Showing papers on "Organizational commitment published in 1998"

Reframing Crisis Management

Abstract: The impact of organizational crises has never been stronger. Yet previous research on crisis management lacks adequate integration. In this article we attempt to integrate and build upon current knowledge to create a multidisciplinary approach to crisis management research, using psychological, social-political, and technological-structural research perspectives. We offer definitions of organizational crisis and crisis management, as well as a framework that depicts the crisis management process and researchable propositions for the integration of these perspectives. We also suggest implications for research and practice.

Performance, Aspirations, and Risky Organizational Change

Abstract: I am grateful to James G. March for the conversations that started this research, to Willie Ocasio, Anjali Sastry, Christine Oliver, three anonymous reviewers for ASQ, and seminar participants at Kobe University and Keio Business School for helpful comments on the paper, and to Linda Johanson for editorial guidance. Research support from Stanford Center for Organizations Research, the Richard D. Irwin Foundation, and the Spencer Foundation is gratefully acknowledged. An earlier version of this paper appeared in the 1996 Academy of Management Best Papers Proceedings. The study reported here uses learning theory to examine how performance feedback affects the probability of risky organizational changes that are consequential to an organization's performance. The theory predicts how decision makers interpret organizational performance by comparing it with historical and social aspiration levels. Empirical analysis of the consequences of performance shortfalls on the probability of strategic change in the radio broadcasting industry shows clear sensitivity to social and historical aspiration levels. It also shows that changes seen or done by the station predict future change, suggesting that the recent experiences of organizations cause differences in capabilities and perceived opportunities, leading to differences in organizational inertia.'

Does Perceived Organizational Support Mediate the Relationship between Procedural Justice and Organizational Citizenship Behavior

Abstract: Our purpose was to test an explanation of how procedural justice may influence organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). The model tested suggests that procedural justice affects OCB by influencing perceived organizational support, which in turn prompts employees to reciprocate with organizational citizenship behaviors. Results suggest that procedural justice is an antecedent to perceived organizational support, which in turn fully mediates its relationship to three of four OCB dimensions.

The ethical context in organizations: Influences on employee attitudes and behaviors

Abstract: This field survey focused on two constructs that have been developed to represent the ethical context in organizations: ethical climate and ethical culture. We first examined issues of convergence and divergence between these constructs through factor analysis and correlational analysis. Results suggested that the two constructs are measuring somewhat different, but strongly related dimensions of the ethical context. We then investigated the relationships between the emergent ethical context factors and an ethics-related attitude (organizational commitment) and behavior (observed unethical conduct) for respondents who work in organizations with and without ethics codes. Regression results indicated that an ethical culture-based dimension was more strongly associated with observed unethical conduct in code organizations while climate-based dimensions were more strongly associated with observed unethical conduct in non-code organizations. Ethical culture and ethical climate-based factors influenced organizational commitment similarly in both types of organizations. Normative implications of the study are discussed, as are implications for future theorizing, research and management practice.

Some Possible Antecedents and Consequences of In-Role and Extra-Role Salesperson Performance

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to integrate the notion of extra-role performance with the current understanding of the relationships among salesperson job attitudes (job satisfaction and organizational commitment), role perceptions (ambiguity and conflict), in- and extra-role behavior, and turnover The authors develop and test a theoretical model that specifies the relationships between in- and extra-role performance and salesperson job satisfaction, organizational commitment, role perceptions, and turnover using cross-sectional data from a large sample (N = 672) of commission sales personnel The results generally indicate that performance and job attitudes mediate the relationships between role perceptions and turnover However, the most notable aspect of the findings is that they are consistent with the hypothesis that in- and extra-role performance are intertwined, with in-role performance serving as an antecedent ot job satisfaction and organizational commitment, and extra-role performance as a consequence of these two variables The authors discuss the implications of these findings for sales research

Attitudes, Values and Organizational Culture: Disentangling the Concepts:

Abstract: Sentiments collected through paper-and-pencil surveys are often arbitrarily classified according to categories imposed by the researcher, such as attitudes, values, and manifestations of organizational culture. The question is, to what extent are such classifications supported by the distinctions that respondents make in their own minds? In this paper, distinctions between categories of sentiments are supported empirically from the results of an employee survey in a large Danish insurance company (n = 2,590). The 120 questions used were classified into attitudes, values, perceptions of organizational practices (for diagnosing organizational cultures), and demographics.Perceptions of organizational cultures were measured using an approach developed by the author and his colleagues in an earlier study across 20 Danish and Dutch organizational units. In the insurance company study, employee attitudes were found to be clearly distinct from employee values. Perceptions of organizational practices were unrelate...

