Learning Who We Are From Our Leaders

A key feature of group and organizational learning is the process through which people learn the group or organization’s distinctive normative characteristics and social identity and therefore who one is and how one should behave as a member of the group or organization. In this chapter I draw on social identity theory and the social identity theory of leadership to argue that people derive an important part of their identity from the groups they belong to, including work groups and organizations. They internalize, through a process of self-categorization, these group normative attributes as self-attributes that prescribe behavior. Because group and organizational norms define and prescribe one’s self-concept, group members are vigilant for reliable information about the group’s norms and identity. They typically look to group and organizational leaders for this information.