To date, the empirical research in this area has almost exclusively fo- cused upon the positive aspects of psychological ownership, even though Pierce et al.’s (2001) seminal work on this topic highlighted both the positive and negative implications of psychological ownership in organi- zations. This focus on the positive outcomes of ownership may come from the fact that prior studies, which almost exclusively address psychologi- cal ownership over one’s job or the organization, do not take into account the role of the social context. These studies have neglected to consider the impact of ownership beyond the individual to look at how other’s perceive and respond to claims and expressions of ownership, especially claims to specific objects, roles, projects, ideas, and responsibilities in organizations.
The social context is particularly relevant for the ownership of job related objects when legal or formal ownership mechanisms do not ex- ist. Whereas legal or formal ownership involves certainty and assurance of one’s possession, such as a patent that validates and establishes a claim, psychological ownership does not involve certainty or assurance of ownership and is subject to different interpretations, perceptions, and motivations among organizational members who may be vying for posses- sion over the same work-related object. Indeed, psychological ownership is subjective, ambiguous, and tenuous because colleagues may take, use, or control another’s possessions as their own. Consequently, individuals who feel ownership may engage in territorial behaviors to communicate and defend their ownership claims. Further, variations in the social con- text of the work environment can influence whether individuals engage in these territorial behaviors and can shape how other’s respond to these ownership-driven behaviors.