The Influence of Organizational Identity on Knowledge Employees’ Job Performance—The Mediating Role of Work Values

This study focuses on the influence of organizational identity on knowledge employees’ job performance and the mediating effect of work values. Job performance is divided into task performance and contextual performance and then a theoretical hypothesis model of organizational identity-work values-job performance is constructed based on the theory of social identity. Combined with the questionnaire data of 483 knowledge employees, the SEM was used to empirically test whether the theoretical hypothesis model was valid. It is found that organizational identity has a positive impact on knowledge employees’ job performance, and work values partially mediate the relationship between organizational identity and job performance. Overall, the results show that improving the organizational identity level and work values of knowledge employees can promote their job performance. Finally, based on the results, the theoretical and practical implications of the study are discussed.


I. INTRODUCTION
With the development of knowledge economy, knowledge employees become the core resources for organizations to obtain competitive advantages and sustainable development ability. Knowledge employees refer to those employees who have strong learning and innovation ability and can make full use of modern scientific and technological knowledge to improve their work efficiency [1]. At present, those knowledge employees with high autonomy, creativity, and strong self-actualization need also have a series of problems in organizational management, for instance, knowledge employees do not have a comprehensive understanding of organizational values and the sense of cooperation among employees is not strong, which ultimately weaken individual employee performance. However, studies that explore the factors influencing The associate editor coordinating the review of this manuscript and approving it for publication was Chao-Yang Chen . the job performance of knowledge employees are limited and scarce. Specifically, knowledge employees are considered to be the most important driving force in the process of enterprise value creation [2]. Therefore, exploring the factors influencing the job performance of knowledge employees is crucial to the proper operation and sustainable development of the company.
The research results on organizational behavior show that the degree of employees' identification with the organization not only reveals the psychological connection between employees and organizations but also significantly predicts the employee's work behavior and attitudes [3]. Employees with a high degree of organizational identity will have a strong sense of commitment, responsibility, belonging, and dependence on the organization. And its main manifestations are identification with organizational values, acceptance of organizational culture and active integration into the organization [4]. The influencing factors of organizational identity VOLUME 10, 2022 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. For more information, see https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ on employees' work behavior and attitude have attracted the attention of many scholars, such as organizational citizenship behavior [5], knowledge sharing behavior [6], employee performance feedback behavior [7], and innovation behavior [8]. However, there are controversial findings: for one thing, a few scholars believe that employees with high organizational identity will bring pro-organizational unethical behavior [9], frequent unethical behavior [10], and more work-family conflict [11]; for another, most scholars believe that organizational identity will promote employees' solidarity and understanding of organizational goals, thus showing positive work attitudes and behaviors [5], [6], [8]. These inconsistent research results illustrate the complex relationship between organizational identity and employee work behavior. Job performance could measure the achievement of employee goals and is a key element in measuring employee behavior and attitudes at work [12]. Existing studies have pointed out that employees' job performance is affected by a variety of factors, such as organizational culture [13], organizational climate [14], leadership style [15], and individual motivation [16]. However, previous research on this issue have focused on the entire employee population, while some researchers have explored the factors influencing the performance of knowledge employees, who are relatively unique in terms of their characteristics. Given that, this paper will concentrate on the impact of organizational identity on the job performance of knowledge employees. According to the theory of social identity, higher organizational identity will help employees define themselves as members of the organization to show higher work values and be willing to work hard for the development of the organization [4]. Work values are the intrinsic needs of employees and the work characteristics and attributes they pursue in their activities [17], which can determine individual attitudes and behaviors at work, guide individuals to change in a positive and healthy direction, and help improve employees' state of mind and increase their motivation at work [18]. Employees with high work values regard high job satisfaction [19], low turnover intentions [20], and more organizational citizenship behaviors [21] as their responsibilities, so they are willing to complete their work with positive attitudes and behaviors. It can be seen that the process of organizational identity affecting employee job performance may be influenced by the mediating effect of work values. At present, few scholars have studied the impact of organizational identity on employee job performance from the perspective of work values. Therefore, it is necessary to clarify the mechanism of organizational identity, work values, and job performance.
While many studies have been done about the impact of employee job performance, few scholars have explored how organizational identity and work values affect the job performance of knowledge employees. In this study, the relationship between them based on field research data is discussed. It focuses on how organizational identity affects knowledge employees' performance and whether there is a mediating effect of work values. Thus, in this study, the following research questions are investigated: First, does organizational identity affect knowledge employees' job performance? If yes, does it have positive or negative effects? Second, do work values play a mediating role in the impact of organizational identity on knowledge employees' job performance? This study is intended to provide some supplement and reference for the theoretical system of organizational identity research and the management practices of enterprises.

