Employee commitment and organizational policies
Abstract
Purpose
To propose new commitment construct‐policy commitment, and to examine the influence of attitude, role clarity, and role conflict on policy commitment, as well as the influence of policy commitment on citizenship behavior.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a self‐report questionnaire and a sample of 148 workers in a rural manufacturing plant, we use structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques to examine the effects of attitude, role clarity, and role conflict on policy commitment, as well as the effect of policy commitment on the conscientiousness and civic virtue dimensions of citizenship behavior.
Findings
SEM revealed that attitudes and role clarity positively influenced policy commitment, and that policy commitment positively influenced conscientiousness and civic virtue.
Research limitations/implications
Our sample is relatively small (N=148) and largely homogeneous, which may limit its generalizability. A number of additional research opportunities are suggested in the study, including those designed to further explore the nature of the policy commitment construct and those designed to examine its relationship with other known commitment antecedents and outcomes. Implications for practitioners and researchers are suggested.
Originality/value
Commitment in organizations has long been conceptualized as acceptance of organizational goals and dedicated effort on behalf of the organization itself. However, we believe this conceptualization of commitment may be considerably less salient in today's highly mobile work environment. This study introduces the construct of policy commitment, a conceptualization of commitment as belief in and proactive endorsement of specific courses of action (i.e. policies) that embody the values resident within organizations.
Keywords
Citation
Foote, D.A., Seipel, S.J., Johnson, N.B. and Duffy, M.K. (2005), "Employee commitment and organizational policies", Management Decision, Vol. 43 No. 2, pp. 203-219. https://doi.org/10.1108/00251740510581920
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2005, Emerald Group Publishing Limited