Explaining nursing turnover intent: job satisfaction, pay satisfaction, or organizational commitment?

Abstract: A number of models have been developed to explain nurses' turnover behavior. The common theme that emerges from these models is that turnover behavior is a multistage process that includes attitudinal, decisional, and behavioral components. The purpose of this study was to assess both the direct and indirect impact of certain pay policies upon the turnover intentions of paediatric nurses. The two major questions addressed were: What was the relative impact of job satisfaction, pay satisfaction, and organizational commitment upon the turnover intentions of paediatric nurses eligible for these pay policies? What model accurately portrays the relationship among these three independent variables and turnover intentions? Exploration of the causal pathways among these variables and demographic factors revealed complex models of association. The results suggest that job satisfaction has only an indirect influence on the intention to quit, whereas organizational commitment has the strongest and most direct impact. A further finding that pay satisfaction had both direct and indirect effects on turnover intent was consistent with administrators' assumptions underlying the pay policies. Control variables such as having a degree, having children, and working 12-hour shifts were found to have both direct and indirect influences upon pay satisfaction and turnover intent. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Is the psychological contract worth taking seriously

Abstract: Although the psychological contract has become the focus for a body of research, it retains a number of conceptual and empirical problems and challenges. This paper reviews some of the main problems associated with the construct and with the way in which it has been studied. It also considers critically the ‘problem’ of the psychological contract, namely that organizations are either no longer able to promise the traditional organizational career and job security or they violate their promises, and suggests that the novelty of this problem has been overstated. Finally, it sets out a case for retaining the psychological contract as a focus for policy and research and presents an embryonic theory built around the causes, content and consequences of the psychological contract which implies a rather different research agenda to that which has dominated the debates so far. Copyright © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Dispositional and structural determinants of volunteerism

Abstract: The dispositional and structural correlates of volunteerism were examined in a panel study. AIDS service organization volunteers answered questions about affect toward the organization, organizational commitment, motives for volunteering, and a prosocial personality orientation. These measures were used to predict 4 volunteer-related behaviors. Length of service was weakly correlated with the 3 other volunteer behaviors. Altruistic motives and prosocial personality characteristics predicted several of the volunteer behaviors. Initial levels of volunteer activity and organizational commitment also predicted final levels of volunteer activity, but these effects were mediated through intermediate levels of volunteer activities. The findings are discussed within the context of the volunteer process model and role identity models of volunteerism.

The effects of organizational citizenship behavior on performance judgments: a field study and a laboratory experiment.

Abstract: The process linking organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) with performance judgments was investigated in a field and a laboratory study. In the field study, managers rated the task performance and OCB of 148 subordinates. In the laboratory research, 136 students viewed and rated videotaped segments of teaching performance that demonstrated either high or low task performance and high or low OCB. In both studies, liking and perceived affective commitment mediated the relationship between OCB and overall evaluation. Liking also mediated the relationship between OCB and reward recommendations. Further, the field study indicated that the causal motive attributed by the manager for the employee's OCB mediated the relationship between OCB and overall evaluation.

Organizational citizenship behavior of contingent workers in Singapore

Abstract: This study, conducted in Singapore, where there are ongoing labor shortages, supports social exchange theory predictions that contingent workers engage in less organizational citizenship, expect le...

Expatriates' psychological withdrawal from international assignments: work, nonwork, and family influences

Abstract: Integrating the expatriate adjustment and employee turnover literatures, we develop a model of expatriates' decisions to quit their assignments. This model explicitly considers the role of adjustment, the project-based nature of international assignments, and the importance of several nonwork and family context factors in this withdrawal process. We test this model with a sample of 452 expatriates and a matched subsample (providing multiple sources of data) of 224 expatriates and spouses, living in 45 countries. Consistent with domestic turnover research, multiple regression analyses indicated that the work-related factors of job satisfaction and organizational commitment were significant predictors of expatriate withdrawal cognitions. We also found support for the direct, indirect, and moderating influence of nonwork satisfaction and several family context variables (i.e., family responsibility, spouse adjustment, spouse overall satisfaction, and living conditions) on decisions of expatriates to quit their assignments. Implications for both organizational withdrawal and international HRM researchers and practitioners are discussed.

