Benchmarking organizational commitment across nonprofit human services organizations in Pennsylvania

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine organizational commitment within nonprofit organizations and demonstrate the effectiveness of benchmarking attitudinal constructs.Design/methodology/approachA web based 21 question survey was conducted utilizing a professional organization's membership list. The survey was then analyzed to determine if differences could be found in a local market compared to the larger (geographic) sample. Manova was used to examine mean differences across the variables.FindingsThe results revealed six constructs where attitudinal differences occurred. The differences allow management to determine if they are even with, above or below the average for the larger region and adjust management practices accordingly to increase organizational commitment.Research limitations/implicationsBecause of the chosen research approach, the research results may lack generalisability. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to test the proposed propositions further with a larger national sample.Practical implicationsBenchmarking organizational commitment allows management to adjust practices to improve and retain employees. Retaining employees saves the cost of training and ensures continued delivery of services.Originality/valueThis paper fulfils an identified need to demonstrate the utility of benchmarking against a sample of peer organizations in the realm of organizational behavior and human resources constructs. This also extends the literature in the area of nonprofit management.