II. LITERATURE REVIEW A. KNOWLEDGE EMPLOYEE
Enterprise employees can be divided into knowledge employees and non-knowledge employees. The main difference is that the former can achieve their goals through their mental work [1]. Previous studies show that knowledge employees have high comprehensive quality, strong autonomy, highvalue creative labor, and a strong desire to realize selfvalue. Developing and cultivating the potential of knowledge employees is an important measure to drive the implementation of enterprise development strategy. For example, Drucker [22] considers knowledge employees as those who acquire the ability to analyze theories and knowledge through learning and use this ability to create value for enterprises. According to scholars' research, knowledge employees mainly have the following four main characteristics: college degree or above, being engaged in mental work and having a higher professional technical ability, creating value for the enterprise with their ability and usually working in design, management, finance, and other fields. With the development of knowledge economy, knowledge employees range from the initial senior managers to the majority of employees with professional skills. The high level of productivity and creativity of knowledge employees have made them become the key resources for enterprises to maintain vigorous innovation and sustainable development.
As the main body of enterprise development, knowledge employees' work behavior and attitude have an important impact on enterprise development, especially job performance which can effectively measure employees' work behavior and attitude [12]. Gao et al. [23] argue that the mature development of the Internet has made knowledge employees' work dependent on online interactions and that finding efficient ways to communicate online has a significant influence on their job performance. Similarly, Ceren [24] found that if organizations do not focus on fostering the emotional commitment of knowledge employees, it will negatively affect their performance and thus impact the overall development process of the company. Theoretical literature suggests that it is crucial to further investigate the influencing factors of the job performance of knowledge employees with relatively unique personal traits. Therefore, in this study, the antecedent variables that affect the job performance of knowledge employees will be deeply explored.

B. ORGANIZATIONAL IDENTITY
From the perspective of social identity theory, organizational identity refers to employees' perception of subordination to the organization, which reflects the extent to which individuals identify themselves as a member of a group or organization [4]. Organizational identity is the result of employees incorporating the organization into their self-concept. Only when the culture, values and goals of the organization are recognized by employees, are they willing to integrate into the organization and form a strong psychological bond with it. In addition, the degree of employee identification with the organization can not only reveal the psychological connection between the employee and the organization but also effectively predict the employee's work behavior and attitude [3]. In recent years, some scholars believe that organizational identity can influence organizational citizenship behavior [5], knowledge sharing behavior [6], employee performance feedback behavior [7], and employee innovation behavior [8] to varying degrees. At the same time, organizational identity can also promote efficient collaboration among employees and strengthen employees' understanding of organizational goals, to better adapt to the organizational development environment and improve organizational performance [25]. However, a small number of scholars have pointed out the negative effects of organizational identity on organizational development. For example, employees with high organizational identity will show strong pro-organizational and unethical behaviors [9], bring more work-family conflicts [11], or show unethical behaviors frequently [10]. In this study, the influence of organizational identity on the work behavior of knowledge employees remains to be further explored.