Relationships Among Risk, Incentive Pay, and Organizational Performance

Abstract: In this study, we extended agency-based research by examining the role of risk in the structure of managerial compensation and its relationship to organization performance. Our results suggest that...

Perceived organizational support and police performance: the moderating influence of socioemotional needs.

Abstract: Police patrol officers were surveyed to investigate how the strength of socioemotional needs affects the relationship between perceived organizational support (POS) and work performance. The association of POS with driving-under-the-influence arrests and speeding citations generally increased with strength of the needs for esteem, affiliation, emotional support, and social approval. Patrol officers with strong socioemotional needs, but not those with weak needs, showed a positive relationship between POS and performance. The findings are consistent with social exchange views that maintain (a) work effort is encouraged by the receipt of socioemotional resources, (b) POS fulfills a variety of socioemotional needs, and (c) the value of POS and the obligation to reciprocate with high performance increase with the strength of socioemotional needs.

Psychological Attachment to the Group: Cross-Cultural Differences in Organizational Identification and Subjective Norms as Predictors of Workers' Turnover Intentions

Abstract: Two studies used the theory of reasoned action, social identity theory, and Ash forth and Mael's work on organizational identification to predict turnover intentions in Japanese and British commercial and academic organizations In both studies and in both countries, the authors expected and found that identification with the organization substantially and significantly predicted turnover intentions Attitudes predicted intentions only in Study 2, and subjective norms significantly predicted intentions across both studies The authors hypothesized that subjective norms would be a significantly stronger predictor of turnover intentions in a collectivist setting This prediction was supported Although social identity is strongly associated with turnover intentions across both cultures, the subjective normative aspects of group membership are significantly more strongly associated in the Japanese organizations

Marketing service relationships: the role of commitment

Abstract: As with all relationships, it is commonly agreed on that partners in business must have a high degree of commitment towards their relationship. If commitment is lacking, the relationship will soon come to an end. Affective commitment, that is commitment based on attraction between partners, is to be preferred over calculative commitment. The latter form of commitment is based on constant weighing of the benefits of a relationship with a partner against the costs of that relationship. Relationships based solely on calculative commitment are also most likely not to last for an extended time. This paper identifies theoretical antecedents and consequences of commitment in relationships in a services context. The results of an empirical study reveal that affective commitment is related to trust in the partner’s honesty and benevolence, quality of the outcome of the service process, and customer satisfaction with the service being delivered. The quality of the service process has an indirect effect on affective commitment, as it is related to satisfaction. Furthermore, it is shown that affectively committed customers have a much stronger intention to stay in a relationship with a service provider than calculatively committed customers.

Self-Esteem and Self-Efficacy within the Organizational Context An Empirical Examination

Abstract: The self-concept has emerged as an important component of organizational paradigms. This article reviews the conceptual meanings of self-esteem and self-efficacy, clarifies the relation-ship betwee...

Conditions Fostering Organizational Learning in Schools

Abstract: This article reports the results of synthesizing evidence from three independent studies of conditions that foster organizational learning in schools carried out in different contexts but with comparable methods. Its purpose was to identify such conditions from state, district, and school sources and to assess the context sensitivity of each of the conditions. Qualitative data were provided by a total sample of 111 teachers in 14 schools. Results identified a large number of conditions that fostered organizational learning in all schools. Among the most important of these conditions was transformational forms of principal leadership.

Psychological Contracts, Organizational and Job Commitment

Abstract: Increased use of time-limited contracts as the mainstay of employer-employee relations has implications for the psychological character of the exchange relationship. To investigate this, the current study is framed by Rousseau's (1995) psychological contract model (PCM). The psychological contract pertains to beliefs held by individuals about their contractual terms and conditions. The findings yield evidence for Rousseau's distinction between two types of contractual belief (relational and transactional), as well as the explanatory potential of the PCM over and above the concept of organizational commitment. As predicted. temporary workers were more transactional than relational in their contractual orientation. The findings are discussed with reference to a need to develop a theoretical basis for research on organizational involvement.

