Ambassadörskap - en spegel av relationen mellan organisation och medarbetare

Sammanfattning

The study examined employee advocacy in relation to organizational identification. A central challenge is that employee advocacy occurs voluntarily and is influenced by both individual values and organizational conditions, making it difficult for organizations to understand and promote this behavior. The purpose of the study was to understand which factors influence employees’ willingness to engage in advocacy and how their organizational identification is expressed. Six semi-structured interviews were conducted with employees from different departments within an anonymized real estate company which was analyzed using thematic analysis. The study shows that employee advocacy is complex and shaped by emotional culture, recognition, and organizational structures, while employees’ need for privacy and strategic considerations also play a central role. The results indicate that silence can be a strategic choice, that work-life balance can limit advocacy, and that organizational identification exists along a dynamic spectrum. Furthermore, genuine recognition and authentic leadership strengthen organizational identification, whereas structural barriers can restrict employees’ room to act. The study emphasizes that employee advocacy is multifaceted and requires a balance between meaningfulness, leadership, and respect for individual boundaries. For organizations, this implies that advocacy can be promoted through clear communication of purpose, strengthened relationships, and recognition, while simultaneously respecting employees’ personal limits.