C. WORK VALUES
Work values are a part of a personal value system, which can reflect the work behavior that individuals pursue to meet working conditions in the work situation. Work value is the core part of an individual's self-concept, which can influence an individual's behavior at work [26]. Lu et al. [17] defined the concept of work values by synthesizing the connotations of the value needs dimension and the evaluation and judgment criteria dimension. In his view, work values are perceptions and beliefs which transcend specific situations, can guide individuals in selecting and evaluating work-related behaviors and events, and point out differences in the importance of the state and behaviors required for work. It is not only an internal ideological system of the individual but also the value judgment of the individual for some results obtained from work, which can directly affect the individual behavior of employees.
In previous literature, several scholars have discussed the role of work value. For example, Liu and Wu asserted that in the process of implementing green human resource management to promote enterprise performance, strengthening the cultivation of employees' work values can effectively enhance its promoting effect on enterprise performance [27].
Similarly, Fute et al. [28] also found that training and improving teachers' work values did not affect their job engagement and job satisfaction even in the adverse environment of the outbreak. All the above studies illustrate the important role of employees' work values. As the main group of the new generation of employees, knowledge employees show higher levels of knowledge and diversified career aspirations. However, it is worth exploring how work values affect the work behavior of this unique group.

D. JOB PERFORMANCE
In early research, there were two perspectives on defining job performance, the ''result perspective'' and the ''behavioral perspective''. From the ''result perspective'' job performance refers to the value created by an individual in a specific job [29]. And the ''behavioral perspective'' suggests that valuable behavior is produced by individuals in the process of achieving organizational goals [30]. With the deepening of research, scholars have realized that job performance should be the ''synthesis'' of employee behavior and results, rather than the one-sided evaluation of job performance based on behavior or result. Therefore, the idea of studying job performance from the comprehensive perspective of behavior and results have emerged. Among them, Borman et al. [12] argues that job performance is a combination of individual behaviors, abilities, and results, and that individual traits and environment should also be included in the assessment. Therefore, this study follows Borman's definition of job performance based on the behavioral outcome perspective and a two-factor performance model that includes both contextual and task performance is constructed to explain the relationship between job performance and each factor.
As a way to measure employees' job performance, job performance is a feedback signal with positive significance, which is useful for helping employees realize themselves [15], and is also the focus of organizational behavior. Most scholars believe that organizational culture [13], organizational customer [14], and personal motivation [16] can affect employees' job performance. It is the key driving force for an organization to maintain its sustainable competitiveness and long-term development ability to find out the influencing factors that can effectively improve employees' job performance.

III. HYPOTHESES DEVELOPMENT A. ORGANIZATIONAL IDENTITY AND JOB PERFORMANCE OF KNOWLEDGE EMPLOYEES
Knowledge employees are ''those who can master concepts and work with knowledge or information'' [22]. Specifically, knowledge employees are those who are mainly engaged in knowledge-based work. Compared with employees who are paid for their physical work, knowledge employees are mainly paid for their mental effort [1]. Knowledge employees' high creative ability and strong self-actualization tendency make them prefer high organizational recognition and VOLUME 10, 2022 high achievement. Compared with non-knowledge employees, they have stronger ability and more employment opportunities [31]. As a result, the motivation and realistic possibility of high performance are also more prominent for knowledge employees with high organizational identity [7].
The organizational identity aims at the perception of individual unity or belonging to some people, can reflect the degree of the potential connection between individuals and organizations, and influence their work attitudes and behaviors by affecting their psychological perceptions [3]. Employees with a high sense of organizational identity will have a sense of ownership of the organization, will consciously demand their behavior according to the organization's rules and regulations, and will be willing to devote enthusiasm and efforts to the development of the organization [32]. Social identity theory suggests that only when employees accept the organization in their minds and define themselves as a part of the organization, can they develop work behaviors that are consistent with the organization's goals [2]. Knowledge employees with a high sense of organizational identity believe that everything they do at work is their responsibility [33]. Therefore, when making decisions, they focus on organizational interests, and their personal goals are more consistent with organizational goals, which enhances their sense of belonging and loyalty to the organization to stimulate them to show positive attitudes and behaviors, and finally give back to the organization with high performance [25].
According to the theory of social identity, individuals who identify with the organization's rules, culture, and values are more likely to show behaviors that help achieve organizational goals [3]. At this point, even when unsupervised, employees will voluntarily comply with organizational discipline and take the initiative to complete the tasks assigned by the organization. First, the higher the organizational identity knowledge employees have, the more they are willing to use their ability to analyze theories and knowledge within their responsibilities to create value for the organization, and they can contribute to the organization by directly participating in production activities or indirectly providing necessary materials and services to improve task performance [34]. Second, according to the connotation of organizational identity, employees with a high level of organizational identity have goals that are consistent with the organization and prioritize organizational interests when making decisions [4]. As a result, knowledge employees with a high level of organizational identity are willing to do some work beyond their job duties to maintain organizational interests and voluntarily help others to achieve organizational goals, thus improving contextual performance [35]. It can be seen that the higher the organizational identity knowledge employees have, the more they are willing to give back to the organization with positive work attitudes and behaviors, and then improve their job performance. In other words, the organizational identity of knowledge employees has a positive predictive effect on their job performance. Therefore, the following hypothesis are put forward in this study.
H1: There is a significant positive correlation between organizational identity and job performance of knowledge employees.
H1a: There is a significant positive correlation between organizational identity and task performance of knowledge employees.
H1b: There is a significant positive correlation between organizational identity and contextual performance of knowledge employees.

