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.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:511724 |
| Date | January 2009 |
| Creators | Alqurashi, Suzan M. |
| Publisher | Brunel University |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/4191 |
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