February 2003 2 ASHPAE Journal

A STUDY OF ORGAHZATOHAL
COMMTMEHT H THALAHD
DP. P/AFF |G/VC|O|C|/|C|/POF|
|PFS|DF|7
/S|P/F 7|/||/|D C|/|7FP (2002 - 2003;,
GF|FP/| V/|/GFP
7P/|F 7|/||/|D
Abstract
The current study measured severa| organ|zat|ona| var|-
ab|es o a |arge samp|e o managers and workers rom a var|ety
o compan|es |n Tha||and. Spec||ca||y, |t was hypothes|zed that
organ|zat|ona| comm|tment wou|d be re|ated to |ob sat|sact|on,
|ob |nvo|vement and the structura| and |nterpersona| components
o organ|zat|ona| va|ues. A|| o the hypotheses were supported
and the resu|ts |nd|cate that s|gn||cant and |mportant re|at|on-
sh|ps ex|st between organ|zat|ona| comm|tment, |ob sat|sact|on,
|ob |nvo|vement and two aspects o organ|zat|ona| va|ues. lt |s
|mportant to quest|on wh|ch actors |mpact organ|zat|ona| com-
m|tment and the re|at|onsh|p, | any, between these actors. There
was no d|erence between the responses o the managers and
emp|oyees except or the scores on the |ob |nvo|vement. Here
the managers demonstrated a h|gher |eve| o |ob |nvo|vement
than the workers d|d a|though both sets o responses showed
pos|t|ve |eve|s o |nvo|vement. The present study a|so has |mp||-
cat|ons or organ|zat|ons attempt|ng to bu||d on organ|zat|ona|
comm|tment and enhance worker |ob sat|sact|on. Enhanc|ng
the mot|vat|ng potent|a| o |obs by |ncreas|ng |ob |nvo|vement and
enhanc|ng the percept|on o a|r p|ay and organ|zat|ona| va|ues
w||| u|t|mate|y pos|t|ve|y eect work outcomes. The |mp||cat|on |s
that organ|zat|ons can enhance organ|zat|ona| comm|tment
through |ncreased |ob sat|sact|on and |ob |nvo|vement. lt |s
ant|c|pated that by |ncreas|ng these var|ous actors the end resu|t
w||| be a more eect|ve and product|ve organ|zat|on.
ASHPAE Journal 3 February 2003
ntroduction
Statement of the Problem
Organ|zat|ons must do everyth|ng poss|b|e to become or
rema|n compet|t|ve. Th|s |s part|cu|ar|y true |n Tha||and and other
South East As|an countr|es g|ven the recent econom|c troub|es
o the reg|on and the rap|d changes that are occurr|ng |n the
market p|ace organ|zat|ons are operat|ng |n a g|oba| env|ronment
that has |ncreased compet|t|on throughout the wor|d. Countr|es
can no |onger depend on a protected domest|c market wh||e at
the same t|me export|ng to other countr|es. G|ven that the ma|or
expenses or most organ|zat|ons are the |abor costs any steps
that can be taken to reduce |abor costs w||| be va|uab|e. Organ|-
zat|ona| comm|tment |s one concept that has been shown to be
re|ated to |ob sat|sact|on and |oya|ty (Decot|s and Summers,
1987).
An |ncrease |n product|v|ty and or a reduct|on |n emp|oyee
turnover w||| resu|t |n |ower costs. Pesearch has |nd|cated that
the organ|zat|ona| comm|tment o emp|oyees |s re|ated to both
product|v|ty and turnover. A study conducted |n the n|ted States
|n 1982, ound that the costs o emp|oyee turnover ranged rom
the |owest amount or a c|er|ca| emp|oyee that exceeded $S
2,500. The h|ghest amount or a p||ot was |n excess o $S
100,000 (Mob|ey, 1982). Ad|usted or |n|at|on, |t |s not unreason-
ab|e to est|mate that these costs now range rom a |ow end o
$S 7,000 to a h|gh-end amount o around $S 300,000. C|ear|y
the costs re|ated to turnover are not |ns|gn||cant. The |arger, the
organ|zat|on, the greater the number o emp|oyees and presum-
ab|y the greater turnover and costs. Thereore anyth|ng that can
be done to understand and reduce emp|oyee turnover w||| he|p
organ|zat|ons become more eect|ve.