B. ORGANIZATIONAL IDENTITY AND WORK VALUES
Organizational identity is the psychological link between employees and organizations. Work values, as an important part of individual values, are the result of the joint action of various psychological factors of employees [26]. There must be a close connection between organizational identity and work values. According to previous studies, organizational identity can influence employees' work values, which in turn influence the quality and quantity of employees' work outcomes [36]. Hence, it is believed that organizational identity has an indirect impact on employee performance.
Organizational identity has a profound influence on employee perception and behavior. Employees' strong sense of belonging and identity prompts individuals to perceive that they share similar values and goals with the organization so that they are willing to take the initiative to take actions beneficial to the organization [37]. The organizational identity reflects that the psychological and explicit behaviors of employees are consistent with the organization [38]. Based on social identity theory, employees with high organizational identity have the same work values and goals as the organization, they are also more willing to stay in the organization and fulfill their responsibilities for the development of the organization [3]. First, work values reflect individuals' perceptions and beliefs about their work. Knowledge employees with high organizational identity regard themselves as part of the organization, and will actively engage in high-level cooperative behaviors with other members to achieve common goals in the process of work. Such behaviors will make individuals in the cooperation constantly reflect on their work values to adapt to the overall development process of the team. Secondly, work values reflect the degree of fit between the value brought by work and the value orientation of employees. Employees with high organizational identity have a high degree of alignment between their work values and their values. Specifically, knowledge employees with high organizational identity will strictly comply with organizational discipline and regulations, treat their work with excellence, take the initiative to undertake responsibilities and tasks as their work behavior orientation, and then show consistent work values with the organization. Finally, employees with high organizational identity closely integrate their development with the organization's development and take the organization's interests as the ultimate goal, and will finally show high work values. The comprehensive analysis above shows that knowledge employees' sense of organizational identity has a positive predictive effect on employees' work values. Therefore, the following hypothesis is proposed in this paper.
H2: There is a significant positive relationship between organizational identity and the work values of knowledge employees.

