Organ and Near (2008) mentions that majority of JS measures are cognitive while JDI
and MSQ indicate affective features such as emotional values. Therefore, the facts
derive that MSQ approaches the aforementioned four areas of JS measures GJS, SJFC,
CJS and AJS. This provide a strong background to use MSQ as the research JS measure
scale.
MSQ holds a higher reliability and validity among researches on JS (Fields, 2002). He
explains coefficient alpha values for short term MSQ as .85 -.91 (e.g. Klenke-Hamel
& Mathieu, 1991; Riggs & Knight, 1997; Mathieu & Farr, 1991; Mathieu, 1991) for
intrinsic JS ranged from .82 to .86 (Wong et al., 1998 and Kinicki & Scheck, 1997)
and extrinsic JS coefficient alpha values ranged from .70 to .82 (Breeden, 1993; Davy,
1997; Wong, 1998).
Moreover, the measure has been approached GJS that made MSQ to be used as the JS
measure in different occupations (e.g. Yeung and Tang, 2001; Igalens, 1999; Martin,
2007; Jacobs, 2005 and Fellows, 2003). Furthermore, a research has been conducted
on QS’s JS and OC to Hong Kong context by using MSQ as the JS measure that
ensures the well establishment of MSQ and appropriateness to the current researcher’s
scope.
Organizational Commitment
Employee motivation and effort directly determines the failure or the success of an
organization. Committed employees can be identified with a higher esteem and
motivation on their job tasks. This provides an incentive to employer to guarantee that
his employees are committed to increase the productivity as well as to navigate through
the success path of the organization (Redmond B. F., 2016). Rathi, Rastogi, and
Rangnekar (2011) explain that organizations endeavour to set up an environment that
is suitable for innovations and team work in order to promote the company. Therefore,
managers show a keen interest to increase the OC and scholars have found a higher
relationship in between OC and organizational outcomes. Mowday one of the foremost
scholar defines OC as follows.
“Organizational commitment is defined as the degree of an individual’s
relations and experiences as a sense of loyalty toward one’s organization. In
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addition to loyalty, organizational commitment encompasses an individual's
willingness to extend effort in order to further an organizations goals and the
degree of alignment the organization has with the goals and values of the
individual “ (Mowday, Steers, & Porter, 1979).
Although various researchers have put forwarded differentiated definitions the
summary can be compromised as the reluctance to leave the working organization.
Rodriguez, Franco, and Santos (2006) explains the reasons for the vast diversity of the
definitions as the OC concept is applied in different approaches through different
antecedents. Further he has pointed out three corresponding approaches.
Kaur and Sandhu (2010) elaborate the first approach as “early era: commitment” (side-
bet) dates back to Becker (1960) that the approach is based on personal’s view on
collection of investments and achieved current status within the company. They
mention that OC is a system criterion that depends on rewards and the validity of
organizational membership. Reichers (1985) mentions that researchers such as Farrell
(1981) and Sheldon (1971) have used the aforementioned approach to deliberate OC.
Cohen (2007) explains the second approach (The middle era: the psychological
attachment approach) which deliberate OC in a psychological point of view where
positive attitudes towards the organization to attain its values and goals. The constructs
were based on behavioral intensions which was developed for different antecedent
branches. Cohen (2007) mentions the third approach (The multi-dimensional
approaches) was developed by O'Reilly and Chatman (1986) and Allen and Meyer
(1984). This approach relates personal feeling towards the possessing liabilities (Allen
& Meyer, 2000). Wiener and Vardi (2008) describe that organizational commitment
occurs when people get used to behave according to the organizational culture by
understanding that it is a duty that he should follow.
As the summary of this approaches it reveals that OC can be viewed in unidimensional
and multi-dimensional point of views. This evolution can be recognized from
unidimensional (Mowday et al., 1979) to multi-dimensional (Allen & Meyer, 2000).
In fact, Mowday and his colleagues identified OC as employee identification relating
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to the organization but Allen and Meyer expand the concept by observing the concept
in three discrete pedestals as normative, affective and continuance.
Multi-dimensional facts of Organizational Commitment
Generally, when referring to the literature it is observed that unidimensional
dimensions extinct with its origination from scholars during Mowday’s era. Then
onwards OC concept was identified in multi-dimensional point of views. Meyer and
Herscovitch (2001) prove the above fact by mentioning, starting from 1980’s models
for OC was developed where all are multi-dimensional. Most important multi-
dimensional aspects that achieves a preponderance acceptance can be depicted in table
5 as follows.
