Psychological Capital and Organisational Commitment: Nature, Structure and Relationship in an Indian Sample

Abstract

Nowadays, researchers are expressing more concern regarding the use of scales which were not validated or standardised in the Indian context. Direct application of such scales to the Indian population is sometimes not practical due to differences in culture, belief, language and lifestyle. In order to get accurate validation and applicability, we should verify the nature and structure of original scales in the Indian context through factor analyses. Based on this need, the authors carried out factor analyses involving both exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on psychological capital questionnaire by Luthans, Avolio, Avey and Norman (2007) and CFA for organisational commitment scale by Mowday, Steers and Porter (1979). The study involves a sample of 276 employees (150 male, 126 female) from three manufacturing units in India. The EFA of psychological capital suggested a three factors model instead of a four factors model. When it was estimated with CFA, the three factors measurement model was more well fitted than single factor as well as four factors models. The series of CFAs conducted for the organisational commitment scale through the measurement model reported that two factors structure is good enough to measure commitment behaviour. Internal consistencies through Cronbach’s alpha have also been checked. Structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis reports that psychological capital contributes significantly to organisational commitment. The researchers conclude this article with implications and directions for future research.