Organisational commitment, viewed as a measurable psychological state, is a core variable of interest in Organisational Behaviour research. It has been studied for more than four decades, largely focusing on the identification of its antecedents and consequences. One widely used conceptualisation is Meyer and Allen‘s (1991) three-component model of commitment, which considers commitment as having three forms: affective, continuance and normative (emotional attachment to an organisation, the perceived cost associated with leaving it and the perceived obligation to remain in it). This research contributes in three ways to improving our understanding of public-sector work behaviour, with particular reference to organisational commitment. Firstly, it examines the multi-dimensionality of organisational commitment. Secondly, it explores the relationships between Meyer and Allen‘s three components, modifying the concept of continuance commitment to include two sub-components, high personal sacrifice and low perceived alternatives, thus proposing a four-factor model, Antecedents and Consequences of Organisational Commitment Components (ACOCC). Thirdly, it considers antecedent variables, including Hofstede‘s (1980) four cultural dimensions (individualism/collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, power distance and masculinity/femininity), as well as selected consequences: in role behaviour, organisational citizen behaviour and employee intention to leave. These selected variables are deemed to be suitable for Saudi Arabian culture and have never been tested before in that context. The study investigates how the commitment components are associated with and mediate relationships with the set of possible work behaviours. Using a sample of 700 employees from different organisation levels (drawn from 16 Saudi ministries in two cities, Riyadh and Jeddah) the hypotheses were tested through structural equation modelling, which confirmed the fit of the proposed recursive ACOCC model. The regression paths were significant between the antecedents (opportunities for learning, impersonal bureaucratic arrangements and Hofstede‘s four cultural dimensions) and affective and normative commitment, as well as for continuance commitment for reasons of high personal sacrifice. Intention to leave and organisational citizen behaviour were fully mediated by the commitment components. Thus the findings reveal the level and form of organisational commitment among public-sector employees and of relationships between the antecedents and consequences of that commitment in a non-Western culture, specifically Saudi Arabia. In particular, they highlight the significant mediation role of organisational commitment. The findings also permit exploration of a number of issues pertaining to cultural dimensions impacting on organisational commitment. Noteworthy here, for example, is the high degree of uncertainty avoidance found among Saudi public-sector top-level managers. These different results have important implications for the nature and management of commitment among government employees in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries as a whole.

Organizational commitment (OC) is a psychological state that binds an employee to an organization, and the Three-Component Model of organizational commitment (Meyer and Allen, 1991) posits that employees bind with their organizations as a result of desire (affective commitment), need (continuance commitment) and obligation (normative commitment). Similarly, relationship commitment between two people also has been conceived as a psychological state (Rusbult and Buunk, 1993), and Arriaga and Agnew (2001) outlined affective, cognitive and conative components of the state. This exploratory study examined the similarities between these conceptually parallel commitment models by determining how the dimensions of the two types of commitment correlate with one another, attachment style (Bowlby 1969/1982) and locus of control (Rotter, 1966). Data collected from 171 working adults yield several noteworthy associations and suggest future directions of inquiry.

Recent studies indicate that employees distinguish between commitments to interpersonal foci within the organization, such as supervisors and coworkers. Often, these commitments account for variance in outcomes incremental to organizational commitment (e.g., Becker, 1992). Unfortunately, research has tended to focus on affective forms of commitment to foci, while ignoring normative and continuance commitment. To address this gap, the current study proposed and tested models of commitment to foci which incorporate normative and continuance commitment in addition to affective commitment. Results showed some parallels with findings concerning organizational commitment. Much like organizational commitment, support from a focus relates to affective commitment to that focus, while expectations from a focus predict normative commitment to the focus. Additionally, both affective and normative commitment to supervisors and coworkers predicted favorable outcomes, but continuance commitment did not. In line with researchers recommendations (e.g., Johnson, Groff & Taing, in press), interactions among different bases and foci of commitment were also examined. Exploratory analyses suggested a three-way interaction between affective organizational, supervisor, and coworker commitment for predicting in-role performance.