Scholar Dimension Meaning
Angle and Perry Value Being supportive to attain organization goals.
(1981, pp. 4) commitment
Commitment To secure organizational affiliation.
to stay
O’Reilly and Compliance Work with higher intension for extrinsic rewards
Chatman (1986,
pp. 493)
Identification Psychological attachment with the organization
Internalizatio Congruency in between organizational values and
n individual perspectives
Penley and Gould Moral Personal acceptance of organizational goals
(1988, pp. 26-28)
Calculative Proportional relationship in between the
contribution and the inducements
Alienated The affiliation occurs due to the other factors such
as environmental pressures irrespective to rewards
and inducements
Meyer and Allen Affective Personal emotional relationship with the
(1993, pp. 67) organizational involvement
Continuance Understanding the loss occurs due to the leaving of
the organization
Normative Liable feeling to stay within the organization
Mayer and Value Personal acceptance of organizational goals paving
Schoorman (1992, extra effort to meet the organizational objectives
pp. 673)
Continuance Aspiration to retain in the organization
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Jaros (1993, pp. Affective The amount of psychological facts such as loyalty,
953-955) warmth, , fondness, belongingness pleasure with
the organization
Continuance The locked feeling with the organization owing to
the loss of leaving
Moral Attachment with the organization via
internationalization of objectives
Balfour and Identification Being loyal and having a strong psychological
Wechsler (1996, relationship with the organization
pp. 273)
Affiliation Increasing self-esteem when working with
organization
Exchange The amount received to the contribution for the
organization
Table 2.5 : Evolution of multi- dimensional facts of organizational commitment
Source: Adapted from Meyer and Herscovitch (2001)
Types of Organizational Commitment
According to Chiu at el. (2011) out of the aforementioned multi-dimensional facts the
most sophisticated and widely accepted approach is Meyer, Allen, and Smith’s (1993)
approach towards OC. Further Wasti (2008) states that Allen and Meyer’s model has
provided an immense empirical support to vast number of researches that cut across
the model in wide range. Further he has tabulated thirteen researches done since 2000
to recent past from different countries that used Allen Meyer’s model as the
benchmark. Allen and Meyer have stated Affective commitment (AC), Continuance
Commitment (CC) and Normative Commitment (NC) as the three dimensions of OC
(Allen & Meyer, 2000).
Affective Commitment
AC intensifies the generous attachment towards the organization when the employee
bonds with trust with the working environment. Field’s (2002) mentions that all
models accept that AC is “a product of the employee’s psychological attachment, liking,
and identification with aspects of an organization”. The loyalty is a great advantage to the
organization to meet their missions and visions because the mechanism is synergetic when
employees are committed. Hawkins and Wilbert (2006) have demonstrated that AC
directly affects on JS due to the alienation with organizational policies and principles.
AC creates a supportive environment for working where employees embrace the
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collaboration which makes them to stay within the organization ( Redmond B. R.,
2016) .
Continuance Commitment
Zhang, Kaur and Wei, (2009) have explicated continuous commitment (CC) the
employees may not be committed genuinely through mindset, but they decide to stay
owing to their “non-transferable investments” or “side-bet” towards the company.
Further they mention that these investments become a sunk cost that are very valuable
only if he / she stays within the particular organization. This fact can be manifested
when an employee cannot compare his/ her salary, benefits and other inducements
obtain from the company with another employee in a different organization ( Redmond
B. R., 2016). Example can be elaborated with construction industry, when quantity
surveyor who doesn’t have much qualification but higher experience obtains a higher
salary in a particular organization is being committed because he is cautious that he
may not achieve the same salary if he moves on to another company due to the lack of
paper qualifications.
Normative Commitment
Stanley states (2007) declare that Normative Commitment (NC) is the potential
attitude that perceives obligation to the employer in order to stay in the organization.
Due to the personal experiences within the organization the employee feels the indebt
to the employer. Therefore, he wouldn’t leave the organization because of being afraid
of making the employer and teammates disappointed. Stanley (2007) further states that
NC is least researched area in OC and also it quite distinguishable rather than AC and
CC.
Measures of Organizational Commitment
Three component model under organizational commitment scales (OCS) as the
research measure
Chiu at el. (2011) and Allen and Meyer (2000) clarifies that out of OC measures
organizational commitment questionnaire (OCQ) and organizational commitment
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