The Stability of Organizational Commitment

Abstract

Whereas a number of longitudinal studies have examined organizational commitment (OC), a more comprehensive examination of the forms of consistency in OC has never been conducted. Consistent with the dispositional view of commitment (Becker, 1960), adaptation-level theory (Helson, 1948), and opponent process theory (Solomon & Corbit, 1973, 1974), a meta- analytic examination of 78 studies revealed that all three OC mindsets have a relatively high level of rank-order consistency: affective (AC, = .75, N = 14,758, k = 50), continuance (CC, = .72, N = 538, k = 4), and normative (NC, = .79, N = 706, k = 2). In contrast, meta-analytic analyses of mean-level consistency revealed a small negative trajectory for AC ( = -.17, N = 35, 272, k = 76), a slight positive trajectory for CC ( = .11, N = 1,108, k = 3), and less mean-level change for NC ( = -.06, N = 1, 504, k = 2). Several potential moderators for AC stability were tested including age, tenure, and measure. In addition, a unique survey archive allows for an examination of intraindividual change in AC and CC components over a twelve year period for a sample of 183 U.S. Army officers. Second-order factor latent growth curve modeling revealed that AC and CC low alternatives (CCloalt) displayed positive trajectories while CC high sacrafices (CChisac) was relatively stable over time. The greater change in AC, the greater change rate in both CCloalt and CChisac. These findings have theoretical implications for theories about socialization, work adjustment, and turnover as well as applied implications for the timing of interventions designed to enhance OC.