ORGANISATIONAL COMMITMENT

Organizational commitment is a complex concept that has been studied by researchers and

organizational psychologists for many years. It is generally defined as an individual's

psychological bond to the organization, including a sense of job involvement, loyalty, and belief

in the values of the organization (O’Reilly,1989). Organizational commitment goes beyond a

simple employment contract. It represents a deeper connection between the employee and the

organization. This connection is often emotional, involving a sense of belonging and attachment

to the company. Committed employees tend to be highly involved in their work, taking a

proactive approach to their responsibilities, and striving to excel in their roles.Loyalty includes a

sense of loyalty to the organization. Loyalty implies that employees are willing to stay with the

company through good and bad times. They are less likely to leave for other job opportunities

and are more likely to remain dedicated to their current employer.

Tri Dimensional Model of Organisation Commitment

Meyer and Allen (1997) gave a tri-dimensional model to organizational commitment in terms of

three dimensions: affective, continuance, and normative commitments. These factors delineate

the many approaches to developing corporate commitment and the resulting behavioral

consequences for personnel.

Affective Commitment

This is the emotional attachment an employee feels towards their organization. They genuinely

care about the company and are committed because they want to be, not because they have to be.

Continuance commitment
It is based on the perceived costs associated with leaving the organization. Employees with high

continuance commitment may stay because they feel they have too much to lose, such as

seniority, benefits, or pensions.

Normative Commitment

Normative commitment is based on a sense of moral or ethical obligation to remain with the

organization. Employees with high normative commitment feel a duty to stay with the

organization because it's the right thing to do.

5 dimensional model

A five component model of commitment has been presented more recently by researchers,

however it was created in the context of consuming goods and services. Two other factors that

are highly relevant in consuming situations according to this model are forced commitment and

habitual behavior.

Measuring Organizational Commitment

The most popular scale to measure organizational commitment is the “Organizational

Commitment Scale (OCS)” by Balfour and Wechsler (1996). It uses nine items to measure three

dimensions of overall organizational commitment: commitment based on affiliation or pride in

the organization, commitment based on identification with the organization, and commitment

based on satisfactory exchange with the organization resulting in appreciation of the individual

by the organization.
References

Wikipedia Contributors. (2019, March 5). Organizational commitment. Wikipedia; Wikimedia

Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organizational_commitment

Organizational Commitment Scale. (n.d.). Retrieved November 4, 2023, from

https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/organizational-commitment-scale-2/