Satisfaction of learning, performance, and relatedness needs at work and employees’ organizational identification

Purpose – In today’s scenario when loyalty can no longer be demanded from employees, the extent of organizational identification (OID) of employees predicts outcomes of organizational interest. It is therefore essential for organizations to foster the sense of oneness in employees. Since, need satisfaction lies at the core of human motivation, the purpose of this paper is to test if satisfaction of learning, performance, and relatedness needs at workplace could influence employees’ identification with the organization. Design/methodology/approach – For this study, the authors collected data from 365 professionals representing diverse work backgrounds and analysed it using structural equation modelling approach. Findings – Results suggest that OID is positively influenced by satisfaction of these three needs and about 45 per cent of its variance is explained by these needs. Originality/value – The study corroborates the relevance of the three needs in organizational context. Although not a part of design of the study, nonetheless the study sheds light on methodological and theoretical possibilities of salience of needs. Therefore to the best of awareness, this study stands apart from other studies exploring relationship of disparate needs with OID. The authors believe the study enriches social identity theory literature in indicating that researchers should not only consider focusing on relationship of needs variables with OID but also the dynamics of interaction between various needs among themselves as well as on their differential relationship with OID.