A Study on Belonging Theory and the Importance of Belonging in Businesses

Year 2024, Volume: 9 Issue: 3, 300 - 316, 30.09.2024

Artür Yetvart Mumcu

https://doi.org/10.29106/fesa.1489351

Abstract

Research to understand the place of individuals within groups, communities, or social structures has been one of the cornerstones of the social sciences. In this context, the theory of belonging, which examines how individuals relate to social structures and groups, is one of the most interesting and important approaches in this field. The sense of belonging has been intertwined with human strategies for staying, surviving, and reproducing as social beings since the early stages of evolution. The integration of humans into communities has profound effects at both the individual and societal levels. This research aims to take a journey into the depths of the subject by addressing the foundations of the theory of belonging, the importance of the positioning of the individual within the community, and the contributions of this theory to the social sciences. In this context, it discusses in detail the approaches that fed the theory and how it arrived at the form of a theory. The paper then examines how belonging at the organizational level affects organizations and tries to show how benefits can be derived from these effects. These results suggest that the cost of promoting employees' sense of belonging to the organisation is lower compared to the performance to be achieved, but companies may avoid incurring these costs. In addition, the effect of higher-than-expected levels of employee identification on long-term performance is debatable.

Keywords

Belonging Theory, Individual Belonging, Corporate Belonging.

Aidiyet Teorisi ve İşletmelerdeki Aidiyetin Önemi Üzerine Bir İnceleme

Abstract

Bireylerin gruplar, topluluklar veya sosyal yapılar içerisindeki yerlerini anlamaya yönelik araştırmalar, sosyal bilimlerin temel taşlarından biri olmuştur. Bu bağlamda, bireylerin sosyal yapılarla ve gruplarla nasıl ilişkilendiklerini incelenen aidiyet teorisi, bu alanın en ilgi çekici ve önemli yaklaşımlarından biridir. Aidiyet duygusu, evrimin erken dönemlerinden bu yana insanların sosyal varlıklar olarak kalma, hayatta kalma ve üreme stratejileriyle iç içe geçmiştir. İnsanların topluluklara entegrasyonu, hem bireysel hem de toplumsal düzeyde derinlemesine etkiler yaratır. Bu araştırma aidiyet teorisinin temellerini, bireyin topluluk içindeki konumlandırılmasının önemini ve bu teorinin sosyal bilimlere olan katkılarını ele alarak, konunun derinliklerine doğru bir yolculuğa çıkarmayı amaçlamaktadır. Bu bağlamda teorinin hangi yaklaşımlardan beslendiği ve bir teori formuna ulaştığı ayrıntılı bir şekilde ele alınmıştır. Sonrasında örgütsel seviyede aidiyetin işletmeleri ne yönde etkilediği incelenmiş ve bu etkilerden ne şekilde fayda yaratılabileceği ortaya konulmaya çalışılmıştır. Sonuç olarak çalışanların işletmeye aidiyet duymaları yönünde teşvik edilmelerinin maliyetinin elde edilecek performans çıktılarına kıyasla düşük olduğu, fakat işletmelerin bu maliyete katlanmaktan kaçınabildikleri görülmektedir. Ayrıca aidiyetin çalışanlar tarafından beklenenin üstünde bir seviyede oluşmasının uzun dönemde performansa etkisi tartışmaya açık bir konudur.

Keywords

Aidiyet Teorisi, Bireysel Aidiyet, Kurumsal Aidiyet

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