The Three-Component Model of organizational commitment (TCM) by Meyer and Allen (1991, 1997) is widely regarded as the most dominant model in organizational commitment research (Cohen, 2003, 2007). However, recent research by Solinger et al. (2008) questioned the legitimacy of the TCM as a general model of organizational commitment. More specifically, the authors criticized the TCM for grouping affective commitment as an attitude toward target with continuance and normative commitment as attitudes toward behaviors under one general label of attitudinal construct. Based on the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA; Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980), Solinger et al. (2008) argued that we should consider organizational commitment strictly as an attitude toward the organization (i.e., affective commitment). Based on Eagly and Chaiken's (1993) composite attitude-behavior model, the current study tested the reconceptualization of organizational commitment as a unidimensional construct reflecting employees' attitudes toward the organization (i.e., affective commitment) in predicting several organizational behaviors (i.e., considerate voice, production deviance, and behavioral engagement). In addition, I also investigated whether these organizational behaviors could be better explained by adding different classes of behavioral expectancies (i.e., utilitarian, normative and self-identity expectancies) as antecedents. Finally, I tested the mediating roles of attitude toward behaviors in the relationship between affective commitment and three behavioral expectancies and the three organizational behaviors. A sample of 258 employees in a large-sized organization in China was obtained for this study. The results suggested that none of the hypotheses of the current study was supported by the evidence in the current study. In particular, affective commitment and three classes of behavioral expectancies did not significantly predict their corresponding behaviors. In addition, I also did not find the evidence for the indirect effects from affective commitment and the behavioral expectancies on the behaviors. Several alternative explanations were provided for the results. Among those, the lack of compatibility between affective commitment and the behaviors, the existence of moderators (e.g. national culture), the lack of necessary control to perform the behaviors successfully are key factors that might lead to the current findings. Although none of the hypotheses was supported, I found limited empirical supports for the reconceptualization of organizational commitment strictly as the attitude toward the organization and that organizational behaviors could be better explained by adding appropriate behavioral expectancies to the model (Solinger et al., 2008). Finally, theoretical and practical implications of the current study as well as directions for future research are discussed.

Makt samt organisatoriskt commitment är två väsentliga begrepp gällande ett företags ledarskap och deras anställda. Ledarskapets kärna utgörs av den influens ledargestalten har över sina underordnade och begreppet makt ska för ledaren fungera som ett drivmedel gällande hens influens. Det gäller således för ledargestalter att tillämpa makten i syfte att influera sina anställda mot organisationens uppsatta mål. För att lyckas få de anställda att sträva efter samma mål som organisationen satt upp samtidigt som de ska arbeta för att få kompetent arbetskraft att stanna krävs det av ledaren att hen kan främja organisatoriskt commitment bland de anställda. Syftet med studien är därmed att utifrån positioneringsmakt och kunskapsmakt analysera hur ledare för ett konsultföretag skapar affektivt, kalkylerande och eller normativt commitment hos sina anställda. Då studien avser att inge en djup och grundlig förståelse gällande dess syfte tillämpas en fallstudiedesign med en kvalitativ forskningsstrategi samt en deduktiv ansats. Vidare ämnar studien undersöka ett specifikt fallföretag utifrån vilket studiens primärdata samlats in via tio intervjuer. Intervjuerna har fördelats på åtta av Crabats anställda konsulter, företagets VD samt företagets ägare. För att på ett djupare plan kunna presentera studiens problematisering har en teoretisk referensram utformats vilken behandlar studiens huvudbegrepp samt beskriver övriga relevanta begrepp inom ämnet. Det går inte genom studiens slutsatser att urskiljer vilken form av maktbas som främjar vilket commitment i fallföretaget. Dock går det att konstatera att fallföretaget tillämpar två maktbaser, kunskapsmakt samt positioneringsmakt, vilka i valt fallföretag sammantaget gynnar tre former av commitment, affektivt, normativt samt kalkylerande commitment. Då fallföretaget utgörs av majoriteten män hade det varit intressant om vidare forskning undersökte om ovannämnda maktbaser främjar andra former av commitment i en konsultverksamhet med en majoritet kvinnor. / Power and organisational commitment are two essential concepts regarding a corporation’s leadership and workforce. The core of leadership consists of the influence the leader has over the workforce and the concept of power is to work as a propellant regarding his or hers influence. It thus applies that the leader utilise the power to influence the workforce to work towards the organisation's goals. For the leader to achieve the above and at the same time strive to retain proficient labour it is vital that he or she can enable organisational commitment among the employees. The aim of the study is therefore to analyse how a leader within a consulting firm uses his or her power in order to generate organisational commitment. The study is intended to convey a deep and thorough understanding regarding its aim, therefore we applied a case study design with a qualitative research strategy and a deductive approach. Furthermore, the study intends to examine a specific case company from which the study's primary data has been obtained through interviews with the company’s employees, the company's president and the owner. To be able to present the reader with a deeper understanding regarding the study’s problem discussion a theoretical framework, which addresses the study's main concepts and describes other relevant concepts appropriate to the subject has been developed. We could not based on the study’s conclusions distinguish between which powerbase that benefits which form of organisational commitment. However, it is clear that the case company applies two forms of power bases, knowledge - and the positioning base of power which, in the selected case company collectively promotes three forms of commitment, affective, normative and calculating commitment. Since the case company’s employees are comprised by a majority of men, it would be interesting if further research investigated whether the above-mentioned power bases promotes other forms of commitment in a consultancy with a majority of women employed.