The process by wh|ch an |nd|v|dua| |earns to perorm |n an
organ|zat|on has been ca||ed soc|a||zat|on (Sche|n, 1980). Th|s |s
the process whereby |nd|v|dua|s come to apprec|ate the va|ues,
the expected behav|ors, and soc|a| know|edge that |s essent|a|
or assum|ng an organ|zat|ona| ro|e and perorm|ng |n the organ|-
zat|on. lt |s not unreasonab|e to cons|der organ|zat|ona| comm|t-
ment a part o the soc|a||zat|on process. The goa| o th|s research
|s to exp|ore |ssues d|rect|y re|ated to |mprov|ng and eect|ng
organ|zat|ona| comm|tment.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose o th|s study was to ga|n a greater under-
stand|ng o the |mpact o organ|zat|ona| comm|tment on |nd|v|du-
a|s |ts ro|e |n organ|zat|ons. Th|s area has been the ocus o
severa| research stud|es that |nd|cate that organ|zat|ona| com-
m|tment can have a s|gn||cant eect on an organ|zat|on and
resu|t |n |mproved product|v|ty and |owered turnover. Both o
these actors w||| contr|bute to hea|th|er organ|zat|ons. lt seems
appropr|ate that the |ssue o |nd|v|dua| d|erences be cons|dered
|n the context o organ|zat|ona| comm|tment. lt |s a|so d|rect|y
re|ated to the organ|zat|ona| structure, c||mate, and goa|s.
The theor|es on organ|zat|ona| comm|tment suggest that
|nd|v|dua|s ro|e and sty|e need to be taken |nto cons|derat|on.
Th|s cannot be done w|thout a cons|derat|on o the |mpact o
d|erent actors on organ|zat|ona| comm|tment. Th|s study |ooked
at some o the ||nkage between |nd|v|dua| actors and organ|za-
t|ona| comm|tment. Hopeu||y, th|s has resu|ted |n a greater un-
derstand|ng o the |mportance and ro|e o the organ|zat|ona| com-
m|tment. The u|t|mate purpose o th|s study was to use the
understand|ngs |earned rom th|s research to |mprove organ|za-
t|ons |n Tha||and. Th|s was done by cons|der|ng actors and
organ|zat|ona| procedures to ensure that emp|oyees are comm|t-
ted to the organ|zat|on. By ensur|ng that management |s |n tune
w|th the needs o emp|oyees and by ensur|ng that emp|oyees are
aware o the organ|zat|ons needs organ|zat|ona| comm|tment
can be |mproved.
Theory to be tested
The base theory |nvest|gated was the re|at|onsh|p o |ob
sat|sact|on to organ|zat|ona| comm|tment and the contr|but|on
that one's |ob |nvo|vement and va|ues has on that comm|tment.
Wh||e some research ||terature (e.g. Cohen, 1993 and Pasca|e &
Athos. 1981) suggests that |ncreased ee||ngs o |ob sat|sact|on,
|ob |nvo|vement, and shared va|ues contr|bute to emp|oyee com-
m|tment, the bases or such conc|us|ons have been based on
anecdota| |normat|on or spec||c examp|es. However, there has
been a cont|nued need or emp|r|ca| test|ng to |nvest|gate the
nature o these re|at|onsh|ps. Thereore, th|s study prov|des and
emp|r|ca| |nvest|gat|on or some o these assert|ons and assump-
t|ons, |n Tha||and compan|es.
The core ||terature or the proposed research |s the organ|-
zat|ona| comm|tment port|on o Mowday, Porter and Steers' (1982)
mode|. ln the|r book, Mowday et a|, prov|des and extens|ve
rev|ew o the theoret|ca| and emp|r|ca| work done on the concept
o organ|zat|ona| comm|tment. Comm|tment has been s|gn||-
cant|y, negat|ve|y assoc|ated w|th turnover. ln add|t|on, a s|m||ar
February 2003 4 ASHPAE Journal
but weaker re|at|onsh|p has been ound between comm|tment
and decreased perormance and |ncreased absentee|sm and
tard|ness.
lnvest|gat|ons o turnover have ocused on |ob sat|sact|on
as a construct o tenure. The research data |nd|cated a moder-
ate and cons|stent re|at|onsh|p between greater |ob sat|sact|on
and the propens|ty to rema|n on the |ob (e.g. Cohen, 1993).
