Reconnecting to perform: the mediating role of well-being in disidentification

Purpose The purpose of this study is to integrate social identity theory (SIT) with the Job demands-resources (JD-R) model to test whether workplace well-being (WWB) mediated the link between organisational disidentification (DISI) and employee outcomes in public hospitals. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional survey of healthcare professionals was used; confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling were used to test the measurement and structural models. A complementary multiple correspondence analysis profiled psychosocial risk segments. Findings DISI significantly undermined WWB and, through this decline, increased turnover intention (TURI), reduced job performance (JP) and elevated counterproductive work behaviour (CWB), with stronger effects among younger professionals. Research limitations/implications The cross-sectional design limits causal inference and the evidence come from two public hospitals in one country, which constrains generalisability. Future research should adopt longitudinal and multilevel designs, test theoretically grounded moderators (e.g. organisational justice, leadership) and compare across institutional contexts to refine boundary conditions for the integrated SIT + JD-R framework. Practical implications Protecting WWB through demand-resource redesign and identity repair at the team level may curb turnover, sustain performance and reduce deviance. Social implications Protecting WWB through demand-resource redesign and identity repair at the team level was able to curb attrition, sustain performance and reduce deviance. Originality/value The study specified why and how DISI depletes resources within SIT + JD-R under systemic moral stress, a condition typical of hospitals with limited resources, clarifying the mediating role of WWB.