Sustaining Organizations Through Harmonized Civic and Employee Identities: Implications for Employee Engagement and Voice Behavior

In pursuit of sustainable management, organizations must not only balance economic, environmental, and social goals but also cultivate human-centered strategies that support long-term viability. Drawing on identity theory, this study introduces civic identity—an individual’s self-concept as a responsible member of society—into the workplace and examines how its relationship with employee identity (i.e., enhancement and conflict) influences sustainability mechanisms: work engagement, role expansion, and voice behavior. Two field studies were conducted using multi-source data from 339 employees at large conglomerates (study 1) and three-wave data from 121 employees at entrepreneurial firms (study 2). Multiple regression analyses revealed that identity enhancement positively predicted both work engagement and role expansion, which in turn strengthened voice behavior. In contrast, identity conflict showed relatively weaker negative effects, while supplementary analyses indicated that identity separation exerted more pronounced negative influences. Although identity conflict and separation did not significantly affect role expansion in study 2, the results across both studies were largely consistent. By incorporating a neglected nonwork identity that fosters sustainable employee behavior, this research expands the scope of organizational studies and sustainability science. Implications for integrating civic identity into sustainable management strategies are discussed.