However, by concentrat|ng on |ob sat|sact|on, other corre|ates
o turnover may have been over|ooked. Other |mportant var|-
ab|es may |nc|ude organ|zat|ona| comm|tment, to|erance or
amb|gu|ty and worker's va|ues (Panda||, 1990). Wh||e the ||tera-
ture |s a|r|y c|ear w|th the respects o the outcomes o comm|t-
ment, the reasons or d|erent |eve|s o comm|tment are not
a|ways as cons|stent. The contrad|ct|ons th|s produces may be
a resu|t o the use o d|erent de|n|t|ons o organ|zat|ona| com-
m|tment.
Organ|zat|ona| comm|tment (Mowday et a|., 1982) reers to
a be||e |n and acceptance o the goa|s and va|ues o the em-
p|oy|ng organ|zat|on, and a w||||ngness to exert eort on beha| o
the organ|zat|on and to ma|nta|n organ|zat|ona| membersh|p. Th|s
approach d|st|ngu|shes between comm|tment as a behav|or and
comm|tment as an att|tude. Organ|zat|ona| comm|tment does
not stab|||ze unt|| somet|me ater organ|zat|ona| entry, and ater
comp|et|on o severa| stages |n the organ|zat|ona| soc|a||zat|on
process. Mowday et a|. Attempted to |ntegrate the att|tud|na|
and behav|ora| approaches to comm|tment by propos|ng an on-
go|ng rec|proca| |n|uence process. They argued that, under
cond|t|ons that |ncrease e|t respons|b|||ty, behav|or m|ght be |n-
strumenta| |n shap|ng att|tudes, wh|ch, |n turn, |n|uence subse-
quent behav|or. Thus, or examp|e, emp|oyees who perorm at a
h|gh |eve| o pro|c|ency may become comm|tted to that |eve| o
perormance and deve|op a more pos|t|ve att|tude. Such an
att|tude may ensure the cont|nuat|on o a h|gh |eve| o peror-
mance |n the uture. Th|s |s recogn|zed |n the theory by |nc|ud|ng
behav|ora| comm|tment as an antecedent o aect|ve comm|t-
ment and as part o a eedback cha|n |n wh|ch pos|t|ve work
behav|ors.
Research Questions
Th|s researcher has ound ||tt|e prev|ous research, wh|ch
|nvest|gates a poss|b|e re|at|onsh|p between |ob |nvo|vement,
va|ues and organ|zat|ona| comm|tment. ln add|t|on the ma|or|ty
o the research has been conducted w|th|n the n|ted States
and ||tt|e |s known about actors wh|ch |mpact organ|zat|ona|
comm|tment |n other cu|tures. ln th|s study, severa| quest|ons
arose |n exam|n|ng these re|at|onsh|ps.
a) Are there s|gn||cant re|at|onsh|ps between |ob sat|sac-
t|on, |ob |nvo|vement, and shared va|ue systems and organ|za-
t|ona| comm|tment?
b) Do emp|oyees who possess certa|n character|st|cs a|so
exh|b|t organ|zat|ona| comm|tment?
c) Do work exper|ences estab||shed by organ|zat|ona| struc-
tures re|ate to organ|zat|ona| comm|tment more than an |nd|v|dua|'s
d|spos|t|on procedura| |ust|ce does?
d) Are certa|n actors better pred|ctors o organ|zat|ona|
comm|tment?
The purpose o th|s study was to |nvest|gate quest|ons
concern|ng the re|at|onsh|p o |ob sat|sact|on, |ob |nvo|vement,
and shared va|ues systems to organ|zat|ona| comm|tment. As
Western and Japanese organ|zat|ons have become more s|m||ar
over the past th|rty years organ|zat|ona| behav|ors such as annua|
separat|on rates have rema|ned d|erent (Marsh and Mannar|,
1991). Th|s cont|nued var|at|on suggests that research on orga-
n|zat|on comm|tment may be over - s|mp|||ed. That |s, organ|za-
t|ona| comm|tment may not be a matter o a s|ng|e d|mens|on, but
may be mu|t|-d|mens|ona| (Pe|chers, 1985. ln add|t|on, cu|tura|
var|ab|es appear to be re|ated to emp|oyee att|tudes and sat|s-
act|on. The ma|n ocus o th|s study shou|d contr|bute to the
know|edge o the deve|opment o organ|zat|ona| comm|tment |n
emp|oyees. A ma|n ob|ect|ve was to exam|ne whether var|ab|es
that have been prev|ous|y demonstrated to be re|ated to organ|-
zat|ona| comm|tment |n the n|ted States, (|.e. |ob sat|sact|on,
|ob |nvo|vement and shared va|ues) show a s|m||ar re|at|onsh|p |n
a samp|e o organ|zat|ons and emp|oyees |n Tha||and.
