In response to the growing interest in issues related to attachment in organizations, this paper develops a theory of identification in the workplace based on three key aspects of structuration theory. In this model, the identification process is treated as a duality involving identities that create and are created by identifications, which are themselves observed in social interactions with others. The structural component of this model is composed of several possible identities conceptualized primarily in terms of regions varying in size or position and tenure, possessing front and back regions, and displaying both unique and overlapping regions with one another. The existence of multiple identities implicates multiple corresponding "targets" of attachment and expressions of connection. Activity and activity foci are included in the model to help define the situation and thus account for identification with one target as opposed to or along with others at various times. In this situation-sensitive view, activity is presumed to "link" to a certain identity region (or set of overlapping regions) more so than to others. The essay closes by discussing some of the advantages of a structurational view of identification.

Organizations today are characterized by changing structures and shifting employee loyalty, both of which make research on identification especially timely. Based on social identity theory, this study of a geographically dispersed organization builds on past identification research by examining 4 viable targets of identification simultaneously, the compatibility and competition between those targets, and the influence of several types of tenure. A series of hypotheses and research questions addressing these concerns are analyzed on the basis of 153 surveys from county, area, and state personnel in Colorado's Cooperative Extension Service. Five general conclusions are drawn regarding the relevance of multiple identification targets for the most dispersed geographic levels, the importance of occupational identification across organizational levels, the compatibility between all identification targets, differences between short-and long-term employees, and the importance of occupational tenure in predicting identification.

Bloggers are typically cautious about engaging in self-disclosure because of concerns that what they post may have negative consequences. This article examines the relationship between anonymity (both visual and discursive) and self-disclosure on weblogs through an online survey. The results suggest that increased visual anonymity is not associated with greater self-disclosure, and the findings about the role of discursive anonymity are mixed. Bloggers whose target audience does not include people they know offline report a higher degree of anonymity than those whose audience does. Future studies need to explore the reasons why bloggers visually and discursively identify themselves in particular ways.

In the currently strong U.S. economy, voluntary turnover continues to affect organizations and individuals in important ways. This study examines two sets of contributors to turnover intent that have not received much attention in the organizational communication literature: various indicators of communication and multiple targets of identification. A modified version of the International Communication Association Communication Audit survey and interviews were used to collect data at a state government agency. Results indicate that among the communication variables, supervisor and coworker relationships have the strongest association with intent to leave. The findings also reveal a rather complex relationship between three different types of identification (with division, agency, and state government) and intent to leave.

1997) The effect of communication, writing, and technology apprehension on likelihood to use new communication technologies, Communication Education, 46:1, 44-62, This study explores the role of computer anxiety, communication apprehension, and writing apprehension in predicting future use of new communication technologies. Past research has rarely examined these constructs as predictors of future use and has not considered the impact of writing and communication apprehension on text-based and phone-based technologies, which are used primarily for interaction. Survey results from 178 undergraduate students tend to support hypotheses about the relevance of computer anxiety and communication apprehension in predicting future technology use, but not those with regard to writing apprehension. Furthermore, past experience appears to be a strong predictor of future use; however, gender differences are rare. The implications of these findings for educational contexts are discussed.