An Analysis of the Concept of Organizational

ORIGINAL
Blackwell
Malden,
Nursing
NUF
XXX
1744-6198
0029-6473
An ARTICLES
Forum
USA
Publishing
Analysis of Inc
the Concept of Organizational Commitment

Commitment

Shwu-Ru Liou, MHA, PhD, RN

TOPIC. Building organizational commitment. Shwu-Ru Liou, MHA, PhD, RN, is Assistant Professor,
Department of Nursing, Chang Gung Institute of
PURPOSE. This paper aims to analyze the concept Technology at Chiayi Campus, Taiwan.

of organizational commitment, including its Background

attributes, antecedents, outcomes, and
measurements.
SOURCES OF INFORMATION.
MEDLINE, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences
Collection, Sociological Collection, and PubMed.
CONCLUSION.
organizational commitment, administrators and
nurses can become more aware of their levels of
CINAHL,
By understanding the concept of
An organization and its staff forge a tight bond; one
cannot exist without the other. On one hand, an organ-
ization provides financial and psychological support
for its staff, and it gives its employees opportunities
to advance professionally. On the other hand, an
organization’s success depends heavily on the commit-
ment and participation of its employees. As employees
become more committed to their organization, the
employee retention rate improves, which in turn
reduces operating costs. Employee performance and
efficiency also improve in a high-commitment
environment (Meyer & Allen, 1997; Morrow, 1993).
Clearly, organizational commitment should be highly
valued in any kind of organization.

commitment, bridge gaps in communication, and

eventually provide higher-quality care to clients. As employees become more committed to

Search terms: Commitment, concept analysis, their organization, the employee retention

nurses, organizational commitment rate improves, which in turn reduces

operating costs.

In healthcare organizations, nurses, the largest

group of care providers, provide high-quality services
to their clients. In the United States, the demand for
nurses is expected to increase while the actual supply
of nurses grows smaller. How can healthcare organi-
zations operate with fewer nurses and still provide the
necessary high-quality services? One answer may be
the fostering of organizational commitment among