C. WORK VALUES AND JOB PERFORMANCE
Social identity theory suggests that employees will form values consistent with the organization during the process of defining themselves as members of the organization. Knowledge employees' innovation orientation and longterm development values make them attach importance to profit maximization, and they are willing to do their best to achieve innovation performance and long-term career development [39]. As an important component of personal values, work values are a collection of ideas and beliefs according to which individuals judge and choose work, which can effectively predict the differentiated performance of individuals in the work environment [42]. In other words, when employees and the organization have consistent work values, the employees will show strong motivation and enthusiasm to achieve organizational goals. According to social identity theory, employees with a high level of work values will define themselves as members of the organization, which helps to build an emotional bond between employees and the organization, make them feel respected by the organization, guide their behavior toward achieving organizational goals, then motivate them to improve their job performance (task performance and relationship performance) to give back to the organization. On the contrary, employees with low levels of work values who define themselves as members of the organization cannot make them feel that the organization respects them, and in this case, employees will lower their job performance (task performance and contextual performance). Therefore, the following hypotheses are posed in this paper.
H3: There is a positive correlation between knowledge employees' work values and job performance; H3a: There is a positive correlation between knowledge employees' work values and task performance; H3b: There is a positive correlation between knowledge employees' work values and contextual performance.

D. THE MEDIATING ROLE OF WORK VALUES
As an important criterion to measure employees' work ability and work results, job performance can indirectly reflect the level of employees' organizational identity and work values [41]. Social identity theory shows that the higher the level of knowledge employees' organizational identity is, the more enthusiastic and motivated they will be about the work they do, and the corresponding values such as job autonomy and job satisfaction will also increase, thus transforming organizational identity and work values into substantial job performance. In addition, organizational identity and work values of knowledge employees are key driving factors for improving organizational cohesion, creating competitive advantage and enhancing performance [4]. The stronger the organizational identity of employees is, the higher the level of their work values are, and the more it will help the organization maintain a dynamic innovation and competitive advantage. In particular, when individuals perceive that their future development is closely related to the development of the enterprise, they will have a strong motivation to work and transform the organizational goals and vision into a means to motivate themselves to create achievements for the organization, thus laying a solid foundation for improving the overall operational efficiency and business performance of the enterprise. Based on this, the following hypotheses are proposed in this paper.
H4: Work values mediate the relationship between knowledge employees' organizational identity and job performance; H4a: Work values play a mediating role in the relationship between knowledge employees' organizational identity and task performance; H4b: Work values play a mediating role in the relationship between knowledge employees' organizational identity and contextual performance.
According to the above analysis, the following theoretical model is integrated with this study, as shown in Figure 1.

IV. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY A. RESEARCH CONTEXT AND DATA COLLECTION
In this study, questionnaires were used to collect data. In the process of selecting research subjects, the connotation of knowledge employees and the relevant studies of previous scholars were combined and technical R&D personnel was finally selected as the research subjects, including managers and full-time employees (such as accountants), which are generally recognized by the academic community and can represent knowledge employees. In this study, three enterprises from Henan, Sichuan, and Zhejiang in China were chosen as the research target. Data were mainly collected from the R&D, manufacturing, and financial industries to test the relationship between organizational identity and job performance. Questionnaires were sent out to 600 employees. Finally, 519 questionnaires were collected, and 483 valid questionnaires were obtained after eliminating missing data and invalid questionnaires, with an effective recovery of 80.5%.
In the valid sample, 52% were male and 48% were female; 35.7% were under 30 years old, 61.0% were 31-50 years old, and 3.3% were over 51 years old. Master students accounted for 7.1%, undergraduate students accounted for 89.4%, and junior college students and below accounted for 3.5%. In addition, statistics were also analyzed on the position levels of the research objects, including 43.8% of ordinary employees, 35.9% of grass-roots managers, 19.2% of middle managers, and 1.1% of senior managers.