There is a revolutionary change in the world of work that impacts on the individual, work and society. The future of work suggests flexibility, boundary less communities and change in work, as we know it today. As the world of work changes from a worker intensive industrial society towards an automated information society, the retention of technological advantages e.g., human, intellect and knowledge capital is no longer assured. Employers struggle to retain their valuable high technology employees due to a general shortage of experienced candidates and aggressive recruitment tactics by others in the high technology arena. The purpose of this study is to investigate specific retention factors that induce organisational commitment and can thus increase the retention of high technology employees. High technology industries operate in volatile market and experience accelerating growth and rates of change. High technology employees are educated, have a strong preference for independence and hold a large portion of the organisation's intellectual capital. A core belief in human resources is to retain and develop employees to obtain a competitive advantage. In order to retain these valuable employees it has become necessary for organisations to transform from using an employee controlling to a more employee commitment driven strategy. To gain employees' commitment to the organisation and increase retention, the employer needs to identify which retention factors induce organisational commitment. Compensation, job characteristics, training and development opportunities, supervisor support, career opportunities and work/life policies were identified as the top six retention factors in the content analysis done on high technology literature. Organisational commitment has been defined as a mindset, which ties the individual to the organisation. Different forms and foci of organisational commitment are discussed with the approach developed by Meyer and Allen's three component model (1991). The consequences of organisational commitment benefit the organisation in terms of increased job performance, intention to stay, increase in attendance, loyalty, decrease in turnover, greater creativity, more co-operation (particularly across discipline specialities), more volunteerism and more time devoted to productive work on behalf of the organisation. This study focused on a 100% South African owned telecommunications company based in the Gauteng province. A questionnaire was developed and a population of 94 telecommunications professionals, technicians and associated professionals were selected to investigate the influence of various identified retention factors on organisational commitment. The statistical analysis of the data culminated in a regression analysis that measured the significance and the strength of the relationship between the identified retention factors and organisational commitment. The main conclusions were that compensation, job characteristics, supervisor support and work/life policies were significantly related to organisational commitment. On the other hand, in this study training, development and career opportunities were not related. High technology organisations are not just interested in the retention of employees but also creating a mutually beneficial interdependence with employees. The identified retention factors might serve as a means to demonstrate the organisation's support for, or commitment to, their employees and in turn cultivate a reciprocal attachment by employees. Employees' organisational commitment is related to their belief that the identified retention factors are motivated by the desire to retain good employees and to be fair in the treatment of employees. Future research needs are discussed. / Dissertation (MCom (Human Resources Management))--University of Pretoria, 2004. / Human Resource Management / unrestricted

Community-pharmacy is in a state of flux with a series of significant recent changes including the Community-pharmacy Contract, the reconstitution of the RPSGB and the General Pharmaceutical Council. There are also socio-cultural changes such as greater numbers of women in the profession, and an increase in pharmacists reducing their hours of work. The latter comes at a time when workload/roles are expanding and diversifying, leading to potential scenarios in which there are shortfalls between the hours worked and workload demands. This will have an impact on community pharmacists, but its magnitude may be dependent on how they are professionally and organisationally committed. Whilst there has been some promising commitment research in the USA, little research has been published in GB. However, multidimensional models of commitment have been researched extensively in other professions.A programme of research was developed and conducted to characterise and understand the role of professional and organisational commitment in community-pharmacy in GB using the Three-Component Model of commitment (TCM). Various methods were used to answer the research questions including focus-groups to assess qualitatively the contextual appropriateness of the constructs (stage 1.1), and cognitive-interviews to assess construct validity (stage 1.2). Stage 2 consisted of a large survey study, which examined the psychometric validity of the measurement scales as well as salient a-priori theoretical relationships found in both community pharmacy in GB and other professional contexts. A total of 32 participants were recruited for stage one and 713 community-pharmacists participated in stage two. Ethical approval was attained from the University of Manchester Ethics Committee for both stages one and two.The research found that beyond the affective facets of professional and organisational commitment both normative and continuance facets made significant, unique and yet varied contributions to the influence of both withdrawal-behaviours and work-performance behaviours in the community pharmacy population in GB. However, the levels and strengths of the different facets of professional and organisational commitment also appeared to differ amongst the different subgroups in community pharmacists in GB. For example, independent/small-chain pharmacists exhibited significantly higher levels of affective and normative organisational commitment and significantly lower levels of organisational withdrawal behaviours compared to large-multiple pharmacists. The implications of these and other differences were highlighted and recommendations made salient to the profession and community pharmacy organisations about how the levels of the different facets of commitment may be managed to foster greater work-performance behaviours and mitigate the different withdrawal behaviours.