Definition of Terms
Attitudes: Op|n|ons he|d by |nd|v|dua|s about th|ngs or
peop|e.
Corporate Culture: The set o key va|ues, be||es, and
understand|ngs that are shared by the members o an organ|za-
t|on.
Environment: The |nst|tut|ons or orces outs|de an or-
gan|zat|on that potent|a||y aects the organ|zat|on's perormance.
nternal Environment: Factors w|th|n the organ|za-
t|ona| boundar|es that |n|uence the operat|ons o the organ|za-
t|on.
Job nvolvement: The extent to wh|ch an |nd|v|dua|
|dent||es psycho|og|ca||y w|th h|s or her |ob.
Job Satisfaction: An att|tude re|ect|ng the extent to
wh|ch an emp|oyee expresses a pos|t|ve ee||ng toward a |ob.
Managers: lnd|v|dua|s who ach|eve organ|zat|ona| goa|s
through others.
ASHPAE Journal 5 February 2003
Heed for Achievement: The des|re to perorm to h|gh
standards or to exce| at a |ob.
Organizational Behavior: The study o act|ons, ee|-
|ngs and eect|veness o peop|e |n organ|zat|ona| sett|ngs.
Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB}:
Pe|ates to the nature, causes and consequences o prosoc|a|
|ob behav|or.
Organizational Commitment: Hav|ng a strong
be||e |n an organ|zat|on's va|ues and goa|s, such that an em-
p|oyee des|res to rema|n a part o the organ|zat|on and |s w||||ng to
expend cons|derab|e eort or the organ|zat|on.
Organizational Culture: The same as corporate cu|-
ture.
Organizational Goal: A des|red state o aa|rs that
the organ|zat|on attempts to rea||ze.
Perception: The processes by wh|ch peop|e se|ect, or-
gan|ze, |nterpret, and ass|gn mean|ng to externa| th|ngs.
Quality of Work Life (QWL}: A change approach
that g|ves workers a vo|ce |n organ|zat|ona| dec|s|ons.
Methodology
The data were co||ected over a two-month per|od between
June and August 2000. The methodo|ogy used |n th|s study |s
out||ned be|ow and was des|gned to co||ect data that wou|d
address the proposed research quest|ons.
The research quest|ons generated the o||ow|ng spec||c
hypotheses. From the |rst research quest|on the o||ow|ng hy-
potheses were der|ved.
Ha1: Greater |ob sat|sact|on resu|ts |n greater organ|za-
t|ona| comm|tment.
Ho1: Greater |ob sat|sact|on has negat|ve or no |mpact
on organ|zat|ona| comm|tment.
Ha2: Greater |ob |nvo|vement resu|ts |n greater organ|za-
t|ona| comm|tment.
Ho2: Greater |ob |nvo|vement has negat|ve or no |mpact
on organ|zat|ona| comm|tment.
HaS: Shared va|ue systems resu|t |n greater organ|za-
t|ona| comm|tment.
HoS: Shared va|ue systems have a negat|ve or no |mpact
on organ|zat|ona| comm|tment.
The second and th|rd research quest|ons are |nterested |n
the concepts o |ob sat|sact|on and |nvo|vement so these ques-
t|ons were answered by test|ng the second hypothes|s ||sted
above. The ourth research quest|on was answered by compar-
|ng the answers rom test|ng the |n|t|a| three hypotheses. Th|s
generated a ourth hypothes|s as o||ows.
Ha4: There |s a d|erence |n organ|zat|ona| comm|tment
based on d|erences |n the |eve|s o |ob |nvo|vement, |ob sat|s-
act|on and va|ues.
Ho4: There |s no d|erence |n organ|zat|ona| comm|tment
based on d|erences |n the |eve|s o |ob |nvo|vement, |ob sat|s-
act|on and va|ues.
Based on these hypotheses, the dependent var|ab|e |s the
|eve| o organ|zat|ona| comm|tment, wh|ch was be assessed us-
|ng the organ|zat|ona| comm|tment quest|onna|re descr|bed be-
|ow. Th|s |nstrument |s des|gned to measure the |eve| to wh|ch
emp|oyees ee| comm|tted to and ho|d pos|t|ve att|tudes about
the emp|oy|ng organ|zat|on.
