Psychological sense of community in the workplace

Abstract

For working adults, the workplace may be a key referent for the psychological sense of community. Unfortunately, community psychologists have devoted little attention to workers or work organizations. This article provides a preliminary conceptual approach to the referents, determinants, and consequences of a sense of community at work. New directions for research and theory‐building on work organizations and the experience of work are suggested.

Saving energy at the workplace: The salience of behavioral antecedents and sense of community

“…It contains, according to McMillan and Chavis' [35] model, four major components: (1) needs fulfillment; (2) group belonging; (3) impact; and (4) shared affect. In what little work there is applying sense of community to workplace contexts, researchers specify workgroups as the entities with which workers affiliate themselves [57]. They further argue that there are five key referent workgroups within organizations that employees affiliate with: friendship, task, professional association or organizational networks and the physical worksite itself [57].…”

Exploring psychological sense of community among women and men of the corporation

“…Another aspect of workplace sense of community recognized by Klein and D'Aunno (1986) was the importance of employees' subgroups. This study compared managers and nonmanagers.…”

Observed communication in the workplace: Content, source, and direction

“…In addition, discretion in non-work interactions may be important to a sense of community at work. According to Klein and D'Aunno (1986), job characteristics -for example, autonomy and opportunity to interact with co-workers -that increase job satisfaction also increase a sense of community insofar as employees who enjoy their jobs also value and identify with their work groups and organizations.…”

“…More generally, future research needs to examine the implications of temporal stability, work and non-work exchanges, and symmetry for the supportiveness of employees' instrumental and friendship ties and their sense of community at work. The workplace is an important determinant of the availability and quality of social ties and remains an untapped resource for enhancing both support resources and a sense of community (Klein & D'Aunno, 1986;Price, 1985).…”