Organizational Commitment

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Definition Organizational Commitment?

Organizational Commitment (OC) is the psychological attachment and the resulting loyalty of employees to an organization, based on the pride of being part of the organization and the belief that their organization values them. The OC-concept goes beyond mere job satisfaction and employee hapiness. OC is part of the field of organizational behavior which defines, explains and humanizes the reasons behind organizational employee commitment. Through the commitment and collaboration of employees with different backgrounds, cultures, values, norms, experiences and skill sets a company or organization gains growth, flexibility and global marketability.

Also called: Employee Commitment and Employee Engagement.

Levels of Employee Commitment

The attachment and loyalty of employees can be present at a variety of levels: their job, profession, department, boss or (entire) organization.

Advantages of Organizational Commitment. Benefits

A highly committed employee will identify with the goals and values of the organization, has a stronger desire to belong to the organization and is willing to display greater organizational citizenship behavior i.e., a willingness to go over and beyond their required job duties. Advantages of gaining employee commitment have been perceived to be better employee retention (lower labor turnover, attrition, and sickness rates), extra role behavior (go the extra mile for a customer, contribute ideas voluntairaly, work hard and smart, recommend organization to other people), better product quality, better work safety, and increased employee flexibility contributing to the firms’ competitive advantage.

If human resources are said to be an organization‘s greatest assets, then committed human resources should be regarded as an organization's competitive advantage (Ranya Nehmeh, What is organizational commitment, why should managers want it in their workforce and is there any cost effective way to secure it? ISSN 1662-761X).

Reasons for employee commitment. 3 Types of Organizational Commitment

Rosabeth Kanter argued in 1968 that different types of commitment result from different behavioral requirements placed on members by the organization:

1. Continuance commitment has to do with a member's dedication to the survival of the organization and results from having people make sacrifices for and investments in the organization.
2. Cohesion commitment is attachment to social relations in an organization; it can be enhanced by having employees publicly renounce previous social ties or engage in ceremonies that enhance group cohesion.
3. Control commitment is a member's attachment to the norms of an organization that shape behavior in desired ways. It exists when employees believe that the organization's norms and values are important guides to their behavior.

According to the Meyer and Allen Model of Commitment (Meyer, J P and Allen, N J (1991) - A three-component conceptualization of organizational commitment: Some methodological considerations", Human Resource Management Review, 1, pp. 61-98), there are generally three 'mind sets' (reasons, motives) for an employee to be committed to an organization:

1. Affective Commitment: positive feelings of identification with, attachment to, and involvement in the work organization. The development of affective commitment is based on the exchange principle. The employees commit themselves to the organization in return for the rewards received or the punishments avoided.
2. Normative Commitment: the employees’ feelings of obligation to remain with the organization. Normative commitment develops as a result of beliefs that are internalized through socialization processes, both familial and cultural, that occur both before and after entry into the organization.
3. Continuance Commitment: the extent to which employees feel committed to their organizations by virtue of the costs that they feel are associated with leaving (e.g., investments or lack of attractive alternatives). Continuance commitment is expected to be related to anything that increases the cost associated with leaving the organization.

Components of Organizational Commitment

According to Porter et al (Organizational commitment, job satisfaction, and turnover among psychiatric technicians. Journal of Applied Psychology, 1974, 59, 603-609.), organizational commitment consists of the following three components:

1. A strong belief in and acceptance of the goals and values of the organization.
2. A willingness to exert (display) considerable effort on behalf of the organization.
3. A definite desire to maintain organizational membership (belong to the organization).

How to enhance the commitment of employees to an organization

Here are some HR practices for enhancing organizational commitment:

• Commit to people-first values. Put it in writing, hire the right-kind managers, and walk the talk.
• Clarify and communicate your mission. Clarify the mission and ideology; make it charismatic; use value-based hiring practices; stress values-based orientation and training; build tradition.
• Guarantee organizational (procedural) justice. Have a comprehensive grievance procedure; provide for extensive two-way communications.
• Establish communities of practice. Build value-based homogeneity; share and share alike; emphasize barn raising, cross-utilization, and teamwork; getting people to work together.
• Support employee development. Commit to actualizing; provide first-year job challenge; enrich and empower; promote from within; provide developmental activities; provide employee security without guarantees.

