Organizational Attachment: Exploring the Psychodynamics of the Employment Relationship

Abstract

This paper outlines a theoretical framework that may be useful for understanding how and why employees become psychologically attached to the organizations that employ them, in spite of growing evidence that many of these organizations are not reliable sources of security. Building on attachment theory from developmental psychology, I develop the concept of attachment and distinguish between it and concepts of commitment and identification. Attachment theory suggests that individuals have attachment that reflect their beliefs and expectations about themselves in relation to the broader social system. I extend this theory and apply it to relationships between individuals and the organizations for which they work. Thus, I posit that individuals have organizational attachment styles that can be used to predict how employees will perceive and respond to situations that may threaten their relationship to their employing organization. This theoretical framework may be helpful in identifying the characteristics of future employment relationships that can meet individuals' needs to be psychologically attached to their organizations and, at the same time, provide the flexibility that organizations need to be competitive. Descriptors: attachment, employment relationships, commitment, identity, psychodynamics of organizations 180 words This paper is based on a Ph.D. dissertation completed at the University of Michigan. Funding from the University of Michigan Business School and the Horace H. Rackham . Graduate School, and support from Bryant College is gratefully acknowledged. I would like to thank Lance Sandelands, Toni Antonnuci, Susan Ashford, Jane Dutton, Joel Kahn, Bob Peticolas, Kathleen Sutcliffe, Mary Tschirhart, Karl Weick, Susan E. Jackson and several anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on earlier versions of this paper. Running head: Organizational Attachment Organizational Attachment Organizational Attachment: Exploring the Psychodynamics of the Employment Relationship Organizations today are struggling to create new forms of employment relationships that allow them the flexibility to keep costs down (e.g., easy elimination of personnel, unilateral job redesign). At the same time, organizations are seeking ever greater commitment from their employees to keep productivity and innovation high (Pfeffer and Baron, 1988). Even a casual perusal of headlines in the business press suggests that these apparently contradictory efforts have been far from successful. Companies still proclaim that their costs are too high in light of fierce global competition; layoff survivors as well as victims often complain that they have lost faith in their companies' (or former companies') top managers. In spite of the reality of employment uncertainty and the rhetoric of employee disaffection, however, many individuals still identify strongly with their employing organization (Rousseau, 1998). This paper explores a potential , explanation for this relatively high degree of identification. By emphasizing the interaction between individual differences and situational factors, the attachment perspective taken in this paper provides insight into the complex nature of employment relationships. As a result, it may facilitate the development of future employment relationships that can accommodate flexibility as well as employee commitment, identification, and attachment. One serious impediment to effectively meeting the apparently competing goals of flexibility and employee commitment is the lack of a clear understanding of the psychology of the employment relationship. Without understanding more about what employment relationships means to individuals, it is virtually impossible to devise employment relationships that are both flexible from the perspective of the company and worth committing to from the perspective of the employee. To address this critical issue,