The |ndependent var|ab|es were |ob |nvo|vement, |ob sat|s-
act|on and va|ues. These var|ab|es were assessed us|ng a sev-
era| |nstruments spec||ca||y des|gned to measure each o the
|ndependent var|ab|es.
Samples
Th|s research proposed to exam|ne the hypotheses deve|-
oped rom the research quest|ons by co||ect|ng data rom 200-
250 managers and the|r emp|oyees w|th|n severa| compan|es |n
Tha||and. The tota| samp|e s|ze was not known unt|| the re-
sponses were rece|ved. However the goa| was to have at |east
two hundred responses rom managers and s|x hundred re-
sponses rom workers or a tota| samp|e s|ze o around e|ght
hundred |nd|v|dua|s. The |na| samp|e s|ze was 150 managers
and 480 workers. Th|s y|e|ded a tota| samp|e s|ze o 630. A tota|
o 772 |nd|v|dua|s were asked to part|c|pate |n the study and 142
peop|e dec||ned or a||ed to comp|ete part or a|| o one or more o
the surveys y|e|d|ng a response rate o 82%.
These sub|ects var|ed |n demograph|c character|st|cs such
as age, gender, tenure, educat|ona| background and mar|ta| sta-
tus so these data were a|so co||ected and tabu|ated or cons|der-
at|on dur|ng the data ana|ys|s phase. Samp||ng was random to
the greatest extent poss|b|e and |nc|uded both managers and
workers.
Analysis and Presentation of Findings
The data were tabu|ated and summar|zed. The demo-
graph|c data or the samp|es are tabu|ated |n Tab|e 1. As can be
seen rom the data, the sub|ects tend to be younger, more ||ke|y
to be ema|e than ma|e, and have a h|gh |eve| o educat|on.
The means, standard dev|at|ons or each o the sca|es are
presented |n Tab|e 2. The data were separated or the managers
and workers. The |rst set o data ana|yses were computed by
compar|ng the means or the two groups o sub|ects us|ng a
February 2003 6 ASHPAE Journal
ser|es o |ndependent 't' tests. The resu|ts were as o||ows: For
the Organ|zat|ona| Comm|tment Sca|e, t (628) ~ 1.01, p .05,
or Job Sat|sact|on, t (628) ~ 1.94, p .05, or Job lnvo|vement,
t (628) ~ 2.81, p .05, or Organ|zat|ona| \a|ues - Structura|, t
(628) ~ 0.87, p .05, and or Organ|zat|ona| \a|ues - lnterper-
sona|, t (628) ~ 1.74, p .05. The resu|ts |nd|cate that the
managers |n th|s study had equ|va|ent |eve|s o organ|zat|ona|
comm|tment, |ob sat|sact|on and organ|zat|ona| va|ues as d|d
the workers. On|y the Job |nvo|vement sca|e |nd|cated a d|er-
ence between the two groups o sub|ects.
Table 1. Demographic Data
Demc|ao|| c va|| ao| es F| eq0e|c, |e| ce||
/e
15 - 24 210 33.3
25 - 34 350 55.6
35 - 44 59 9.4
44 and over 11 1.7
Ge|oe|
Ma|e 294 46.7
Fema|e 336 53.3
Va|| |a| S|a|0s
Marr|ed 191 30.3
ot Marr|ed 439 69.7
7e|0| e
1 - 5 years 407 64.6
6 - 10 years 145 23.0
11 - 15 years 46 7.3
16 years 32 5.1
Fo0ca|| c|a| |e.e|
ndergraduate 131 20.8
Graduate 456 72.4
Post graduate 43 6.8
Table 2. Mean and Standard Deviations for Each
Scale
\ar | ab| es Mean Standard Dev| at| on
Manager s Wor ker s Manager s Wor ker s
Organ|zat|ona| 5.21 5.12 0.91 0.98
Comm|tment
Job Sat|sact|on 3.65 3.57 0.43 0.51
Job lnvo|vement 2.65 2.85 0.74 0.78
Organ|zat|ona| 5.15 5.06 1.12 1.06
\a|ues-Structura|
Organ|zat|ona| 5.22 5.40 1.11 1.09
\a|ues-lnterpersona|