116 © (2008), The Author

Journal Compilation © (2008), Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
nurses. Researchers have empirically studied predictors
of employees’ intentions to leave their current job
using various theoretical approaches. In business
settings, organizational commitment was found to be
a stronger predictor of turnover than job satisfaction
or professional commitment (Brierley, 1996; Fang, 2001;
Kacmar, Carlson, & Brymer, 1999). In nursing studies,
however, the focus has been on job satisfaction and
professional commitment as predictors of intent to
leave (Larrabee, Janney, & Ostrow, 2003; Shields &
Ward, 2001; Sourdif, 2004).
Thus, little is known about the role of
organizational commitment in a nurse’s
decision to leave the job.
Thus, little is known about the role of organizational
commitment in a nurse’s decision to leave the job.
Moreover, a search of the CINAHL, Psychology and
Behavioral Sciences Collection, Sociological Collection,
PubMed, and MEDLINE databases revealed few
articles on organizational commitment as a concept in
the nursing discipline. Yet, organizational commitment
may be essential to the effectiveness and stability of
healthcare organizations. Especially in today’s
business environment, it is crucial that healthcare
administrators understand what organizational com-
mitment is and how it can improve the operational
effectiveness of their organizations. Those adminis-
trators should be aware of situations that affect the
degree that nurses feel committed to the organization
and seek ways to strengthen that commitment and to
encourage nurses to participate in organizational
activities.
Nursing Forum Volume 43, No. 3, July-September 2008
Yet, organizational commitment may be
essential to the effectiveness and stability of
healthcare organizations.
Method
This study adopts the seven-stage strategy for
concept analysis developed by Walker and Avant
(2005, p. 65): “(a) determine the aims or purposes of
analysis, (b) identify all uses of the concept, (c) determine
the defining attributes, (d) identify a model case, (e)
identify borderline, related, contrary, invented, and
illegitimate cases, (f) identify antecedents and
consequences, and (g) define empirical referents.” In
addition, Walker and Avant stressed that it is important
to look beyond one’s own discipline to determine all
applications of a concept. Overall, this method provides
clear procedures for analyzing a concept.
Aims of This Analysis of Organizational
Commitment
The purpose of the current study is to provide
reference information for healthcare administrators to
evaluate their nurses’ commitment to the unit and
identify factors that influence each nurse’s level of
commitment. In addition, the study enables nurses to
assess their own commitment levels and investigate
reasons why their levels of commitment are low, if
that is the case. The final goal is to give healthcare
administrators and nurses the ability to bridge gaps in
communication. The expected outcomes of increased
organizational commitment are improved employee
retention and better job performance, benefits that
translate into higher-quality care to clients.
117
An Analysis of the Concept of Organizational Commitment
The Uses of the Concept
The Construct of Commitment
The Collins Cobuild English Dictionary (Sinclair, 1995)
defines commitment as “(a) a strong belief in an idea or
system, (b) something regularly taking up some of
your time because of an agreement you have made or
because of responsibilities that you have, and (c)
promising faithfully you will do it” (p. 321). The
Merriam-Webster Dictionary (1999) defines commitment
as “an act of committing to a charge or trust, an agree-
ment or pledge to do something in the future” (p. 231).
The literature of organizational behavior throws
further light on this construct. Commitment empowers
individuals and stabilizes their behavior under different
circumstances. In effect, commitment is a high-level
psychological and social attachment to someone or
something in a social endeavor (Alexander & Tyree,
1996). It encompasses expectations of personal benefits,
elements of moral character, and investments of
devotion and dedication (Etzioni, 1975).
The Concept of Organizational Commitment
Organizational commitment has several theoretical
definitions. According to Weiner (1982), organizational
commitment reflects one’s persistence in making
sacrifice to the good of the organization, and it indicates
the person’s preoccupation with the organization, as
evidenced by the person’s devotion of personal time to
organizational activities. Researchers stated that
organizational commitment entails a belief in and
acceptance of organizational goals and values, a
willingness to exert effort on behalf of the organization,
and a strong desire to maintain membership in the
organization (Porter, Steers, Mowday, & Boulian,
1974). It is a general affective stance toward the
organization as a whole, and it develops slowly but
consistently over time (Mowday, Steers, & Porter,
1979). Still (1983) defined organizational commitment
as an individual’s psychological bond to the organization,
118
the job, or the career, a bond that comprises an affect
for and attachment to the organization.
More specifically, organizational commitment has
at least three theoretical realizations: affective, con-
tinuance, and normative. Affective commitment is an
individual’s attachment to, identification with, and
involvement in an organization. The degree of such
commitment depends on the strength of positive
feelings toward the organization and willingness to
increase one’s emotional bond to that organization
(Manion, 2004; Mowday et al., 1979). This kind of
commitment is often a result of events, actions, and
policies by which the organization creates positive
emotional connections with members of the work
group. Employees with a strong affective commitment
work in the organization because they want to (Meyer
& Allen, 1997), and they are intrinsically willing to
exert great effort on behalf of the organization.
More specifically, organizational
commitment has at least three theoretical
realizations: affective, continuance, and
normative.
An affective commitment among employees improves
the operational aspects of the organization. Such
improvements include greater job satisfaction and
involvement, as well as increases in job performance. In
addition, behaviors of good citizenship become more
widespread, turnover rates fall, and employees have
more opportunities to develop leadership skills
(Meyer & Allen, 1997; Morrow, 1993).
Normative commitment arises from an individual’s
sense of obligation to the organization and reflects the
degree that one’s values and beliefs conform to those
Nursing Forum Volume 43, No. 3, July-September 2008
of the organization (Manion, 2004; Meyer & Allen,
1997). When goals or values are shared, the individual
is more likely to regard obedience to the authority and
norms of the group as appropriate. Normative com-
mitment relates positively to performance, but not as
strongly as affective commitment (Karrasch, 2003).
