When Detachment from the Organization Reduces Initiative for Change

What is it about?

This study examines how employees’ organizational disidentification—the feeling of being psychologically or cognitively detached from one’s employer—reduces their willingness to engage in change-oriented citizenship behavior, or voluntary efforts to improve workplace practices and processes. Drawing on Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, the article argues that such disidentification drains employees’ psychological energy, leaving them less able or willing to invest in extra-role efforts that benefit the organization. Using survey data from 350 employees in the Canadian telecommunications sector, the study finds that disidentified employees are less likely to propose improvements or challenge inefficiencies. Yet, this effect weakens with personal and contextual resources. Employees high in self-enhancement motivation or benevolence values stay engaged despite detachment. Similarly, a citizenship pressure climate and high job involvement buffer disidentification’s impact, helping sustain constructive behavior even amid disengagement. Together, these findings show that psychological detachment from one’s organization is not simply a loss of loyalty—it reflects a resource deficit that can erode innovation and initiative. Strengthening employees’ self-regard, cultivating benevolent norms, encouraging constructive expectations, and reinforcing job involvement can help sustain energy for improvement even when organizational identification is low.

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Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This study provides a resource-based explanation for why some employees disengage from workplace improvement despite good intentions. It links organizational disidentification—psychological distancing from one’s employer—to reduced change-oriented citizenship behavior, showing how alienation curbs proactivity. However, drawing on COR theory, it finds that self-enhancement, benevolence, citizenship pressure, and job involvement buffer this effect, preserving motivation and preventing withdrawal from constructive efforts. The research is timely, as organizations increasingly depend on employee-driven innovation amid growing disconnection and fatigue. In an era of remote work, identity shifts, and performance pressure, maintaining engagement despite detachment is crucial. The study shows that individual motives and supportive norms protect against apathy and sustain contribution. By revealing factors that weaken the link between disidentification and disengagement, it offers leaders practical guidance to build resilience and continuous improvement.