Organizational reputation and organizational assimilation: An exploration in a transitional economy

Abstract

Purpose. This study explores the relationship between organizational reputation and organizational assimilation among Russian employees. Method. To reflect the Russian business culturemore closely, the present study takes organizational ownership type, private-owned enterprises vs. stateownedenterprises, and organizational founding time (before 1985 vs. after 1985) into consideration. In total, 237 full-time employees from the Perm region of the Russian Federation participated in this study, 117 males (50.4%) and 120 females (49.6%). Organizational Assimilation Scale and Organizational Reputation Scale were used for survey. Collected data were analyzed using multiple regression analysis. Findings. Analysis revealed that employee assimilation is positively associated with organizational reputation. In other words, employees who are more willing to accept the organizational culture and feel their work is appreciated tend to perceive their organizations more favorably. Employees workingin SOEs established before 1985 perceived lower level of organizational reputation than those inprivate-owned enterprises. In addition, the positive relationship between organizational assimilation and organizational reputation was stronger among state-owned enterprises founded before 1985 than those founded after 1985. Value of results. The findings of this study suggest that employee behaviorsare profoundly influenced by historical, sociocultural, political, and economic factors in Russia. Further implications and limitations of the study are discussed.