Personal Characteristics and Job Satisfaction as Predictors of Organizational Commitment: An Empirical Investigation

The main objective of this study was to assess the level of employee commitment in selected industries in Assam and to empirically identify the correlates and predictors of organizational commitment. The sample comprised of 120 employees belonging to the service sector and one manufacturing sector. The results reveal that majority of the employees had a moderate level of organizational commitment. Interestingly, the level of commitment of the service sector employees was found to be higher than their counterparts in the manufacturing sector. The study further found that gender and marital status has no significant relation to organizational commitment. Amongst the predictors of organizational commitment, regression analysis indicated extrinsic job satisfaction as the strongest predictor variable and age as the weakest predictor variable.INTRODUCTIONOrganizational commitment is considered to be an important determinant of organizational effectiveness. It has the potential to predict a variety of organizational outcomes, such as: increased job performance, reduced turnover, lower absenteeism rate, and increased organizational citizenship behavior (Mathieu and Zajac, 1990; and Meyer and Allen, 1997). A vast number of studies have found relationships between organizational commitment and attitudes and behaviors in the workplace (Porter et al, 1974; and Koch and Steers, 1978). Organizational commitment, most frequently studied concept in organizational behavior, has been defined as the relative strength of an individual's identification with, and involvement in, a particular organization. Employees with strong organizational commitment continue employment with the organization because they want to do so. Numerous definitions of organizational commitment have been offered. Simply defined, organizational commitment is the emotional bond or attachment between the employees and their organization. Porter et al. (1974) conceptualized commitment as having three interwoven attitudes and intentions: (1) belief and acceptance in an organization's goals and values; (2) willingness to exert effort on behalf of the organization; and (3) a desire to remain a member of the organization.The main objective of this paper is to assess the influence of personal factors and job satisfaction on organizational commitment. The first part of the paper discusses the broad conceptual framework of organizational commitment and its antecedents based on a review of existing literature on the subject. The rest of the paper focuses on the methodology used, discussion on the findings and the scope for future research.REVIEW OF LITERATUREAllen and Meyer (1996) have studied a three -component model of commitment. The 'affective' component of organizational commitment, proposed by the model, refers to employees' emotional attachment to, identification with, and involvement in, the organization. This can be said to be the highest form of commitment. The 'continuance' component refers to commitment based on the costs that employees associate with leaving the organization. Finally, the 'normative' component refers to employees' feelings of obligation to remain with the organization. Affective and normative commitments have been found to be predictors of positive organizational behavior, including increased work performance, tenure and attendance. Awasthy and Gupta (2001) found that Indian executives in multinational companies displayed continuance commitment; normative commitment was absent and affective commitment varied.ANTECEDENTS OF ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENTA number of studies have been conducted to understand the relationships of demographic factors (age, marital status, gender, job tenure, and educational level), emotional intelligence, work-role salience, achievement motivation and job satisfaction to organizational commitment of industrial workers. A variety of antecedents and outcomes of commitment have been identified in past studies. …