Chapter 6 Conclusion and Suggestion
6.1 Discussions of Hypotheses
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Chapter 6 Conclusion and Suggestion
6.1 Discussions of Hypotheses
Prior research on employees’brand cognitions and brand behaviors has mostly focused on individual-level analysis via regression analysis. However, the practices of corporate branding implemented by an organization often involve interactions with multiple stakeholders (Leitch et al., 2001; Knox et al., 2003), and the research data are hierarchical in nature, in that the individuals are nested within organizations.
Multilevel analyses can solve the problems (Raudenbush et al., 2002). Therefore, this study proposed a multilevel framework to investigate individual-level and organization-level antecedents of employees’brand cognitions and behaviors.
Consequently, the relation between employee brand behavior and brand equity was also investigated.
Based on analytical results, hypotheses 1-5 are all supported, thus showing that employees’brand behaviors which contribute to the brand equity are influenced by individual-level and organization-level antecedents. First, brand psychological ownership positively affects brand citizenship behavior, revealing that employees with brand psychological ownership can produce altruistic brand spirit and then display extra-role brand behavior (i.e. brand CB) that may strengthen the brand equity. The results are consistent with the arguments of Pierce et al. (2001) and social exchange
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theory (Eisenberger et al., 1986) that high committing and self efficacy mental state contribute to altruistic spirit and extra-role behavior. Second, corporate branding practices regarded as implements to foster brand value through employees, positively affect brand psychological ownership and brand citizenship behavior. The results show that an organization can strongly help employees identify themselves to the brand and trigger altruistic spirit and extra-role brand behavior via corporate branding, which is supportive and high-commitment by its nature, since employees have to be treated that way to live the brand. The result is consistent with the arguments of scholars (Whitener, 2001; Allen et al., 2003; Burmann et al., 2005), who assert that supportive practices can make employees perceive organizational support and trigger their altruistic spirit and brand citizenship behavior. Third, this study finds that employee’s brand citizenship behavior contributes to the brand equity, which is regarded as an important market performance metric of the brand. Thus, our finding is consistent with the arguments of Sun et al. (2007), who argue that employees with service-oriented organizational citizenship behavior might serve customers beyond formal role requirements. Furthermore, this research also finds that brand psychological ownership is a cross-level mediator, indicating that employees with brand psychological ownership are more willing to express brand citizenship behavior fostering the brand equity when an organization adopts practices of corporate
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branding to strengthen brand value via the interactive processes. This result is consistent with Harris et al. (2001) who argue that an organization may transmit brand values toward employees via interactive process and make their perceptions transformed.
6.1.1 Detailed Discussion of Individual-Level Analyses
As for individual level analyses, this study further investigated the relationships among the factors of brand psychological ownership, and brand organizational citizenship behavior. First, brand self-efficacy positively affects two factors of brand citizenship behavior, including consideration and enhancement of brand, and sportsmanship and endorsement of brand, which is consistent with perspectives of Pierce et al. (2001). Pierce et al. contend that “ownerships and the rights that come with it allow individuals to explore and alter their environment, thus satisfying their innate need to be efficacious”. It reveals that employees with brand psychological ownership may feel they are effective in brand-related activities, produce brand-related altruistic spirit (i.e., brand sportsmanship), follow brand guidelines before actions, and then foster brand-related knowledge aggressively. Second, brand accountability positively affects three factors of brand citizenship behavior, including helping behavior of brand, consideration and enhancement of brand, and sportsmanship and endorsement of brand, which is consistent with the arguments of
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Van Dyne et al. (2004). Van et al. contend that feeling of ownership and control toward an object may trigger a sense of responsibility, that is, employees with brand psychological ownership may produce helping behaviors toward multiple stakeholders, have brand-oriented altruistic spirit (Burmann et al. 2005), follow brand-related guideline before actions, and then actively enhance brand-related skills.
Third, identification and belongingness of brand also positively affects three factors of brand citizenship behavior, which is consistent with arguments of Avey et al. (2009).
Avey et al. assert that individuals define themselves by the specific targets which are classified as the extension of the self and feel they belong to the target (i.e., corporate brand). The results show that employees with brand psychological ownership may identify the brand, and feel that they belong to the corporate brand, thus producing brand citizenship behavior, such as helping behavior, brand-related altruistic spirit, and following brand guidelines before actions.
6.1.2 Detailed Discussion of Multilevel Analyses
In the multilevel analyses, this study examines the effects of factors of corporate branding on factors of employee’s brand psychological ownership and brand citizenship behavior. Several detailed effects of corporate branding on brand psychological ownership are discussed as follows. First, the factor, vision and culture of corporate branding, positively affects identification and belongingness of brand,
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indicating that an organization can make individuals identify the corporate brand and then feel belonging toward the corporate brand via vision, culture, and image of corporate brand (Hatch et al., 2003). Second, the factor, leadership and interaction with stakeholders of corporate branding, positively affects brand self-efficacy and brand accountability, revealing that an organization can make employees feel they are effective in brand-related activities and feel responsible for the corporate brand via leadership and interaction with stakeholders of corporate branding. For example, brand leaders who interact with customer-contacting employees may make employees feel they can response customers’feedbacks to the organization and then feel effective in brand-related activities, thus producing responsibility for the corporate brand (Knox et al., 2003). Third, the factor, departmental coordination of corporate branding, positively affects brand accountability, revealing that an organization can utilize departmental coordination of corporate branding to make individuals produce congruent perceptions (Harris et al., 2001) and feel responsible for the corporate brand. Fourth, the factor, training and selection of corporate branding, positively affects brand self-efficacy and brand accountability, revealing that an organization can adopt brand-centered HR practices (i.e., training and selection) to make employees produce positive cognitions and attitudes (Burmann et al., 2005). Fifth, the factor, communication and evaluation of corporate branding, positively influences brand
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self-efficacy and identification and belongingness of brand, indicating that that an organization can make employees have congruent perceptions and positive cognitions via brand communication (Balmer, 2001; Harris et al. 2001; Kay, 2006), thus producing identification and belongingness toward the corporate brand.
The detailed effects of corporate branding on brand citizenship behavior are discussed as follows. First, consideration and enhancement of brand is positively affected by practices of corporate branding, including leadership and interaction with stakeholders of corporate branding, training and selection of corporate branding, and communication and evaluation of corporate branding. The results represent that employees are willing to follow brand guidelines before actions and enhance brand-related skills and knowledge when employees have good interactions with leaders and multiple stakeholders, good brand-related training, and access to brand-related information via communications. Third, leadership and interaction with stakeholders of corporate branding and selection of corporate branding positively affect sportsmanship and endorsement of brand, indicating that employees are willing to endorse for the corporate brand or attenuate inconveniencies caused by brand-related activities when they are well trained and have interactions with leaders and multiple stakeholders.
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