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Exploring Legacy Identification Theory: Job Satisfaction as a Key to Post-Employment Word-of-Mouth
Yanyan Liu1, Qinghong Yuan2, Fan Sheng3
1School of Economics and Management, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, China.
Psychological Reports
|March 20, 2025
Summary
Former employees' job satisfaction influences their word-of-mouth (WOM) by strengthening organizational identification. Gratitude further shapes positive and negative WOM, highlighting the impact of psychological connections.
Area of Science:
- Organizational Behavior
- Psychology
- Human Resource Management
Background:
- Growing recognition of former employees' value to organizations.
- Limited research on precursors of post-employment word-of-mouth (WOM).
- Need to understand how job satisfaction impacts former employees' WOM.
Purpose of the Study:
- Examine the influence of former employees' job satisfaction on positive and negative WOM.
- Investigate the mediating role of legacy identification.
- Explore the moderating effect of the gratitude trait.
Main Methods:
- Two-wave survey of 429 former employees.
- Measured job satisfaction across five dimensions (general, pay, coworker, supervision, growth).
- Assessed legacy identification, gratitude trait, and WOM behaviors.
Main Results:
- Job satisfaction positively impacts legacy identification.
- Legacy identification promotes positive WOM and reduces negative WOM.
- Gratitude enhances the link between legacy identification and WOM (both positive and negative).
Conclusions:
- Enduring psychological connections, specifically legacy identification, link former employees' job satisfaction to their WOM.
- Job satisfaction and gratitude are key psychological factors influencing post-employment WOM.
- Findings offer insights for organizations managing alumni relationships and reputation.
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