Fundamentals of Management, 8th ed

270

Part 4: Leading

Copyright 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).

Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.

---

Organizational Commitment

Organizational commitment

is an attitude that

reflects an individual’s identification with and attachment to the organization itself. A

person with a high level of commitment is likely to see herself as a true member of the

organization (for example, referring to the organization in personal terms like “We make

high-quality products”), to overlook minor sources of dissatisfaction with the organiza-

tion, and to see herself remaining a member of the organization. In contrast, a person

with less organizational commitment is more likely to see himself as an outsider (for

example, referring to the organization in less personal terms like “They don’t pay

their employees very well”), to express more dissatisfaction about things, and to not see

himself as a long-term member of the organization. Some research has suggested that

Japanese workers may be more committed to their organizations than American work-

ers.

21

As the results from Japan suggest, although job satisfaction and organizational

commitment would seem to be related (and are, in most instances), there are times

when a person may be very satisfied with his job but less committed to his employer. For

instance, All-Star baseball player Robinson Cano was satisfied playing second base for the

New York Yankees but still chose to leave his employer to join the Seattle Mariners. Like-

wise, there may be times when a person may be less satisfied with her job but remain

highly committed to the organization itself.

Research also suggests that commitment strengthens with an individual’s age, years

with the organization, sense of job security, and participation in decision making.

22

Employees who feel committed to an organization have highly reliable habits, plan a

long tenure with the organization, and muster more effort in performance. Although

there are few definitive things that organizations can do to create or promote commit-

ment, a few specific guidelines are available.

23

For one thing, if the organization treats its

employees fairly and provides reasonable rewards and job security, those employees will

more likely be satisfied and committed. Allowing employees to have a say in how things

are done can also promote all three attitudes.

24