The more of these three factors an employee is showing, the larger his commitment to the organization is. A too large commitment to the organization can be caused by Presenteeism. Another interesting manifestation of commitment is the phenomenon known as whistle-blowing, or publicizing unethical, illegal, or immoral behavior. For the individual, whistle-blowing may be the last resort, the only step left open; for the organization it is extremely threatening when negative information reaches the press. Whistle-blowing may occur because the whistle-blower feels tremendously committed to the organization; it is, after all, borne of an impulse to reform an evil, and few people are willing to risk punishment to reform what they do not value.

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Best Practices The best, top-rated topics about Organizational Commitment. Here you will find the most valuable ideas and practical suggestions. 🥇 4 Elements of Employee Engagement (Mosley and Irvine) Those of us concerned with engagement of employees (or ourselves) should know what components it consists of. But before I was aware of the elements below, I was fumbling over internet to understand h... 24   11 comments 🥈 HR Model to (Re-)Engage Employees I have undertaken some research and written a paper explaining how disengagement is the principal cause of static productivity in the UK. The paper concludes with a new model of HR to re-engage employ... 24   42 comments 🥉 How to Deal with Latecomers at Work/Meetings? In your opinion, what is the best way to tell a person who is consistently coming late that s/he should improve, rather than offend her/him? Why? Many thanks for your suggestions...... 23   93 comments How to Manage Social Loafing and Free Riders? This post is about social loafing, a phenomenon that is regarded as one of the main reasons groups are often less productive than the combined performance of their members working as individuals. Ima... 21   13 comments Do your Employees Care About your Organization? When? What do you think: If employees feel their organization cares about their well-being, will they return the favor? In daily management practice you probably hear people talking a lot about organizat... 21   28 comments Three Component Model of Commitment (Meyer and Allen) An organization can be defined as a group of people working together towards a common purpose or set of goals. The People or the 'Human Resources' are therefore the greatest asset for most companies. ... 11   8 comments 12 Questions for a More Engaged Workforce (Gallup) More than 50 years of research and survey on over 35 millions employees worldwide made American analytics and advisory company Gallup an authority on employee engagement. Their findings on Employee En... 11   4 comments Measuring Organizational Commitment How to measure the employees commitment on their job?... 11   4 comments How to Deal with Employee Grievances? The economy is in deceleration and jobs are scarce. People try hard and use all kind of personal influences to get a job. There is a survival trait among all of us. This survival trait is not perse ne... 7   Dimensions of Employee Involvement. Reasons for Employee Commitment. According to the expectancy theory individuals have different sets of goals and can be motivated via these expectations. But according to Stephen P. Robbins and Timothy A. Judge, in their book 'Organi... 6   7 comments Employee Engagement versus Employee Satisfaction In recent years there was been a strong movement towards measuring Employee Engagement, yet someone who is engaged at work can be a poor performer and conversely, someone who is disengaged can be a go... 6   1 comments

Expert Tips Advanced insights about Organizational Commitment. Here you will find professional advices by experts. Consultancy Tips Teaching Tips Practical Implementation Tips Beware of the Gap Between Job Expectations and Actual Job Experience Organizational Commitment, Emotional Exhaustion, Employee Turnover, Job Specifications An important factor that influences employees' well-being and performance is the degree to which initial job expectation... Employee Commitment is Key for an Organisation's Stability Organisational Stability, Employee Commitment, Organisational Commitment In Henry Fayol's 14 principles of management, he says "trained, trusted and experienced staff should be retained" (Stabi... The Virtue of Loyalty in Business Loyalty in Business, Loyalty at Work, Loyalty in Relationships Loyalty is the base of all relationships and the base of how we behave toward each other; it is a code of conduct and a ... Why Employees Stay: Contextual Factors Influencing Job Embeddedness Employee Retention, Attrition, Organizational Commitment, Employee Satisfaction Mitchell, Lee and Tyler (2014) focus on the contextual (or external) factors that influence employees’ staying, instead ... Strategies for Strategic Philanthropy (Norton) Strategic Philanthropy, Corporate Philanthropy, Corporate Social Responsibility, Customer Loyalty A lot of companies are trying to use philanthropic activities to improve factors as customer loyalty and brand awareness... Differences in Organizational Commitment Between Paid Workers and Volunteers Organizational Commitment, Employee Motivation, Non-profit Organizations Paid and unpaid workers in hybrid organizations Although financial considerations are an important reason to work for a...

