Relationship of Personality to Organizational Commitment: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

The authors conducted a meta-analysis to investigate the relationship of the five-factor model of personality (extraversion, emotional stability, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience) to three forms of organizational commitment (affective, normative, and continuance commitment). A meta-analysis of 30 studies showed extraversion was the strongest correlate of affective commitment, followed by conscientiousness and agreeableness. Results indicated that agreeableness had the most significant association with normative commitment. Continuance commitment was unrelated to all the five personality traits. Potential moderators such as measurement of organizational commitment and geographical locations were evaluated due to significant variation across studies in the findings for most of the relationships between personality traits and all the three forms of commitment. Implications for research and practice are considered.