Why does organizational identification relate to reduced employee burnout? The mediating influence of social support and collective efficacy

Abstract

Although prior studies have consistently shown that organizational identification can reduce employees' stress and burnout, little is known about the mediating processes that underlie this relationship. Against this backdrop and building on recent theoretical work on the social identity model of stress, the present research tests a two-step mediation model for the organizational identification–burnout link. Specifically, it is hypothesized that employees who strongly identify with their organization are particularly likely to receive social support from their colleagues. This, in turn, should promote a sense of collective efficacy and, as a consequence, negatively relate to burnout. Data from a study with 192 Italian high schoolteachers supported the hypotheses.

Keywords:

• social identity model of stress
• organizational identification
• burnout
• social support
• collective efficacy

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by a grant from IPRASE (Istituto Provinciale per la Ricerca e la Sperimentazione Educativa) di Trento (TN) – Italy awarded to Lorenzo Avanzi and also partially supported by a fellowship of the Alexander von Humboldt-Foundation awarded to Sebastian C. Schuh.