Social identities and commitments at work: toward an integrative model JOHN P. MEYER 1 * , THOMAS E. BECKER 2 AND ROLF VAN DICK 3 1 Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 5C2, Canada 2 Department of Business Administration, College of Business and Economics, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, U.S.A. 3 Institute of Psychology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe Universita ¨t Frankfurt, Kettenhofweg 128, 60054 Frankfurt, Germany and Aston Business School, Aston University, Work Organizational Psychology Group, Aston Triangle, Birmingham B4 7ET, U.K. Summary Although social identities and work-related commitment are important aspects of employee attachment, distinctions between and relations among the two have not been clearly articu- lated. In this conceptual piece, we propose that identity and commitment are distinguishable in terms of their essential meaning, foci of attachment, mindsets, volitionality, and behavioral implications. We further suggest that situated and deep structure social identities are differentially antecedent to exchange-based and value-based commitments, and that commit- ment mediates, at least partially, the effects of identities on motivation and work behavior. Finally, we consider the implications of multiple identities for employees in different kinds of collectives (nested and cross-cutting). Copyright # 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Introduction Interest in employee attachment has ebbed and flowed over the last several decades, due in part to shifting views of the workforce as a fixed cost that can be expanded and contracted to meet bottom-line objectives, or as a valued resource that can provide competitive advantage. Throughout this period a considerable amount of theory and research has been generated in an attempt to understand the nature, development, and consequences of employee bonds. Although attachment is partly a function of personal development and personality (Ainsworth, 1989; Becker, Billings, Eveleth, & Gilbert, 1997), our focus here is on attachments driven by organizational phenomena. More specifically, our concern is with two aspects of attachment, employee identity and commitment. Both concepts have been studied from a variety of perspectives and are acknowledged to be complex and multifaceted (e.g., Becker, 1992; Ellemers, Kortekaas, & Ouwerkerk, 1999; Meyer & Allen, 1997; Van Dick, 2001). Moreover, both have been subjects of interest across disciplines (e.g., sociology, psychology, management science) with emphasis on different social foci, situational antecedents, and behavioral implications. Journal of Organizational Behavior J. Organiz. Behav. 27, 665–683 (2006) Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI: 10.1002/job.383 *Correspondence to: John P. Meyer, Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 5C2, Canada. E-mail: meyer@uwo.ca Contract/grant sponsor: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Copyright # 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Accepted 26 January 2006