The Mediating Role of Organizational Identification in the Relationship Between Organizational Climate and Job Satisfaction

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the mediating role of organizational identification in the effect of organizational climate on job satisfaction within the framework of Social Identity Theory. Accordingly, the study tests whether the relationship between organizational climate and job satisfaction is mediated by organizational identification.
Design/methodology/approach – The population of the study consists of teachers working in public schools across Türkiye as of 2025. The sample comprises 400 teachers employed in public schools, who were reached through convenience and snowball sampling methods. The data were collected through an online survey prepared using Google Forms, and mediation analysis was conducted using the PROCESS macro with the bootstrap method.
Results – The findings indicate that organizational climate has a statistically significant and positive effect on both organizational identification and job satisfaction. In addition, organizational identification was found to have a significant and positive effect on job satisfaction. The results of the analyses further reveal that organizational identification plays a partial mediating role in the relationship between organizational climate and job satisfaction.
Discussion – The findings of the study indicate that a positive organizational climate strengthens employees’ identification with their organization, which in turn enhances job satisfaction. According to Social Identity Theory, individuals incorporate the characteristics of the groups to which they belong into their self-concept and derive psychological benefits from group membership. In this context, a supportive, fair, and trust-based school climate can be considered to contribute to teachers’ perceptions of their schools as a positive source of social identity. This perception enhances teachers’ levels of organizational identification and positively influences their work-related attitudes. The significant direct effect of organizational climate on job satisfaction demonstrates that teachers’ perceptions of their working environment are a critical determinant of their professional well-being.