Правительство, лидерство и финансы



Social Identity Approach in Understanding of Organization and Leadership

by Natalia Ivanova

Professor, Department of Public Administration, HSE

Different factors identify quality of services of civil service, including psychological and organizational factors. In this research we examine the possibilities of the social identity approach in understanding of regularities of organizations functioning and leadership.

For realization of their professional goals, civil workers have to develop optimal interaction with local community, form feeling of confidence with people. Being a leader in carrying out of projects on regional or municipal community levels first of all means an ability to attract people to his side, build efficient relationships with them. One of variants of explaining of one’s relationship to the leader and to his actions is a social identity approach, connected with study of self-determination of an individual towards social communities.

Social identity in classical interpretation is considered to be a part of individual self-concept, which arises from the knowledge of an individual about his own belonging to social group or groups and axiological and emotional demonstration of this belonging (Tajfel, 1979). In other words each person determines his place in the social environment by means of comparing himself to the others and by determining who he is and who belongs to his community and who does not. With regard to management problems it may be said that too big differences in identity of leaders and subordinates in some parameters may undermine leadership and influence peculiarities of functioning of an organization.

A well-known English psychologist A. Haslam from the Exeter University and his colleagues has been for many years studying the development of the social identity approach as applied to study of organizations and leadership. The meaning of this approach lies in the fact that some peculiarities of organization can be interpreted differently because of understanding of social identity of its personnel and leaders. In empirical study it was found that peculiarities of social identity of personnel and leaders can play an important part for organizations. Functioning of organization depends on to what extent its personnel shares group identity (Haslam, Ellemers, 2005, Haslam, Powell, Turner, 2000, Haslam, Ryan etc., 2006).

Within the context of this approach leadership is considered not as an individual quality, but as a result of group processes. It should be regarded not from the position of leaders, but from the position of those who follow the leaders. Empirically it was established that a leader acts in the organization more active if he demonstrates social identity, which members of the group share. Large differences in qualities of the leader and of the group may negatively influence the efficiency of the leadership (Reicher, Haslam, 2007). Lately having examined the issue of effective leadership P.Drucker showed that a division may happen in the organization if salary of the leaders is much higher than salaries of other employees (Drucker, 1986).

The main result of the Haslam’s research, as we think, is the following thesis. Organizations and leadership are more successful when the individuals interact on the base of shared identity but interpersonal or intergroup discords (Haslam, 2004). And the success of activity is up to common social identity. This approach has influence on the organizational psychology and turn up the researches from individual values, motivation, and personal capacities to shared values, motivation, identity. It’s important for understanding of psychological problems in organizations, such as: communications, coordination, motivation, stress, productivity and leadership.

In our researches we studied different aspects of the problem of social identity. First of all the structure of social identity and it influence on the professional activity, interaction in organization, adaptation in new conditions and so on.

Methodology of our research depends on the social identity theory (Tajfel, Turher, 1987, Hogg, Abrams, 1990), Theory of personal construct (Kelly, 1955), ideas from Russian psychologists about social influence on the personality and identity (Andreeva, 2000, Belinskay, 2001, Stefanenko, 1999). We consider the social identity as integral and dynamic phenomena, in Kelly terms, as a system of key constructs of personality, which is a basis for perception of group values and norm of behavior. There are the following important factors of its development: social comparison in the process of social interaction.

During the study of the social identity structure we discover following types of identity, which we named as basis, individual, professional (Ivanova, 2003, 2004). They include the measured features of actualized identity, main motivation and values. In general outline we observed following features of different types of identity. “Basic type” defined of local and family identity, motivation of self-defense, and values of national, regional and family communities. “Individual type” defined of personal and cultural identity, motivation self-esteem, cultural values of different communities. “Professional type”, defined of professional identity, motivation self-development, innovational values. These results can suggest that in the structure of social identity the personal concept about his (or her) members in different groups (big or small) is closely related with special motivation and values.

The different aspects of identity were studied in context of professional and social self-determination, decision making process, leadership and communication in organization.

Social identity approach was used in study of maturing of professionals; today public authorities sharply need professional employees. So it was established that social identity can be seen as an indicator of the level of professional. Professionals have expressed professional and business identity, they are oriented to development and self-realization, goal achievement, they understand and share corresponding values of community (group). Specialist who have not reached the high level of professional development have more expressed basic identity, self-defense motivation, express conformism, do not share professional valued of the group (Ivanova, 2003, Povarenkov, 2002). The results of the research were obtained on the basis of the social identity structural model (Ivanova, 2003, 2004). Partly these results agree with the data received in the research of professional marginality (Ermolayeva, 2001) and achievement of personhood of a professional (Shadrikov, 2007).

In studying of gender identity on the group of working woman were observed that there is a relation between type of identity, type of gender identity and some aspects of behavior and communication (Ivanova, Kulaeva, 2009). For example, woman with “professional identity: showed the interest to the leaders activity, his (or her) style of behavior and values. They rush to the professional communications, self-actualization, and influence in the decision making process. Woman with “basic identity” do not have shared with leader identity, rush to personal communication, and be away from the process of important decision in organization.

In the research about transformation of social identity under different changes (professional and social) we observed that identity can be a factor of adaptation to new social conditions and professional development (Ivanova, Rumianseva, 2008). For example, “professional identity” correlated with following features of personality: confidence (r= 0,12), sincerity (r=0,12), low self-control Q3 (r=0,15), submission (r=-0,15), and stress (r=-0,21). These is maybe important for understanding of behavior personnel in organization.

In the research of multicultural adaptation in international organization were showed that people with “professional identity” adapted easy to new conditions (Ivanova, Mnacakanian, 2006). Their “We – feeling” was more closely related with new professional group.

We can say on the base of these researches is that social identity is an important resource of professional activity people in organizations and realization of many tasks in management and leadership consequently.

Организации как социальные системы с высокой степенью формализации структуры и функций, не могут существовать без определенной координации деятельности людей, поддержания общих целей и ценностей. Поэтому важно исследовать условия эффективной реализации общих целей, психологические закономерности функционирования организаций, и развития их членов. В органах государственного управления эти задачи стоят особенно остро, поскольку управленцы должны ориентироваться в своей работе на социальные категории различных уровней (государство, регион, район, отдел и т.д.), иметь социальные позиции, предполагающие ответственность за то, чтобы их организация выполнила миссию и цели. Учитывая сложность индивидуальной и групповой структуры социальной идентичности можно лучше понять проблемы профессионального развития, взаимодействия, адаптации сотрудников органов государственного управления и найти более эффективные пути их профессиональной подготовки. Проблематика идентичности отражается и в исследованиях формирования гражданственности, психологических барьеров инновационной деятельности, профессиональной деятельности управленцев. Обращение к феномену социальной идентичности помогает понять некоторые важные аспекты лидерства, принятия решений, взаимодействия, стрессов и конфликтов.

The main consequence of this approach is that organizations and leadership are more successful when individuals cooperate to a greater degree taking into account shared identity, and not interpersonal or intergroup controversies. Success of the common cause depends on to what extent the members of the organization have formed the common social identity.

Social identity approach lets us to have a look at the factors of improvement of effectiveness of services of civil service from a new angle, in the context of development of urgent projects and for formation of necessary confidence of the population to representatives of public authorities.

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