Research Article
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Researching Academics’ Opinions on Organizational Nostalgia

Year 2025, Volume: 8 Issue: 3, 393 - 406, 20.09.2025
https://doi.org/10.32329/uad.1653023

Abstract

The aim of this study is to research the opinions of academics on organizational nostalgia within a higher education institution. Designed as a case study within the framework of qualitative research, the study involved 14 academics selected through both criterion sampling and convenience sampling methods. Data collected via a semi-structured interview form were analysed utilizing descriptive analysis techniques. According to the findings of the study, organizational changes such as alterations in the physical environment, changes in management structures, and turnover among colleagues, along with the presence of unfair and non-transparent practices, the failure to provide an equal and fair working environment, and the lack of appreciation and rewards, all contribute to an increase in feelings of organizational nostalgia. According to the participants’ opinions, academics are increasingly questioning their fundamental beliefs regarding their work and professional identities because they face mounting external pressures and demands. In this context, organizational nostalgia may serve as a micro-level coping mechanism that helps academics deal with negative experiences encountered in academic settings.

References

  • Akgün, A. E., Tatar, B., Erdil, O., Keskin, H., & Müceldili, B. (2023). Development and validation of the organizational nostalgia scale and its relationship with affective commitment and organizational discontinuity. Current Psychology, 42, 28060-28085. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-03898-y
  • Bakan, İ., Erşahan, B., Oğuz, M., Bakan, A. Z., & Keleş, R. (2024). Yaşam doyumu ve duygusal emeğin örgütsel nostalji üzerindeki etkisi: Sağlık çalışanları üzerinde bir alan araştırması. Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 21(2), 612-623. https://doi.org/10.33437/ksusbd.1539668
  • Brown, A. D., & Humphreys, M. (2002). Nostalgia and the narrativization of identity: A Turkish case study. British Journal of Management, 13(2), 141-159. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8551.00228
  • Cho, H. (2021a). Power of good old days: How leisure nostalgia influences work engagement, task performance, and subjective well-being. Leisure Studies, 40(6), 793-809. https://doi.org/10.1080/02614367.2021.1931415
  • Cho, H. (2021b). The impacts of leisure nostalgia on well-being and turnover intention: The mediating roles of leisure satisfaction and work commitment. Leisure Sciences, 46(5), 618-638. https://doi.org/10.1080/01490400.2021.2016521
  • Demirkaya, M., & Kara, H. (2020). Örgütsel intikam ve örgütsel nostalji arasındaki ilişki üzerine bir araştırma. International Social Sciences Studies Journal, 6(72), 4641-4652. https://doi.org/10.26449/sssj.2664
  • Diener, E. (1984). Subjective well-being. Psychological Bulletin, 95(3), 542-575. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.95.3.542
  • Dinç, M., Uzunbacak, H. H., & Akçakanat, T. (2019). Örgütsel nostaljinin işten ayrılma niyeti üzerine etkisinde işin anlamlılığının aracılık rolü. Pamukkale Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 36, 349-369. https://doi.org/10.30794/pausbed.448324
  • Erat-Ocak, L. (2023). Örgütsel nostalji. B. Hırlak (Ed.), Örgütsel davranış, kavramlar ve araştırmalar-II içinde (s. 375-390). Özgür Yayınları. https://doi.org/10.58830/ozgur.pub224.c982
  • Evans, A. L., Coffee, P., & Barker, J. B. (2023). The effects of social identity and social identity content on cohesion, efficacy, and performance across a competitive rugby league season. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 22(7), 1724-1742. https://doi.org/10.1080/1612197X.2023.2229349
  • Gabriel, Y. (1993). Organizational nostalgia: Reflection on the “Golden Age”. In S. Fineman (Ed.), Emotion in organizations (pp. 118-141). Sage.
  • Gabriel, Y. (2021, February). Anchored in the past: Identity and nostalgia. http://www.yiannisgabriel.com/2021/02/anchored-in-past-identities-and.html
  • Kawasaki, S., Zou, X., Wildschut, T., & Sedikides, C. (2023). Organizational nostalgia as a novel pathway toward greater employee well‐being. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 53(12), 1155-1173. https://doi.org/10.1111/jasp.13004
  • Kurşuncu, S. R., İmadoğlu, T., & Çavuş F. M. (2018). Mesleki tükenmişlik ve işten ayrılma niyeti ilişkisinde örgütsel nostaljinin etkisi. Business and Management Studies: An International Journal, 6(4), 952-968. http://dx.doi.org/10.15295/bmij.v6i4.288
