HR drivers discussed: Employee commitment

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Each month we will discuss a chapter out of our new book entitled 'Achieving Excellence with your Employees: Insight into your performance from an employee perspective'. Each chapter discusses a different HR driver. This month the second subject will be discussed: Employee Commitment.

5 Aug 2009

Employee Commitment

Commitment can take different forms. As a result it is often seen as an HR variable which is difficult to define. The context, direction and development of commitment as well as the extent to which commitment influences behaviour can result in confusion and debate. Here are some definitions of commitment in different contexts:

  • Connection to a goal: being bound to a goal or the determination in respect of a goal, regardless of the origin of the goal. Believing in a goal and wanting to achieve it also reflects a certain degree of commitment.

  • Connection to an organisation: a psychological state that binds an individual to the organisation. As a result employees are more loyal to an organisation and less likely to leave it.

  • Connection to a job: the probability that someone continues to work in that job and feels psychologically bound to it. This is regardless of whether it is fulfilling or not.

  • Someone’s attitude towards their work.

All these definitions essentially have the same meaning, namely that commitment is a stabilising or binding force (mind-set), which directs behaviour. In order to show how commitment can contribute to improving performance, we use the commitment of your employees towards your organisation. In other words, the bond with your organisation.

Being bound to an organisation will be like music to the ears of many managers; and yet it appears this bond is not always positive. Meyer and Allen (1990) closely studied the definitions of commitment and based on their findings it emerged that commitment can take three forms.

The three forms of commitment are described as follows:

Affective commitment

Wanting to be committed to the organisation. An employee identifies with your organisation, believes in your organisation. If an employee is affectively committed to an organisation, he feels like he fits into it. He wants to continue working in your organisation for the time being. This is achieved if the employee believes in the vision and mission of your organisation and supports its goals. In addition, he also has to feel as if he is valued. If the organisation gives the employee the feeling that what he is doing is important to your organisation and contributes to its success, his affective commitment will be positively influenced.

Normative commitment

An employee is committed to an organisation because he thinks he should stay in your organisation. It is a feeling of moral obligation towards your organisation. This type of employee would feel guilty if he left your organisation and so continues to work there.

Continuance commitment

An employee is committed to your organisation out of necessity. Leaving your organisation will be disadvantageous for him, because he has few good work alternatives, for example, or because his salary and fringe benefits with you are better than with other employers. These employees can be very dissatisfied and make no additional effort, but still stay.

These three forms of commitment play a role in an employee’s decision to continue to be a part of your organisation. In addition, they have an influence on your employees’ performance. Affective commitment has the strongest positive relationship with performance, followed by normative commitment. Continuance commitment has a mildly negative to no relationship with performance.

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More: Commitment, Employee commitment, Employee survey, Employees, Performance, Satisfaction