Organizational leaders’ social identity: a basis for employer–employee motivation in small organizations in Sri Lanka

Using social identity theory (SIT) framework, this qualitative research examines the impact of organizational leaders' social identity on themselves and their employees' motivation in small business organizations in Sri Lanka. The findings reveal that leaders' social identity becomes an inner psychological force that shapes the behaviours, beliefs and perceptions of themselves and their employees. In the Sri Lankan context, leaders' personal and social identities provide a sense of pride, credibility, power, involvement, stability, quality consciousness and perfection. Social identity functions as a driver of competition, encouraging innovation and creativity that lead to excellence. The author proposes that SIT can be used as the basis for maintaining a culture of excellence and designing human resource development interventions to upkeep employer–employee motivation.