Organizational Commitment Notes

Organizational Commitment

Learning Objectives

  • Examine what it means to be “committed.”

  • Discuss the types of commitment

  • Analyze the trends affecting commitment

What is Organizational Commitment?

  • Organizational commitment refers to an employee’s desire to remain a member of an organization.

  • There are three different types of organizational commitment:

    • Affective

    • Continuance

    • Normative

Types of Organizational Commitment

  • Affective Commitment: A desire to remain a member of an organization due to an emotional attachment to and involvement with the organization.

  • Continuance Commitment: A desire to stay in an organization because of the awareness of the cost of leaving.

  • Normative Commitment: A desire to remain in an organization because of a feeling of obligation.

What Does It Mean To Be Committed?

  • Consider a scenario where you've worked at your current employer for five years and have been approached by a competing organization.

  • Reflect on what you would feel if you left your organization.

  • Determine if those reasons fit into one of the categories (Affective, Continuance, Normative).

  • Make a list of reasons that will cause you to decide to stay.

The Three Types of Organizational Commitment

  • Affective Commitment (Emotion-Based):

    • Example: "Some of my best friends work in my office … I’d miss them if I left."

    • Example: "I really like the atmosphere at my current job … it’s fun and relaxed."

    • Example: "My current job duties are very rewarding … I enjoy coming to work each morning."

    • Staying because you want to.

  • Continuance Commitment (Cost-Based):

    • Example: "I’m due for a promotion soon … will I advance as quickly at the new company?"

    • Example: "My salary and benefits get us a nice house in our town … the cost of living is higher in this new area."

    • Example: "The school system is good here, my spouse has a good job … we’ve really put down roots where we are."

    • Staying because you need to.

  • Normative Commitment (Obligation-Based):

    • Example: "My boss has invested so much time in me, mentoring me, training me, showing me the ropes."

    • Example: "My organization gave me my start … they hired me when others thought I wasn’t qualified."

    • Example: "My employer has helped me out of a jam on a number of occasions … how could I leave now?"

    • Staying because you ought to.

What Facilitates Affective Commitment

  • Affective Commitment: Having an emotional bond to the organization.

  • Employees identify with the organization, and it becomes an integral part of their Self-identity, resulting in both interpersonal and organizational citizenship behaviors.

  • Erosion Model: Explains that employees with fewer bonds in the organization will likely quit easily.

  • Social Influence Model: Explains that an employee who has a link with people leaving the company will become more likely to leave.

Using Organizational Socialization to Expand Bonds

  • The organizational socialization process can help expand individual bonds and change individual attitudes and beliefs about organizational commitment.

What is Continuance Commitment

  • A desire on the part of an employee to remain a member of an organization because of an awareness of the costs associated with leaving it.

  • You stay because you have to.

  • What would you feel if you left anyway?

Using Social Theory and Organizational Socialization To Explain Organizational Commitment

  • Social Theory argues that concrete rewards, such as money and other benefits, motivate employees to exert extra effort in staying with their organizations.

  • Embeddedness: Represents the link and fit that an employee has with their organization and community that would be sacrificed if they make a job change.

Embedded and Continuance Commitment

  • "Embedded" people feel:

    • Links:

      • For the Organization:

        • "I’ve worked here for such a long time."

        • "I’m serving on so many teams and committees."

      • For the Community:

        • "Several close friends and family live nearby."

        • "My family’s roots are in this community."

    • Fit:

      • For the Organization:

        • "My job utilizes my skills and talents well."

        • "I like the authority and responsibility I have at this company."

      • For the Community:

        • "The weather where I live is suitable for me."

        • "I think of the community where I live as home."

    • Sacrifice:

      • For the Organization:

        • "The retirement benefits provided by the organization are excellent."

        • "I would sacrifice a lot if I left this job."

      • For the Community:

        • "People respect me a lot in my community."

        • "Leaving this community would be very hard."

Normative Commitment

  • A desire on the part of an employee to remain a member of an organization because of a feeling of obligation.

  • You stay because you ought to.

  • What would you feel if you left anyway?

Commitment Initiatives

  • How Does Perceived Organizational Support Impact Commitment?

  • The degree to which employees believe their contribution is valued and that the organization cares about their well-being.

What is Employee Withdrawal

  • Withdrawal: A set of actions that employees perform to avoid the work situation

  • One study found that 51 percent of employees’ time was spent working.

  • The other 49 percent was allocated to coffee breaks, late starts, early departures, personal, and other forms of withdrawal.

Why Do Employees Show Withdrawal Behavior

  • Approximately 60 percent of employees consider looking for a new job.

  • “When the going gets tough, the organization doesn’t want you to get going.”

  • Difficult times put an employee’s commitment to the test.

How Employees React To Negative Work Situations

  • Common employee reactions to negative work events:

    • Exit: Ending or restricting organizational membership

    • Voice: A constructive response where individuals attempt to improve the situation

    • Loyalty: A passive response where the employee remains supportive while hoping for improvement

    • Neglect: Reduced interest and effort in the job

The Four Types of Employees

  • (This section refers to a taxonomic model of withdrawal behaviors. The model itself isn't fully described in the provided text.)

Psychological and Physical Withdrawal

  • Psychological Withdrawal (NEGLECT):

    • Daydreaming

    • Socializing

    • Looking Busy

    • Cyberloafing

    • Moonlighting

  • Physical Withdrawal (EXIT):

    • Tardiness

    • Long Breaks

    • Missing Meetings

    • Absenteeism

    • Quitting

Does One Withdrawal Behavior Lead to Another?

  • How exactly are the different forms of withdrawal related to one another?

    • Independent forms

    • Compensatory forms

    • Progression

What is the relationship Between Forms of Withdrawal?

  • The various forms of withdrawal are almost always moderately to strongly correlated.

  • Those correlations suggest a progression, as lateness is strongly related to absenteeism, and absenteeism is strongly correlated to quitting.

Trends Affecting Commitment

  • Diversity of the workforce:

    • Growing more racially and ethnically diverse

    • Becoming older

    • Including more foreign-born workers

  • The changing employee-employer relationship:

    • Psychological contracts

    • Transactional contacts

    • Relational contracts

How can Organizations increase Commitment

  • Employees are more committed when employers are committed to them.

  • Perceived organizational support is fostered when organizations:

    • Provide rewards

    • Protect job security

    • Improve work conditions

    • Minimize the impact of politics