B. VARIABLE MEASURES
To measure these variables in the model, the existing reliable and proven scales were used. In the design of the questionnaire, a five-point Likert scale was used for all questions except the identity question, with ''1'' indicating complete disagreement and ''5'' indicating complete agreement. The specific scales were as follows: Organizational identity: Organizational identity is measured by using the 6-item scale developed by Mael and Tetrick [42]. For example, '' I'm proud of being a member of this firm '', '' The firm treats all people equally in terms of compensation package'', etc.
Work values: Work values are measured by using the 5-item scale developed by Lyons et al. [43]. Such as ''Great opportunity for promotion'' and ''Provides comfortable working conditions''.
Job performance: Job performance is measured by using the 8-item scale developed by Borman et al. [12], This scale included two dimensions: task performance and contextual performance. For example, ''I can complete my tasks on time'' and ''I am willing to take on work beyond the scope of my duties''.
Control variables: Previous scholars believe that individual characteristic variables of employees may affect their behavioral performance [44]. Therefore, in this study gender, age, education level, and position level of employees were selected as the control variables.

C. RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY ANALYSIS
In this study, the reliability and validity of the questionnaire were analyzed by using SPSS 22.0, with reliability indicators measured by Cronbach's alpha coefficient and validity analysis using validation factors. Table 1 shows the measured question items, factor loadings, and Cronbach's alpha values for organizational identity, work values, and job performance. Table 1 shows that Cronbach's α coefficients of all factors are above 0.75, which indicates that all measurement items in the questionnaire have high internal consistency, that is, they have high reliability. In addition, according to the analysis results compiled in Table 1, it can be seen that the factor loading of each question item is between 0.7 and 0.9, and the factor loading of most of the questions is above 0.8, which indicates that the validity of the questionnaire was good. Table 2 shows the descriptive statistics and correlation coefficients for research variables in this study. First, it can be seen there is a significant correlation between organizational identity and job performance. In a sense, there is a causal relationship between organizational identity and job performance. Then the same relationship between organizational identity and work value is found. There is also a significant correlation between work value and job performance.

B. HYPOTHESIS TESTS
In this study, SEM is used to test whether knowledge employees' work values mediate the relationship between organizational identity on job performance. According to Becker [44], the following four conditions need to be met to make the mediating effect work: First, the regression of the independent and dependent variables is significant; Second, the regression of the independent and mediating variables is significant; Third, the regression of the mediating and dependent variables is significant; Fourth, the regression coefficient of the mediating variable is significant and the regression coefficient of the independent variable decreases significantly when the mediating variable is introduced into the regression equation. If the regression coefficient of the independent variable decreases to zero, it is fully mediated; if the regression coefficient of the independent variable decreases but is not zero, it is partially mediated. Table 3 suggests the results of the impact of organizational identity on job performance, showing the standardized path coefficients and the hypotheses being supported. Figure 2 shows the model of organizational identity on employee job performance drawn based on the analysis results in Table 3. According to Table 3 and Figure 2, the fit of the path model of organizational identity on employee's job performance is more satisfactory, and their fitting indexes all reach or exceed the critical value. Fitting index χ 2 /df=1.434<3; RMSEA=0.034<0.08; CFI=0.963, TLI=0.913, IFI=0.905, all are in accordance with the recommended values. Therefore, the SEM is valid, that is, the organizational identity of knowledge employees positively affects employee's job performance. In addition, as shown in Table 3, the standardized path coefficient of organizational identity on  employee task performance is 0.479, which is significant at p < 0.01, and the path coefficient with contextual performance is 0.426, which is significant at p < 0.01. In summary, H1, H1a, and H1b are all valid. Table 4 suggests the results of the influence of organizational identity on work values, showing the standardized path coefficients and the hypotheses being supported. Based on the analysis results, the fit of the path model of organizational identity on work values is satisfactory, with the fit index χ 2 /df = 1.560 < 3; RMSEA = 0.048 < 0.08; CFI = 0.925, TLI = 0.901, and IFI = 0.895, which all meet the critical values. Therefore, the SEM is valid, that is, organizational identity has a significant positive effect on work values. As shown in Table 4, organizational identity is significantly related to work values at p < 0.01 and H2 is valid.  Table 5 shows the analysis results of the impact of work values on job performance, listing the standardized path coefficients and the hypotheses being supported. Figure 3 suggests the model of the influence of work values on job performance based on the results of the analysis in Table 5. According to Table 5 and Figure 3, the fit of the path model of work values on job performance is relatively ideal. The fit index χ 2 /DF = 1.748 < 3; RMSEA = 0.044 < 0.08; CFI = 0.972, TLI = 0.932, AND IFI = 0.973, which all meet the critical values. Therefore, the SEM is valid, that is, work values have a significant positive effect on employees' job performance. Table 5 shows that the standardized path coefficient of work VOLUME 10, 2022  values and task performance is 0.558, which is significant at P < 0.01. The path coefficient of contextual performance is 0.495, which is significant at P < 0.01. In summary, H3, 3a, and H3b are valid. Table 6 shows the direct and indirect effect models of organizational identity on job performance, and compares the standardized path coefficients. The fit index χ 2 /df = 1.394 < 3; RMSEA = 0.031 < 0.08; CFI = 0.964, TLI = 0.921, and IFI = 0.955, which all meet the critical values. Therefore, the fitting of the role model mediated by work values is ideal, and work values play a mediating role in the relationship between knowledge employees' organizational identity and job performance. According to the analysis results in Table 6, the path coefficient between organizational identity and task performance decreases to 0.234, which is still significant, when the indirect effect model of work values is added as a mediator variable. Meanwhile, the path coefficient of organizational identity and relationship performance also decreases to 0.205, which is still significant. The above conclusions indicate that work values play a partially mediating role in the relationship between organizational identity and job performance. It can be seen that H4, H4a, and H4b are all valid. Figure 4 is the indirect effect model of work values on organizational identity and job performance.

