Mitigating Counterproductive Work Behavior via Organizational Identification: Evidence from Indian Educational Institutions

Abstract

In today’s era, counterproductive work behaviors cause a serious concern to the development and reputation of educational facilities, especially in schools and colleges. Despite the extremely well-established importance of employee well-being and organizational congruence, evidence of unethical behavior like early departure, extended breaks, or interpersonal misconduct still stands against institutional harmony. On the basis of social identity theory, this research investigates organizational identification as a psychological process that would minimize such behaviors. The current study assesses the organizational identification (OID) and counterproductive work behavior (CWB) association and how job ambivalence (JA) moderates it. In the present study, 494 northern Indian schools' and colleges' employees were surveyed, and data analysis was conducted using PLS SEM 4. The researchers discovered that organizational identification negatively impacts counterproductive work behavior, and that job ambivalence moderates this relationship. Furthermore, the research provides several theoretical and practical implications for implementing rational decisions and policies aimed at reducing employees' ambivalence at work, which can help organizations achieve greater long-term success.