Pre-entry organisational identification: considering the theoretical and managerial implications of future members’ identification with an organisation

From a Social Identity Theory perspective, organisational identification arises through a cognitive process of self-categorisation. As a consequence a person need not have a formal relationship with an organisation in order to identify with it. In this conceptual paper, the authors draw on this proposal to argue that future members are capable of identifying with an organisation prior to entry, and that this initial pre-entry identification could contribute to a person’s subsequent post-entry organisational identification. The paper further suggests that because no distinction need be drawn between organisational identification in current and future members, we might expect to find the same antecedents of identification in both instances. The group engagement model (Tyler and Blader 2003) is called on to propose that when a future member experiences pride in, and respect from, an organisation before they join, this should positively influence their pre-entry organisational identification. The authors explore the managerial implications of these propositions, and argue that an organisation’s actions and practices that have been shown to influence a post-entry organisational identification should have an equivalent impact on future members’ organisational identification when observed during the pre-entry period. Two examples of such practices, organisational support and organisational communication, are used to illustrate this suggestion and a number of ways are discussed through which these practices may be experienced by a person before they join an organisation.