  • Leunissen, J. M., Sedikides, C., Wildschut, T., & Cohen, T. R. (2018). Organizational nostalgia lowers turnover intentions by increasing work meaning: The moderating role of burnout. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 23(1), 44-57. https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000059
  • Leunissen, J. M., van Dijke, M., Wildschut, T., & Sedikides, C. (2024). Organizational nostalgia: The construct, the scale, and its implications for organizational functioning. British Journal of Management, 35(2), 816-838. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8551.12740
  • McCabe, D. (2004). A land of milk and honey? Re-engineering the ‘past’ and the ‘present’ in a call centre. Journal of Management Studies, 41(5), 827-856. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6486.2004.00455.x
  • Merriam, S. B. (2023). Nitel araştırma: Desen ve uygulama için bir rehber (3. baskı), (S. Turan, Çev. Ed.). Nobel Akademik Yayıncılık.
  • Methot, J. R., Rockmann, K.W., & Rosado-Solomon, E. H. (2024). Longing for the past: The dual effects of daily nostalgia on employee performance. Journal of Management. https://doi.org/10.1177/01492063241268695
  • Milligan, M. J. (2004). Displacement and identity discontinuity: The role of nostalgia in establishing new identity categories. Symbolic Interaction, 26(3), 381-403. https://doi.org/10.1525/si.2003.26.3.381
  • Nielsen, J. D., & Gish, J. J. (2024). When old and new selves collide: Identity conflict and entrepreneurial nostalgia among ex‐entrepreneurs. Personnel Psychology, 77(1), 165-195. https://doi.org/10.1111/peps.12626
  • Routledge, C. (2021, April). The surprising power of nostalgia at work. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2021/04/the-surprising-power-of-nostalgia-at-work
  • Schein, E. H. (2010). Organizational culture and leadership (4th ed.). Jossey-Bass.
  • Seligman, M. E. P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55(1), 5-14. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.5
  • Strangleman, T. (1999). The nostalgia of organisations and the organisation of nostalgia: Past and present in the contemporary railway industry. Sociology, 33(4), 725-746. https://doi.org/10.1177/S0038038599000462
  • Tatar, B. (2022). Essays on organizational nostalgia [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Gebze Technical University.
  • TDK. (2024). Örgütsel nostalji. Türk Dil Kurumu Sözlüğü. https://sozluk.gov.tr/
  • van Dijke, M., & Leunissen, J. M. (2023). Nostalgia in organizations. Current Opinion in Psychology, 49, 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2022.101540
  • van Dijke, M., Guo, Y., Wildschut, T., & Sedikides, C. (2024). Perceived organizational change strengthens organizational commitment and organizational citizenship behavior via increased organizational nostalgia. Journal of Applied Psychology, 110(1), 89-106. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0001221
  • van Dijke, M., Leunissen, J. M., Wildschut, T., & Sedikides, C. (2019). Nostalgia promotes intrinsic motivation and effort in the presence of low interactional justice. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 150, 46-61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2018.12.003
  • Wildschut, T., & Sedikides, C. (2022). Psychology and nostalgia: Towards a functional approach. In M. H. Jacobsen (Ed.), Intimations of nostalgia: Multidisciplinary explorations of an enduring emotion (pp. 110-128). Bristol University Press. https://doi.org/10.1332/policypress/9781529214765.003.0006
  • Woodman, R. W., & Dewett, T. (2004). Organizationally relevant journeys in individual change. In M. S. Poole & A. H. Van de Ven (Eds.), Handbook of organizational change and innovation (pp. 32-49). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780195135008.003.0002
  • Ybema, S. (2004). Managerial postalgia: Protecting a golden future. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 19(8), 825-841. https://doi. org/10.1108/02683940410568284
  • Yıldırım, A., & Şimşek, H. (2021). Sosyal bilimlerde nitel araştırma yöntemleri (12. baskı). Seçkin Yayıncılık. Ylijoki, O. (2005). Academic nostalgia: A narrative approach to academic work. Human Relations, 58(5), 555-576. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726705055963

Örgütsel Nostaljiye İlişkin Akademisyenlerin Görüşlerinin Araştırılması

Year 2025, Volume: 8 Issue: 3, 393 - 406, 20.09.2025
https://doi.org/10.32329/uad.1653023