The corre|at|ons between organ|zat|ona| comm|tment and
the other study var|ab|es are presented |n Tab|e 3. The va|ues or
gender, age, mar|ta| status, educat|ona| |eve|, tenure and pos|-
t|on |n the company were scored e|ther 1 to 2, 1 to 3 or 1 to 4 as
appropr|ate to generate the stat|st|ca| va|ues. The negat|ve cor-
re|at|ons are thereore not cr|t|ca| or these |tems but rather re|ect
the numer|ca| des|gnat|ons g|ven. The resu|ts o the stat|st|ca|
ana|ys|s |nd|cate that organ|zat|ona| comm|tment was pos|t|ve|y
corre|ated to Job Sat|sact|on, wh|ch supports the |rst research
hypothes|s that greater |ob sat|sact|on resu|ts |n greater organ|-
zat|ona| comm|tment (r ~ 0.731, p.01). ln add|t|on, the resu|ts
o the stat|st|ca| ana|ys|s |nd|cate that organ|zat|ona| comm|t-
ment was a|so negat|ve|y corre|ated to Job lnvo|vement, (r ~
0.525, p 0.1). However, s|nce a |ow score on the Job lnvo|ve-
ment sca|e |nd|cates a h|gher |eve| o Job lnvo|vement th|s |s a
pos|t|ve re|at|onsh|p, wh|ch supports the second research hy-
pothes|s that greater |ob |nvo|vement resu|ts |n greater organ|za-
t|ona| comm|tment. F|na||y, the resu|ts o the stat|st|ca| ana|ys|s
|nd|cate that organ|zat|ona| comm|tment was a|so pos|t|ve|y cor-
re|ated to both actors o organ|zat|ona| va|ues, wh|ch supports
the th|rd research hypothes|s that shared organ|zat|ona| va|ues
resu|ts |n greater organ|zat|ona| comm|tment (or Organ|zat|ona|
\a|ues-Structure r ~ 0.621, p .01 and Organ|zat|ona| \a|ues-
lnterpersona|, r ~ 0.593, p .01).
ASHPAE Journal 7 February 2003
Table 4. Summary of Hierarchical Regression
Analyses, ncluding Controls
St ep \ar | ab| es Organ| zat| ona| Comm| tment
P
2
P
2
F
1 Contro|s 0.192 5.547**
2 Job Sat|sact|on 0.237 .059** 3.823**
3 Job lnvo|vement 0.211 .045** 3.461**
4 Organ|zat|ona| \a|ues-Structura| 0.257 .071** 4.602**
5 Organ|zat|ona| 0.268 .076** 4.748**
\a|ues-lnsterpersona|
* p .05, ** p .01
The |n|t|a| equat|on regressed organ|zat|ona| comm|tment
on the s|x contro| var|ab|es. The resu|ts |nd|cate that there |s a
re|at|onsh|p between organ|zat|ona| comm|tment and |ob sat|s-
act|on, |ob |nvo|vement and organ|zat|ona| va|ues even or espe-
c|a||y when the regress|on ana|ys|s contro|s or the demograph|c
actors. The standard|zed regress|on coe|c|ents o the our-
pred|ctor va|ues and the s|x contro| var|ab|es are presented |n
Tab|e 5. O the our-pred|ctor va|ues, they a|| had a s|gn||cant
re|at|onsh|p to organ|zat|ona| comm|tment. Th|s ana|ys|s pro-
v|des urther support or the our hypotheses tested |n th|s study.
Table 5. Standardized Regression Coefficients for
all Variables in the Complete Regression
Equation
\ar | ab| e Organ| zat| ona| Comm| tment
t
Pred|ctor \ar|ab|e
Job Sat|sact|on 0.356 3.37**
Job lnvo|vement 0.301 2.98**
Organ|zat|ona| \a|ues-Structura| 0.348 3.25**
Organ|zat|ona| \a|ues-lnterpersona| 0.359 3.34**
Contro|s
Gender 0.009 0.13
Age 0.231 2.15**
Tenure 0.287 2.91**
Educat|ona| Status 0.211 2.17*
Mar|ta| Status 0.195 1.78
Pos|t|on 0.023 0.28
* p .05, ** p .01
The o||ow|ng chapter summar|zes these |nd|ngs as we|| as
d|scuss|ng the ||m|tat|ons o the current study and potent|a| areas
or uture research.
