ABSTRACT

This chapter examines the nature and consequences of identity negotiation in a work group setting. Another possibility is that the desirability of social groups plays an important role in identity negotiations. For many adults, the work environment thus provides the context for numerous identity negotiations. The chapter traces that targets had individuals' own ideas about themselves and social reality, and if they noticed that their partners did not share those ideas, they took active steps to correct the error. It explores the role of targets in the process of identity negotiation was the development of self-verification theory. The theory was designed to identify various strategies of self-verification and how those strategies compete with or complement independent psychological processes. The manner in which group members negotiate their self-views over time have implications for the quality of their work outputs, and managers and organizations who understand these processes more effectively structure work environments that promote and sustain fruitful identity negotiations.