Abstract

Bu araştırmanın amacı, bir yükseköğretim kurumunda görev yapan akademisyenlerin örgütsel nostaljiye ilişkin görüşlerinin araştırılmasıdır. Nitel araştırma yaklaşımlarından durum çalışması olarak tasarlanan araştırmanın katılımcılarını hem ölçüt örnekleme hem de kolay ulaşılabilir örnekleme yoluyla seçilen 14 akademisyen oluşturmuştur. Yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme formu ile toplanan veriler, betimsel analiz tekniği kullanılarak çözümlenmiştir. Araştırmanın bulgularına göre fiziksel ortam değişiklikleri, yönetim yapılarındaki değişiklikler ve iş arkadaşlarının değişimi gibi örgütsel değişimler ile adaletsiz ve şeffaf olmayan uygulamaların varlığı, eşit ve adil çalışma ortamının sağlanmaması ve takdir ile ödüllendirme eksikliği gibi durumlar, örgütsel nostalji hissiyatını arttırmaktadır. Katılımcı görüşlerine göre akademisyenler, işlerine ve mesleki kimliklerine dair temel inançlarını sorgulamakta ve giderek artan dışsal baskılar ve taleplerle karşı karşıya kalmaktadır; örgütsel nostalji, akademik ortamlarda karşılaşılan olumsuz deneyimlerle başa çıkmada mikro düzeyde akademisyenlere destek sağlayabilmektedir.

