The effect of perceived external prestige on Greek public employees' organizational identification : Gender as a moderator

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of perceived external prestige (PEP) on organizational identification in the context of a Greek public organization and to address the moderating role of gender in the relationship between PEP and organizational identification. Design/methodology/approach – Data were obtained from a sample of 159 employees working in Citizens Service Centers. Analysis was conducted using moderated hierarchical regression analysis. Findings – PEP is positively related with organizational identification ( β =0.33, p <0.001). The influence of the interaction of PEP and gender on organizational identification is also supported ( β =−0.29 p <0.05). In particular, the effect of PEP on organizational identification was stronger for men. Research limitations/implications – Limited inference to other private and public organizations because data are based on one public organization. The cross‐sectional analysis of the data cannot directly assess causality. Originality/value – This is the first study to examine the moderating role of gender in the relationship between PEP and organizational identification.