Organizational Commitment

Definition of Organizational Commitment

Organizational Commitment is defined as "the desire on the part of an employee to remain a member of an organization." (Colquitt, Lepine, Wesson & Gellatly; 2019; p.53).

Importance of Organizational Commitment

Organizational commitment is crucial for several reasons:

• Cost of Turnover: Replacing employees is expensive.

  • Hourly employees: Approximately 0.5 times their annual salary.

  • Salaried employees: Approximately 1.5 times their annual salary.

  • Executives: Approximately 5 times their annual salary.

  • Integration Time: It can take up to 2 years for a new employee to become fully integrated and productive.

• Cost of Other Withdrawal Behaviors: Employees who engage in other forms of withdrawal (beyond quitting) also incur significant costs to the organization.

D. Rousseau identified three important concepts related to commitment.

Types of Organizational Commitment

There are three primary types of organizational commitment, each driven by different employee motivations:

1. Affective Commitment

• Definition: This type of commitment stems from a desire to remain a member of an organization due to a feeling of emotional attachment.

• Impact on Performance: Affective commitment is strongly linked to much better job performance.

• Associated Feelings: Employees with high affective commitment typically experience feelings of happiness when they stay with the organization.

• Models: Two models focus on affective commitment:

  • Erosion Model of Affective Commitment: This model suggests that as employees develop relationships with colleagues, it becomes harder to leave, even if they develop negative feelings towards the organization. Losing one person can erode commitment.

  • Social Influence Model of Affective Commitment: This model proposes that employees are more likely to remain with an organization if they are influenced by their social network and the commitment of others within that network. This can be visualized as a social network where influence flows between individuals.

2. Continuance Commitment

• Definition: This type of commitment arises from the desire to remain with an organization due to the awareness of the costs associated with leaving.

• Impact on Performance: There is no link, or even a negative link, between continuance commitment and job performance.

• Associated Feelings: Employees with high continuance commitment typically experience feelings of anxiety when they consider leaving the organization.

• Underlying Factors: Two main factors contribute to continuance commitment:

  • No Alternatives: This occurs when an employee perceives that there are no other viable job opportunities available. The implication is that even if the current job is undesirable, leaving is not a practical option.

  • Embeddedness: This refers to the extent to which an employee is connected to their current organization and community, and the sense of "fit" they experience. It also includes the investments an employee has made into the organization and their community. This is a resource-based perspective, not an emotional one.

    • Examples of Embeddedness:

      • Time Investment: The amount of time an employee has dedicated to the organization.

      • Network: The social and professional connections an employee has built within the organization and community.

      • Community Resources: The personal ties and resources (e.g., spouse's job, children's school) that are tied to the current location and community.

3. Normative Commitment

• Definition: This type of commitment is driven by a feeling of obligation to remain with the organization.

• Impact on Performance: Normative commitment is associated with somewhat better job performance.

• Associated Feelings: Employees with high normative commitment typically experience feelings of guilt if they consider leaving the organization.

• Underlying Principle: This commitment is often rooted in the principle of reciprocity, where employees feel indebted to the organization for investments made in them (e.g., training, support) and feel they "ought to" stay.

Summary of Commitment Types

Employee Responses to Negative Work Events: Withdrawal Behaviors

Employees can respond to negative work events in various ways, categorized as withdrawal behaviors. Commitment plays a role in how employees choose to respond.

• Positive Reactions (Generally):

  • Voice: Employees express their concerns about the negative situation.

  • Loyalty: Employees stay with the organization and hope for improvement, even if they don't actively voice concerns.

• Negative Reactions (Generally - Withdrawal):

  • Neglect (Psychological Withdrawal): This involves a passive disengagement from work.

  • Exit (Physical Withdrawal): This involves actively leaving the organization.

Forms of Withdrawal Behavior

• Psychological Withdrawal (Neglect):

  • Daydreaming

  • Looking busy but not being productive

  • Socializing excessively

  • Moonlighting (working a second job during work hours)

  • Cyberloafing (using work time for personal internet use)

  • Taking longer than necessary to complete tasks

• Physical Withdrawal (Exit):

  • Being late for work

  • Missing meetings

  • Taking extended breaks

  • Being absent from work

  • Quitting the job

The Impact of Continuance Commitment on Withdrawal Behaviors

The impact of continuance commitment on withdrawal behaviors is complex and "depends":

• Based Solely on Few Alternatives: If continuance commitment is driven purely by a lack of job alternatives, it generally leads to negative outcomes. Employees may remain but are likely to disengage and exhibit neglect behaviors.

• Embeddedness Not Always "Bad": When continuance commitment is influenced by embeddedness (strong ties to the community, family, and investments), it can be less detrimental. While employees may still feel "stuck," the broader context of their lives might mitigate extreme disengagement or a complete lack of productivity, though it doesn't necessarily foster positive engagement.