Psychological Ownership of Employees: Its Antecedents and Outcomes in Ethiopian Organizations
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Date
2023-05-07
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AAU
Abstract
Employees often feel a sense of ownership toward their organization, even without legal
possession. This dissertation explores a phenomenon known as “psychological ownership” (PO)
amongst employees in organizations. The primary goals of this dissertation are to investigate the
understudied individual-level factors that influence PO and to examine the mediating role of PO
in the relationship between those factors and employee workplace behaviors. The study further
aims to develop a contextualized PO measurement scale suitable for the Ethiopian context and
potentially other similar settings. The study explores both the antecedents and outcomes of PO
within the specific context of Ethiopian organizations. The dissertation comprises three
independent papers; in the first paper, the findings suggest that the temporal focus (past and
future orientation) of employees determines their PO toward their organization and in turn
influences their attitude toward women in management. In the second paper, the findings show
that employees’ workplace spirituality influences their PO toward the organization and, in turn,
on their entrepreneurial behavior. In both cases, PO is found to mediate the relationship. The
third paper develops a contextualized psychological ownership measure that is applicable in
Ethiopia and potentially in other East African countries. This dissertation aims to advance our
understanding of PO in specific workplace settings and provide a valuable tool for assessing and
fostering this crucial phenomenon in the Ethiopian context