A Cross-Level Theory of Alumni–Organization Relationships

Although strategic human resource management research has predominantly focused on internalizing human capital resources for value creation, rising employee mobility has increased the risk and uncertainty of solely focusing on internal resources. One opportunity that organizations are beginning to explore is generating value from alumni–organization relationships (AORs). These relationships can be particularly valuable because they possess hybrid characteristics: a combination of alumni's access to external knowledge and resources and their value as organizational "insiders" who understand the organization's structures, networks, and culture. We offer a cross-level model of AORs that explores organizational and alumni engagement in relationships after the formal employment period has ended. At the organizational level, we articulate the components of an AOR strategy and explain why and how organizations invest in these relationships. At the individual level, we propose that an alum's engagement in AORs depends on their legacy identification, which is shaped by factors during and after employment.