ORGANIZATIONAL IMAGES AND MEMBER IDENTIFICATION

We develop a model to explain how images of one's work organization sh ape the strength of his or her identification with the organization. W e focus on two key organizational images: one based on what a member b elieves is distinctive, central, and enduring about his or her organiz ation and one based on a member's beliefs about what outsiders think a bout the organization. According to the model, members assess the attr activeness of these images by how well the image preserves the continu ity of their self-concept, provides distinctiveness, and enhances self -esteem. The model leads to a number of propositions about how organiz ational identification affects members' patterns of social interaction .