Information Sources Various sources of information regarding Organizational Commitment. Here you will find powerpoints, videos, news, etc. to use in your own lectures and workshops. Employee Engagement: Definition, Measuring, Pitfalls and Best Practices Employee Engagement, Employee Commitment, Organizational Commitment, Work Relationship This presentation elaborates on the concept of employee engagement, and includes the following sections: 1. Introductio... Working for Love: Employee Commitment in Not-for-Profit Sector Employee Commitment, Organizational Commitment Presentation about Organizational Commitment in Not-for-profit (NFP) organizations. The presentation includes the follow... Contemporary Employment Relations: The Psychological Contract Employee Development, Employee Motivation, Employee Relationship This presentation explains how the traditional collective model of viewing employee relations (the traditional 'deal') i... 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The Role of Supervisor | Skills of Supervisors Skills of a Supervisor, Supervisor Role, Supervisor Behavior This presentation elaborates on the skills that supervisors need in order to be successful in their business/organizatio... Mindfulness and Wellbeing at Work Wellbeing, Well-being, Mindfulness, Motivation, Employee Commitment Time Management, Coaching This presentation elaborates on the concept of mindfulness in the workplace, and includes the following sections: 1. Ou... How to Develop Effective Workplace Relationships? Relationship Management, Employee Relationship, This presentation discusses the development of efficient workplace relationships in detail. The presentation includes th... Fatigue Management as Responsibility of Employer and Employee Fatigue Management, Human Resource Management, Absenteeism, Two Factor Theory, Commitment This presentation elaborates on the management of fatigue and the management of it, and includes the following sections:... How can Employees Improve their OWN Engagement? Employee Engagement, Employee Commitment, Company Commitment According to a Gallup 2013 study on the state of the global workplace, only 13% of employees around the world are engage... A Model for Improving Employee Commitment: HPWS HRM, HRD, Human Resources Management, Employee Commitment This presentation is about the concept of high performance work systems. The presentation includes the following section... The Employee Commitment Pyramid Employee Commitment, Employee Motivation Stum (2013) developed the so-called Performance Pyramid. His model is clearly based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. But ... Reasons and Secrets of Employee Retention Employee Retention, Attrition This presentation is about Employee Retention and includes the following sections: 1. Introduction 2. Reasons for Empl... How to Achieve Employee Engagement Employee Empowerment, Employee Participation, Participative Management, Participative Leadership Tom Peters gives a short, but fundamental advice on how you can accomplish his 3rd and 4th principle (3. Autonomy and En... The X Model of Employee Engagement Employee Engagement, Organizational Commitment, Amployee Attitude Organizations aim for success. And so do employees. But individuals (employees, executives, managers) have their own def... Involving Employees to get their Commitment Employee Commitment, Employee Participation, Participative Management In this short video Brian Parsley reveals a secret of how to get more commitment out of your employees: involvement. Inv... Reasons for Affective Organizational Commitment Basic Understanding of Affective Organizational Commitment This short video introduces some typical reasons for Affective Organizational Commitment in the form of a role play in w... Corporate Social Responsibility Activities and Their Effects on Employees' Engagement CSR, Employee Engagement ABSTRACT - Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a rapidly growing field of attention for corporations keen to succee... Managing New, Dynamic Workplaces through Employee Engagement Workplace Management, Employee Engagement, Organizational Commitment, Burnout This presentation elaborates on the characteristics of the newer type of workplace, possible reactions of employees and ... Voluntary Activities of Employees | Employee Volunteerism Employee Motivation, Employee Volunteerism, Employee Commitment, Shared Value, CSR, Corporate Reputation Presentation about employee volunteerism, including the following sections: 1. What is employee volunteerism 2. Employ... Fighting Stress with Employee Resilience Employee Resilience, Multitasking, Absenteism, Employee Involvement, Dual Commitment, Work/Life Balance Employee resilience This presentation is about employee resilience and includes the following sections: 1. Agenda 2. ... The Modest Relationship between Job Engagement and Organizational Commitment Employee Enagement versus Organizational Commitment Clemson University Psychology Professor Thomas Britt defines job engagement as: "feeling personally responsible for and ...

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Compare with: Work Absenteeism  |  Dual Commitment  |  Work Presenteeism  |  Expectancy Theory  |  Two Factor Theory  |  Employee Attitude Survey  |  Charismatic Leadership  |  Efficiency Wage  |  Hoshin Kanri - Policy Deployment  |  Skeleton Staff  |  Diversity Management

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