Definition
A person’s sense of identifying with someone or something, or association or linking with something or someone
Why is identification important
Identification influences the trust perception and will mitigate downsides of a lack of trust. Identification in the organisational context includes individual identity (who am I?), team identity, and organisational identity (who are we as a whole?). Identification lets the organisations’ goal feel like their own and makes an employee feel psychologically intertwined with the organisations’ fate.
Individual identity is about inclusion. Can the individual be him or herself at work, and feel valued, respected and supported? Identification with the organisation, department, or team will make a person tolerate lower levels of trust, or achieve higher levels of performance on equal levels of trust.
The other aspect of identification is related to the mission and vision of the company. Do your employees support this mission? Is it clear, bold, and achievable?
Where issues with identification often occur
A common issue that occurs is that employees identify so strongly with their team, or a specific group of employees, that other internal teams or groups become opponents. Instead of advancing the company as a whole, they will try to advance only the group to which they belong, often to the detriment of the rest of the company.
The quick fix
Team building is great, but don’t forget to include every employee in the overall company. Try to make employees belong to the organisation, instead of just a department or a team.