The ‘problem’ of the psychological contract considered

Abstract: This response to Guest's (1998) Commentary addresses some common misconceptions in popular writings referencing psychological contracts. Copyright © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Career-oriented versus team-oriented commitment and behavior at work

Abstract: Among a representative sample of the Dutch population (Study 1: N = 690), careeroriented and team-oriented commitment were assessed, in addition to affective organizational commitment (Meyer & Allen, 1991). Confirmatory factor analysis supported the proposed distinction between the 2 specific forms of commitment at the measurement level. Furthermore, the construct validity of team-oriented and career-oriented commitment as well as their differential implications were corroborated by self-reports of workrelated behavior 1 year later. The distinction between career-oriented and team-oriented commitment was then cross-validated in a 2nd study, among employees of a financial service organization in Belgium (TV = 287), in which the constructs proved to be not only differentially related to self-reported behavior at work, but also predictive of performance ratings by superiors. The aim of the present study was to develop and validate a measure to distinguish career-oriented from teamoriented work commitment. We intended to examine whether these specific forms of commitment could be distinguished from each other at the measurement level and to investigate whether they were differentially related to self-reported as well as externally assessed indexes of work-related behavior. We first present results from a representative sample of the Dutch working population, relating measures of commitment taken at Time 1 to selfreported behavior at Time 2 (Study 1). Subsequently, we cross-validated and extended our findings by examining whether similar results would be obtained when self-reported commitment scores were related to external assessments of performance, with an independent sample consisting of employees of a financial service organization in Belgium (Study 2). In organizational theory and research, attempts to predict the behavior of individual workers in organizations have focused on organizational commitment as a crucial

Examining degree of balance and level of obligation in the employment relationship: a social exchange approach

Abstract: Summary A typology of four exchange relationships defined by two dimensions (degree of balance in employee and employer obligations; level of obligation) was evaluated. Three hundred and twenty seven working MBA students participated in the study. Results generally supported the existence of our proposed four-group typology since: (1) four distinct patterns of obligations emerged in the cluster analysis, and (2) mean diAerences were shown for the four exchange types on the criterion variables. Of particular note was the finding that the mutual high obligations relationship (both employee and employer obligations were consistently perceived to be high) showed much higher levels of perceived organizational support, career future, and aAective commitment, and lower levels of turnover intention than all other types of exchange relationships. This suggests the importance of diAerences in the type of exchange relationship, as perceived by the employee, for both employees and organizations. #1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Influence of Job Satisfaction, Organizational Commitment, and Fairness Perceptions on Organizational Citizenship Behavior

Abstract: Previous research has indicated that job satisfaction, perceptions of procedural justice, and organizational commitment are all significant correlates of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Those variables were studied collectively to determine their relative effects on OCB. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that when all three of the variables were considered concurrently, only organizational commitment accounted for a unique amount of variance in OCB.

Effects of realistic job previews on multiple organizational outcomes: a meta-analysis

Abstract: Through a quantitative meta-analysis of 40 studies of realistic job previews (RJPs), 26 of which were published, the effects of RJPs on attrition from the job recruitment process, the level and acc...

Examination of the combined effects of work values and early work experiences on organizational commitment

Abstract: We tested the hypothesis that the influence of early work experiences on organization commitment would be moderated by the value employees place on these experiences. We measured work values in two samples of recent university graduates prior to organizational entry, and obtained measures of commensurate work experiences and three forms of commitment (affective, continuance, and normative: Allen and Meyer, 1990) on different occasions following entry. Regression analyses revealed that values and experiences did interact in the prediction of affective commitment and normative commitment, but that the nature of the interaction was different for different work value/experience combinations. The findings provide some challenge to the common sense assumption that positive work experiences will have the strongest effect on commitment among those who most value such experiences. Implications for research and practice are discussed. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Organizational Learning Mechanisms A Structural and Cultural Approach to Organizational Learning

Abstract: This article presents a two-faceted (structural and cultural) approach to organizational learning. The structural facet focuses on organizational learning mechanisms, which are institutionalized st...