Factors Predicting Organizational Identification with Intercollegiate Forensics Teams

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between intercollegiate forensics competitors’ organizational identification and organizational culture. Through a survey analysis of 314 intercollegiate forensics students, this study reports three major findings. First, this study found male competitors identify with forensics programs more than female competitors do. Second, this study found African-American competitors identify with their programs more than other ethnicities do. Third, the correlation between organizational identification and organizational cultural understanding is multidimensional with positive and negative correlations between organizational identification and different factors of organizational culture. The nature of forensics and team social support are discussed as reasons for student identification.

Keywords:

• Organizational Identity
• Organizational Culture
• Social Identity Theory
• Forensics
• Social Support

Notes

1. The term sex is used throughout this manuscript to refer to what many researchers may refer to as gender because “sex is a designation based on biology, while gender is socially and psychologically constructed” (Wood, 1997, p. 23).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Stephen M. Croucher

Stephen M. Croucher (Ph.D., University of Oklahoma, 2006) is an Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at Bowling Green State

Bridget L. Long

Bridget L. Long, Michael J. Meredith, Deepa Oommen, & Emily L. Steele are all doctoral students in the School of Communication Studies at BGSU, except Steele who is a MA student