L. E. (1992). Identifying organizational identification. Educational and psychological measurement, 52(4), 813-824.
  • Martela, F., & Pessi, A. B. (2018). Significant work is about self-realization and broader purpose: Defining the key dimensions of meaningful work. Frontiers in psychology, 9, 363, 1-15, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00363
  • Martela, F., & Steger, M. F. (2016). The three meanings of meaning in life: Distinguishing coherence, purpose, and significance. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 11(5), 531-545.
  • O'Connor, M.-F. (2003). Making meaning of life events: theory, evidence, and research directions for an alternative model. OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying, 46(1), 51–75. doi:10.2190/0CKD-PVQ0-T260-NTXU
  • Orphan, C. M., & Broom, S. (2021). Life at the “people’s universities”: Organizational identification and commitment among regional comprehensive university faculty members in the USA. Higher Education, 82(1), 181-201.
  • Ouwerkerk, J. W. & Bartels, J. (2022). Is anyone else feeling completely nonessential? Meaningful work, identification, job insecurity, and online organizational behavior during a lockdown in the Netherlands. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(3), 1514. doi:10.3390/ijerph19031514
  • Rosso, B. D., Dekas, K. H., & Wrzesniewski, A. (2010). On the meaning of work: A theoretical integration and review. Research in organizational behavior, 30, 91-127.
  • Schnell, T., Höge, T., & Weber, W. G. (2019). Belonging and its relationship to the experience of meaningful work. In R. Yeoman, C. Bailey, A. Madden, & Thompson (Eds), The Oxford handbook of meaningful work (165-185). Oxford University Press
  • Schwartz, A. (1982). Meaningful work. Ethics, 92(4), 634–646. doi:10.1086/292380
  • Specht, J., Kuonath, A., Pachler, D., Weisweiler, S., & Frey, D. (2018). How change agents’ motivation facilitates organizational change: Pathways through meaning and organizational identification. Journal of Change Management, 18(3), 198-217.
  • Steger, M. F. (2012). Making meaning in life. Psychological Inquiry, 23(4), 381-385.
  • Steger, M. F., Dik, B. J., & Duffy, R. D. (2012). Measuring meaningful work: The work and meaning inventory (WAMI). Journal of career Assessment, 20(3), 322-337.
  • Şahin, E. (2014). Organizational identity, organizational image, organizational identification and organizational justice in high schools (Bursa example) (Unpublished master's thesis), Ege University Institute of Social Sciences, İzmir.
  • Tabachnick, B. G. & Fidell, L. S. (2013). Using multivariate statistics. Pearson.
  • Toptaş, B. (2018). The level of teachers’ finding work meaningful and factors affecting teachers’ finding work meaningful. Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal University Journal of Faculty of Education, 18(1), 521-542
  • Van Dick, R. (2001). Identification in organizational contexts: Linking theory and research from social and organizational psychology. International Journal of Management Reviews, 3(4), 265-283.
  • Van Dick, R., Christ, O., Stellmacher, J., Wagner, U., Ahlswede, O., Grubba, C., ... & Tissington, P. A. (2004). Should I stay or should I go? Explaining turnover intentions with organizational identification and job satisfaction. British journal of management, 15(4), 351-360.
  • Wrzesniewski, A. (2003). Finding positive meaning in work. In K.S. Cameron, J.E. Dutton, & R.E. Quinn (Eds.), Positive Organizational Scholarship: Foundations of a New Discipline (296-308), Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
  • Wrzesniewski, A., Dutton, J. E., & Debebe, G. (2003). Interpersonal sense making and the meaning of work. Research in organizational behavior, 25, 93-135.
There are 41 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Other Fields of Education
Journal Section Articles
Authors

Salih Yılmaz 0000-0002-5890-0699

Ahmet Kaya 0000-0001-8899-9178

Publication Date October 31, 2022
Submission Date July 15, 2022
Published in Issue Year 2022 Volume: 15 Issue: 4

Cite

APA Yılmaz, S., & Kaya, A. (2022). Analysis of the Relationship between Teachers’ Perceptions of Organizational Identification and Meaningful Work. Journal of Theoretical Educational Science, 15(4), 958-974. https://doi.org/10.30831/akukeg.1144116