VI. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION A. CONCLUSION
In this study knowledge employees in China are taken as the research object, and a theoretical model based on social identity theory is constructed to deeply analyze and empirically test the relationship among organizational identity, work values, and job performance. In this model, how it is influenced by organizational identity and work values is explored in two dimensions: task performance and contextual performance, and the mediating effect of work values between organizational identity and job performance are also explored. The results show that: (1) Organizational identity has a significant positive impact on knowledge employees' job performance and work values. Specifically, employees with a high sense of organizational identity will have a sense of ownership for the organization and believe that everything they do at work is their responsibility, so they are willing to give back to the organization with high performance. In addition, knowledge employees with a high level of organizational identity regard themselves as members of the organization, and to achieve the common goal, they will constantly reshape their values and move closer to the organizational values, thus showing high work values.
(2) Knowledge employees' work values can positively influence their job performance. Knowledge employees with high work values will define themselves as members of the organization and take the initiative to establish a strong relationship with the organization, which leads employees to change their work behavior to achieve organizational goals, and then promote their job performance.
(3) Knowledge employees' work values partially mediate the relationship between organizational identity and job performance. That is, knowledge employees' organizational identity not only has a direct effect on job performance but also indirectly promotes their job performance through work values. Based on the social identity theory, the higher the level of organizational identity is, the higher the work value of knowledge employees will be. At this time, employees perceive that their development is closely related to the development of the enterprise, and they will be motivated to have strong work motivation to achieve organizational goals and ultimately promote their job performance.

B. THEORETICAL IMPLICATIONS
On the one hand, this paper enriches the research on the positive impact of organizational identity and expands the research scope of antecedent variables of job performance. The behavior performance of employees at work is the focus of current and future research in the field of management. Organizational identity, as a key construct that reveals the psychological connection between employees and organizations and significantly predicts employees' work behavior and attitude [3], has yet to reach unified research conclusions on its impact on employees' work behavior. In addition, although the research on job performance involves organizational climate [14], leadership style [15], and other aspects, the research objects of related topics in the past are mainly oriented to the whole employee group, and the research on knowledge employees with relatively unique personal constitution needs to be expanded. Therefore, in this study knowledge employees with the relatively unique personal constitutions are selected as the research object to explore how organizational identity affects the job performance of knowledge employees. Through the empirical study, the effectiveness of organizational identification on employee work behavior is verified again.
On the other hand, in this study work values as a mediator variable is introduced to deeply explore the mechanism of organizational identity on the job performance of knowledge employees. Specifically, based on theoretical analysis and empirical research it is found that the process of organizational identity on job performance is partially mediated by work values. In other words, organizational identity has to influence employees' performance through the path of work values, which not only expands the mediating mechanism of work values but also enriches the theoretical contribution to the study of organizational identity and job performance.

C. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS
At the same time, this study also provides a practical window for enterprises to effectively manage knowledge employees. According to the research conclusion, the higher the level of organizational identity of knowledge employees is, the higher their work values will be. Then the task performance and relationship performance will be improved accordingly. Therefore, the task performance and relationship performance of knowledge employees can be improved by improving their level of work values, and organizational identification helps to bring about a higher level of work values. The above conclusions are helpful to inspire enterprises to explore effective measures to manage and motivate knowledge employees from the perspective of social identity. Combined with the conclusion of this study, the following management suggestions are put forward for enterprises.
First, companies should effectively track the organizational identity level of knowledge employees in the recruitment and selection and person-post matching process. In the recruitment process of knowledge-based employees, the level of organizational identity of candidates should be effectively measured employing scales and interviews, and those employees with a higher level of organizational identity should be selected as a priority; at the same time, the degree of fit between employees' pursuits and the corporate mission should be examined, to ensure the level of employees' work values and positive work attitude from the on-boarding process.
Second, the penetration of organizational identity should be carried out in the process of corporate culture construction. The corporate culture emphasizes the mission and vision of the enterprise, so it needs to be combined with the personal pursuit of employees in the implementation process. In this way the personal values of knowledge employees fit with corporate values, thus improving the level of employees' work values to improve performance.
Lastly, to attract knowledge employees with high organizational identity levels, enterprises should strengthen the autonomy and participation of knowledge employees and establish a flexible and open management mechanism that adapts to the organizational identity of knowledge employees.

D. LIMITATIONS AND FUTURE RESEARCH
In addition to the above findings, this study still has the following shortcomings: One is that in this paper a cross-sectional study is adopted, but the further longitudinal analysis is needed regarding the interrelationship between organizational identity, work values, and job performance. The other problem is that some scholars believe that work value is a multi-dimensional construct, and only exploring the overall construct of work value is short of the in-depth research on this variable. In the future, in-depth exploring the mechanism of work value on job performance from multiple dimensions should be considered. Additionally, the existing research on organizational identity mainly concentrates on the influence of common variables. More open research is needed on the impact of organizational identity on individuals and their affiliated organizations. Further research on organizational identity can be carried out by combining qualitative research methods such as interviews or cases.

A questionnaire on the relationship between organizational identity, work values, and job performance of knowledge employees
Dear Sir/Madam, Thank you for spending time on completing this questionnaire! Organizational identity and work values have an VOLUME 10, 2022 important impact on the job performance of knowledge employees. This questionnaire is designed and completed according to the research objectives, and it is filled in anonymously. There is no right or wrong answer, please answer the following questions based on your first sense. At the same time, we guarantee that the survey results will be used for academic research only, and we will keep the information and data provided by you strictly confidential. Thanks again for your help! 1= strongly disagree;2= relatively disagree;3= uncertain; 4= relatively agree;5= strongly agree 20. I am willing to take on work beyond the scope of my duties.
1= strongly disagree;2= relatively disagree;3= uncertain; 4= relatively agree;5= strongly agree BIN MIAO is currently the Vice President of the School of Management and Economics, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, the Deputy Director of the MBA Center, a Professor, and a master's Supervisor, China. He has published many SCI and EI articles, published many academic works, and presided over key projects in Henan Province of China many times. His research interests include human resource management, enterprise economy, accounting, finance, and taxation. He has won the Third Prize of Scientific and Technological Progress in Henan Province, the First Prize of Educational Achievements in Henan Province, and the Second Prize of Scientific and Technological Information Achievements in Henan Province.