References

  • Akgün, A. E., Tatar, B., Erdil, O., Keskin, H., & Müceldili, B. (2023). Development and validation of the organizational nostalgia scale and its relationship with affective commitment and organizational discontinuity. Current Psychology, 42, 28060-28085. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-03898-y
  • Bakan, İ., Erşahan, B., Oğuz, M., Bakan, A. Z., & Keleş, R. (2024). Yaşam doyumu ve duygusal emeğin örgütsel nostalji üzerindeki etkisi: Sağlık çalışanları üzerinde bir alan araştırması. Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 21(2), 612-623. https://doi.org/10.33437/ksusbd.1539668
  • Brown, A. D., & Humphreys, M. (2002). Nostalgia and the narrativization of identity: A Turkish case study. British Journal of Management, 13(2), 141-159. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8551.00228
  • Cho, H. (2021a). Power of good old days: How leisure nostalgia influences work engagement, task performance, and subjective well-being. Leisure Studies, 40(6), 793-809. https://doi.org/10.1080/02614367.2021.1931415
  • Cho, H. (2021b). The impacts of leisure nostalgia on well-being and turnover intention: The mediating roles of leisure satisfaction and work commitment. Leisure Sciences, 46(5), 618-638. https://doi.org/10.1080/01490400.2021.2016521
  • Demirkaya, M., & Kara, H. (2020). Örgütsel intikam ve örgütsel nostalji arasındaki ilişki üzerine bir araştırma. International Social Sciences Studies Journal, 6(72), 4641-4652. https://doi.org/10.26449/sssj.2664
  • Diener, E. (1984). Subjective well-being. Psychological Bulletin, 95(3), 542-575. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.95.3.542
  • Dinç, M., Uzunbacak, H. H., & Akçakanat, T. (2019). Örgütsel nostaljinin işten ayrılma niyeti üzerine etkisinde işin anlamlılığının aracılık rolü. Pamukkale Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 36, 349-369. https://doi.org/10.30794/pausbed.448324
  • Erat-Ocak, L. (2023). Örgütsel nostalji. B. Hırlak (Ed.), Örgütsel davranış, kavramlar ve araştırmalar-II içinde (s. 375-390). Özgür Yayınları. https://doi.org/10.58830/ozgur.pub224.c982
  • Evans, A. L., Coffee, P., & Barker, J. B. (2023). The effects of social identity and social identity content on cohesion, efficacy, and performance across a competitive rugby league season. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 22(7), 1724-1742. https://doi.org/10.1080/1612197X.2023.2229349
  • Gabriel, Y. (1993). Organizational nostalgia: Reflection on the “Golden Age”. In S. Fineman (Ed.), Emotion in organizations (pp. 118-141). Sage.
  • Gabriel, Y. (2021, February). Anchored in the past: Identity and nostalgia. http://www.yiannisgabriel.com/2021/02/anchored-in-past-identities-and.html
  • Kawasaki, S., Zou, X., Wildschut, T., & Sedikides, C. (2023). Organizational nostalgia as a novel pathway toward greater employee well‐being. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 53(12), 1155-1173. https://doi.org/10.1111/jasp.13004
  • Kurşuncu, S. R., İmadoğlu, T., & Çavuş F. M. (2018). Mesleki tükenmişlik ve işten ayrılma niyeti ilişkisinde örgütsel nostaljinin etkisi. Business and Management Studies: An International Journal, 6(4), 952-968. http://dx.doi.org/10.15295/bmij.v6i4.288
  • Leunissen, J. M., Sedikides, C., Wildschut, T., & Cohen, T. R. (2018). Organizational nostalgia lowers turnover intentions by increasing work meaning: The moderating role of burnout. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 23(1), 44-57. https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000059
  • Leunissen, J. M., van Dijke, M., Wildschut, T., & Sedikides, C. (2024). Organizational nostalgia: The construct, the scale, and its implications for organizational functioning. British Journal of Management, 35(2), 816-838. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8551.12740
  • McCabe, D. (2004). A land of milk and honey? Re-engineering the ‘past’ and the ‘present’ in a call centre. Journal of Management Studies, 41(5), 827-856. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6486.2004.00455.x
  • Merriam, S. B. (2023). Nitel araştırma: Desen ve uygulama için bir rehber (3. baskı), (S. Turan, Çev. Ed.). Nobel Akademik Yayıncılık.
  • Methot, J. R., Rockmann, K.W., & Rosado-Solomon, E. H. (2024). Longing for the past: The dual effects of daily nostalgia on employee performance. Journal of Management. https://doi.org/10.1177/01492063241268695
  • Milligan, M. J. (2004). Displacement and identity discontinuity: The role of nostalgia in establishing new identity categories. Symbolic Interaction, 26(3), 381-403. https://doi.org/10.1525/si.2003.26.3.381
  • Nielsen, J. D., & Gish, J. J. (2024). When old and new selves collide: Identity conflict and entrepreneurial nostalgia among ex‐entrepreneurs. Personnel Psychology, 77(1), 165-195. https://doi.org/10.1111/peps.12626
  • Routledge, C. (2021, April). The surprising power of nostalgia at work. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2021/04/the-surprising-power-of-nostalgia-at-work
  • Schein, E. H. (2010). Organizational culture and leadership (4th ed.). Jossey-Bass.
  • Seligman, M. E. P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55(1), 5-14. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.5
  • Strangleman, T. (1999). The nostalgia of organisations and the organisation of nostalgia: Past and present in the contemporary railway industry. Sociology, 33(4), 725-746. https://doi.org/10.1177/S0038038599000462
  • Tatar, B. (2022). Essays on organizational nostalgia [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Gebze Technical University.
  • TDK. (2024). Örgütsel nostalji. Türk Dil Kurumu Sözlüğü. https://sozluk.gov.tr/
  • van Dijke, M., & Leunissen, J. M. (2023). Nostalgia in organizations. Current Opinion in Psychology, 49, 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2022.101540
  • van Dijke, M., Guo, Y., Wildschut, T., & Sedikides, C. (2024). Perceived organizational change strengthens organizational commitment and organizational citizenship behavior via increased organizational nostalgia. Journal of Applied Psychology, 110(1), 89-106. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0001221
  • van Dijke, M., Leunissen, J. M., Wildschut, T., & Sedikides, C. (2019). Nostalgia promotes intrinsic motivation and effort in the presence of low interactional justice. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 150, 46-61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2018.12.003
  • Wildschut, T., & Sedikides, C. (2022). Psychology and nostalgia: Towards a functional approach. In M. H. Jacobsen (Ed.), Intimations of nostalgia: Multidisciplinary explorations of an enduring emotion (pp. 110-128). Bristol University Press. https://doi.org/10.1332/policypress/9781529214765.003.0006
  • Woodman, R. W., & Dewett, T. (2004). Organizationally relevant journeys in individual change. In M. S. Poole & A. H. Van de Ven (Eds.), Handbook of organizational change and innovation (pp. 32-49). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780195135008.003.0002
  • Ybema, S. (2004). Managerial postalgia: Protecting a golden future. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 19(8), 825-841. https://doi. org/10.1108/02683940410568284
  • Yıldırım, A., & Şimşek, H. (2021). Sosyal bilimlerde nitel araştırma yöntemleri (12. baskı). Seçkin Yayıncılık. Ylijoki, O. (2005). Academic nostalgia: A narrative approach to academic work. Human Relations, 58(5), 555-576. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726705055963
There are 34 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language Turkish
Subjects Higher Education Studies (Other)
Journal Section Research Article
Authors

Sibel Öztürk Demir 0000-0002-8820-8281

A. Faruk Levent 0000-0003-3429-6666

Publication Date September 20, 2025
Submission Date March 7, 2025
Acceptance Date July 26, 2025
Published in Issue Year 2025 Volume: 8 Issue: 3

Cite

APA Öztürk Demir, S., & Levent, A. F. (2025). Örgütsel Nostaljiye İlişkin Akademisyenlerin Görüşlerinin Araştırılması. Journal of University Research, 8(3), 393-406. https://doi.org/10.32329/uad.1653023