Appeal of organizational values is in the eye of the beholder: The moderating role of employee identity Russell E. Johnson* and Erin M. Jackson Department of Psychology, University of South Florida, Tampa, USA This study examined the effects of organizational values on employee attachment. Factor analytic results across two studies indicated that organizational values cluster into interdependent and independent factors. In Study 2, organizational values data were collected from supervisors, and identity and attachment data were collected from subordinates. As predicted, relationships involving interdependent and dependent values were contingent on employee identity. Specifically, interdependent organi- zational values predicted turnover cognition and organizational commitment for employees who reported strong collective identities. Independent organizational values, on the other hand, predicted the commitment of employees with strong individual identities. Implications of these results and directions for future research are discussed. Values serve as guides that communicate expectations and shape people’s attitudes and behaviours. Although they are commonly examined at the person-level (Rohan, 2000; Schwartz, 1992), work organizations can also be distinguished based on the values that they espouse, which are communicated early on when employees are socialized (Chao, O’Leary-Kelly, Wolf, Klein, & Gardner, 1994). Organizational values are important because they signal to members and outsiders what the company deems important. Values also serve as standards for evaluating member behaviour and organizational success. Previously, it has been shown that organizational values relate to employees’ self-esteem (Naus, van Iterson, & Roe, 2007), ethical behaviour ( Jin, Drozdenko, & Bassett, 2007), and workaholism (Burke, 2001). Organizational values may also be used as a tool for recruitment and publicity to increase interest from potential job applicants and clients (Braddy, Meade, & Kroustalis, 2006). The values displayed by organizations have a significant impact on applicant decisions. For example, Judge and Bretz (1992) found that people were more likely to choose jobs whose value content was similar to their own value orientation in terms of * Correspondence should be addressed to Dr Russell E. Johnson, Department of Psychology, University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Ave., PCD 4139 Tampa, FL 33620, USA (e-mail: rjohnson@cas.usf.edu). The British Psychological Society 915 Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology (2009), 82, 915–933 q 2009 The British Psychological Society www.bpsjournals.co.uk DOI:10.1348/096317908X373914