Table S. ntercorrelations among the Study
Variables
\ar | ab| e 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1. Gender -
2. Mar|ta| Status -.30** -
3. Tenure .07 -.17* -
4. Educat|on .16* .05 -.09 -
5. Job Type -.27** -.14 -.11 -18* -
6. Organ|zat|ona|
Comm|tment -.06 -.07 .17* .11 -.22* -
7. Job Sat|sact|on -.07 -.09 -.13 -.14 -.19* .73** -
8. Job lnvo|vement -.08 -.09 -.08 -.16 -.04 -.53** -.60**
9. Organ|zat|ona| \a|ues
(Structure) -.02 -.05 -.09 .15 -.32** .62** .65** -.40**
10. Organ|zat|ona| \a|ues
(lnterpersona|) -.07 -.06 -.11 .13 -.27 .59** .67** -.45**
* p .05, ** p .01
Note: Demograph|c var|ab|es are category-de|ned var|ab|es
g|ven va|ues o 1 through 4 (as necessary) or stat|st|ca| pur-
poses. A|so a |ow score on Job lnvo|vement |nd|cates a h|gher
|eve| so a negat|ve corre|at|on w|th |ob |nvo|vement |s |n act a
pos|t|ve re|at|onsh|p.
The ourth hypothes|s, there |s a d|erence |n organ|za-
t|ona| comm|tment based on d|erences |n the |eve|s o |ob |n-
vo|vement, |ob sat|sact|on and va|ues, was a|so supported based
on the resu|ts o the |n|t|a| three hypotheses. Wh||e th|s |n|t|a|
ana|ys|s supports the research hypotheses tested, |t |s poss|b|e to
conduct a more deta||ed |eve| o ana|ys|s than s|mp|e corre|a-
t|ons. To th|s end a h|erarch|ca| regress|on ana|ys|s us|ng each o
the actors |n the study was computed. Wh||e actors ||ke gender,
mar|ta| status, |ob type and educat|on |eve| y|e|ded sma|| and
non-stat|st|ca||y s|gn||cant corre|at|ons, |t |s poss|b|e to part|a| our
the contro| var|ab|es to see a s|gn||cant re|at|onsh|p between
organ|zat|ona| comm|tment and the other actors o |ob sat|sac-
t|on, |ob |nvo|vement and organ|zat|ona| va|ues rema|ned or was
enhanced. The resu|ts o us|ng s|mu|taneous regress|on ana|ys|s
are shown |n Tab|e 4.
February 2003 8 ASHPAE Journal
Summary and Conclusions
Overview of the Research
The resu|ts o the current study supported the our hypoth-
eses tested. The resu|ts c|ar|y the re|at|ve re|at|onsh|p between
organ|zat|ona| comm|tment and our other var|ab|es. Organ|za-
t|ona| comm|tment was shown to be pos|t|ve|y re|ated to |ob
sat|sact|on, |ob |nvo|vement and both the structura| and |nterper-
sona| constructs o organ|zat|ona| va|ues. Because the eect o
these var|ab|es on organ|zat|ona| comm|tment was stud|ed s|-
mu|taneous|y, a c|ear p|cture o the |nter-re|at|onsh|p between
these var|ab|es |s now apparent. The current study |nd|cates that
when a|| our var|ab|es are cons|dered at the same t|me |ob sat-
|sact|on, |ob |nvo|vement and organ|zat|ona| va|ues can be con-
s|dered to be s|gn||cant pred|ctors o organ|zat|ona| comm|tment.
When some o these var|ab|es have been cons|dered separate|y,
other researchers have conc|uded that the re|at|onsh|p between
var|ab|es cons|dered here and organ|zat|ona| comm|tment do
not ex|st (We|ner, 1982). Further, |t shou|d be remembered that
the ear||er |nd|ngs re|ated to Amer|can samp|es wh||e the current
resu|ts were based on data co||ected |n Tha||and.
Demograph|c |ssues have been stud|ed by others w|th
m|xed resu|ts. On the |ssue o tenure on the |ob, ear|y research
(e.g. Hrb|n|ak & A|utto, 1972) ound that women were more com-
m|tted than men to an organ|zat|on were. However, the resu|ts o
a |ater study ound that gender was no re|ated to organ|zat|ona|
comm|tment (Brun|ng & Snyder, 1983). The resu|ts o the current
study support the |atter |nd|ngs that gender |s not re|ated to
organ|zat|ona| comm|tment. Wh||e mar|ta| status does not seem
to have been a var|ab|e that has been tested |n other research |t
|s worth not|ng here that mar|ta| status was ound to have no
re|at|onsh|p to organ|zat|ona| comm|tment.
ln contrast to some o the other demograph|c var|ab|es,
educat|on has oten been ound to be |nverse|y re|ated to organ|-
zat|ona| comm|tment (Ang|e and Perry, 1981, Morr|s and Sherman,
1981). lt has been suggested that the |nverse re|at|onsh|p be-
tween educat|on and comm|tment may resu|t rom the act that
more h|gh|y educated peop|e have h|gher expectat|ons o an
organ|zat|on or that they are more comm|tted to a proess|on
rather than a part|cu|ar organ|zat|on. The resu|ts o the current
study ound a sma|| but pos|t|ve re|at|onsh|p between educat|on
and organ|zat|ona| comm|tment. Wh||e th|s re|at|onsh|p was not
su|c|ent|y |arge to ach|eve a stat|st|ca||y s|gn||cant |eve| |t |s
worth not|ng th|s |nd|ng. Th|s oppos|te eect may be re|ated to
the As|an cu|tura| emphas|s p|aced on educat|on and the act
that educat|on tends to be a h|gh|y va|ued commod|ty. Further,
the organ|zat|ona| c||mate |s d|erent |n Tha||and than |n the n|ted
States so educat|on |s more eas||y recogn|zed and |nd|v|dua|s are
apprec|ated because o the|r educat|ona| |eve|.
Contributions of the Study
The ma|or |nd|ng o th|s study |s that, |n the popu|at|on
stud|ed, organ|zat|ona| comm|tment |s re|ated to |ob sat|sact|on,
|ob |nvo|vement and both the structura| and |nterpersona| as-
pects o organ|zat|ona| va|ues. As econom|es grow stronger,
emp|oyees have more work opt|ons. Successu| compan|es tend
to be those compan|es that are ab|e to keep the|r best emp|oys.
Organ|zat|ona| comm|tment |s a ma|or actor |n whether peop|e
w||| rema|n w|th|n an organ|zat|on.
The resu|ts o th|s study po|nt towards |ob sat|sact|on as a
ma|or e|ement o organ|zat|ona| comm|tment. Th|s suggests that
organ|zat|ons need to ensure that |ob sat|sact|on |s ma|nta|ned
e|ther through organ|zat|ona| structures or manager|a| support.
Job |nvo|vement was a|so pos|t|ve|y re|ated to both |ob sat|sac-
t|on and organ|zat|ona| comm|tment. One o the cha||enges or
organ|zat|on, based on these |nd|ngs, |s work|ng to ensure that
both workers and managers ee| |nvo|ved and sat|s|ed w|th the|r
|obs. lt |s a|so |nterest|ng to note that there was very ||tt|e d|er-
ence |n the responses o workers and managers on the sca|es
used. The on|y except|on was |n the case o |ob |nvo|vement
where managers, as m|ght be expected, showed a greater de-
gree o |ob |nvo|vement. However, on the other three measures
there were equ|va|ent responses and th|s shou|d a|ert organ|za-
t|ons to the act that managers and workers are oten not that
d|erent |n the|r va|ues and att|tudes at work. To assume d|er-
ences and then treat emp|oyees d|erent|y based on these per-
cept|ons wou|d be ||| adv|sed.
Conclusion
The current study ound that s|gn||cant and |mportant re|a-
t|onsh|ps ex|st between organ|zat|ona| comm|tment, |ob sat|sac-
t|on, |ob |nvo|vement and organ|zat|ona| va|ues. lt |s |mportant to
quest|on wh|ch actors |mpact organ|zat|ona| comm|tment and the
re|at|onsh|p, | any, between these actors. The present study a|so
has |mp||cat|ons or organ|zat|ons attempt|ng to bu||d on organ|za-
t|ona| comm|tment and enhance worker |ob sat|sact|on. Enhanc-
|ng the mot|vat|ng potent|a| o |obs by |ncreas|ng |ob |nvo|vement
and enhanc|ng the percept|on o a|r p|ay and empowerment (or-
gan|zat|ona| va|ues |n th|s study) w||| u|t|mate|y pos|t|ve|y eect
work outcomes (See a|so Thomas & \e|thouse, 1990). The |mp||-
cat|on |s that organ|zat|ons can enhance organ|zat|ona| comm|t-
ment through |ncreased |ob sat|sact|on and |ob |nvo|vement. lt |s
ant|c|pated that by |ncreas|ng these var|ous actors the end resu|t
w||| be a more eect|ve and product|ve organ|zat|on.
ASHPAE Journal 9 February 2003
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