Continuance or calculative commitment that derives
from socioeconomic factors (Swailes, 2002) reflects the
employees’ awareness of the relative benefits associated
with staying or leaving an organization. Employees
with continuance commitment may perform only as
required to keep their jobs. In fact, no relationship has
been found between continuance commitment and
performance (Meyer & Allen, 1997).
Stages in the Development of Organizational
Commitment
Commitment has five stages of development
(Brickman, Sorrentino, & Wortman, 1987). These stages,
which characterize the individual’s dynamic interac-
tion with the environment, are exploration, testing,
passion, quiet boredom, and integration. Each
stage creates the conditions for the next, but an
awareness of all five stages gives insights into how
individuals become committed. The first stage is the
exploratory stage of commitment in which individuals
explore the consequences of a positive relationship
with the organization. Commitments begin when
these explorations lead to a positive orientation
toward the organization. The second stage is the
testing stage of commitment. Individuals discover
negative elements of the organization and start to
assess their willingness and ability to deal with those
elements. Individuals may seek more information to
help them decide whether to continue the employment
relationship.
The third stage is the passionate stage of commitment.
After synthesizing the positive and negative elements
from Stages 1 and 2, individuals develop a positive
attitude toward their organization and willingly com-
mit themselves to its goals and values. Not only are
Nursing Forum Volume 43, No. 3, July-September 2008
they accepting of the organization, they are willing to
contribute to its well-being. The fourth stage is the
quiet-and-bored stage of commitment. Individuals feel
that organizational activities have fallen into a
humdrum because of the routine procedures in their
job. Individuals may start seeking work that is more
challenging. The fifth stage is the integrated stage of
commitment. Individuals have integrated both the
positive and negative elements of the organization
into a commitment that is now more flexible, complex,
and enduring than earlier forms of bonding. Individuals
are able to act out their commitment as a matter of
habit. Furthermore, their ambition to maintain a good
relationship with their organization is stronger.
The Defining Attributes of Commitment
The research literature implies that commitment is
directed at “something or someone.” Actually,
individuals are never merely committed to someone,
something, or both; they are also psychologically
attached. Commitment, therefore, can have myriad
contexts, few of which have been studied in nursing
settings. Because this article focuses on commitment in
the organization, it uses the term someone to refer to
the organizational entity and the term something to refer
to a goal or a set of values held by the organization.
According to the literature, commitment is a
dynamic process of interaction between the person
and his or her environment. As employees become
more involved in their organization, the nature of their
commitment changes. First, commitment goes through
stages of development, and, second, commitment
varies in degree (Brickman et al., 1987; Manion, 2004).
If a person is to be committed to someone, something,
or both, it is evident that the person must be accepting
of that someone or something. This acceptance, which
occurs in the first and second stages (exploration and
testing) of commitment development, plays the first
significant part in defining commitment. Willingness
to contribute, which takes place in the third stage
(passion) of commitment development, appears after
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An Analysis of the Concept of Organizational Commitment
one has accepted the organization and is now willing
to contribute to its operation. As persons become more
involved in the life of the organization and have had
time to develop a sturdy and positive affirmation of
that organization’s goals and values, they show a
strong inclination to support the organization and its
goals. Individuals reach the highest level of com-
mitment (integration) when they internalize the
organization and its goals and values into their own
cognitive patterns and habits (Brickman et al.). Com-
mitment, however, is more than belief, which is a
static expression of personal judgment on something
(Merriam-Webster, 2005); rather, it is a combination of
strong belief and purposeful action (Manion; Mowday
et al., 1979).
According to the literature, commitment is
a dynamic process of interaction between
the person and his or her environment.
As employees become more involved
in their organization, the nature of their
commitment changes.
Implicit in the various constructs of commitment is
that it springs from an individual’s attitude toward
someone and something. Attitude is defined as “a
mental position with regard to a fact or a state; a
feeling or emotion toward a fact or state” (Merriam-
Webster, 2005). In other words, attitude is an affect—a
feeling that has active consequences—that arises
within an individual toward someone or something.
In addition, according to the literature, commitment is
120
bound by time and space. Thus, organizational
commitment develops slowly but consistently over
time through a process.
In summary, organizational commitment has six
defining attributes or features; namely, organizational
commitment:
1. involves an attachment to the organization and its
goals;
2. expresses itself through interactive processes;
3. implies an acceptance of the organization and its
goals;
4. entails a willingness to contribute to the well-being
of the organization and pursuit of its goals;
5. reflects an attitude toward the organization and its
goals; and
6. is bound by time and space.
Based on those defining attributes, a theoretical
definition of organizational commitment is as follows:
Organizational commitment is an attitude, bound
by time and space and sustained through interactive
processes, that arises from the individual’s acceptance
of the organization’s goals and values, a willingness
to contribute to that organization’s affairs, and
strong desire to maintain a good relationship with
the organization.
Model Case for the Concept
For 6 years Helen has worked as a full-time nurse in
the intensive care unit of a large teaching hospital. She
had previously worked at a small hospital in a small
town, and she was afraid she would not be able to
adjust to the larger hospital environment. After a
while, however, she began to relax in her new situation.
Her unit offered her a flexible work schedule, which
allowed her to arrange time to be with her family.
Periodically, the hospital provided medical services for
charities or sponsored health fairs in local communities.
She was proud of her hospital for those benevolent
Nursing Forum Volume 43, No. 3, July-September 2008
acts, and she enjoyed volunteering for the hospital’s
public-service programs. Moreover, she developed an
enthusiasm for her work inside her unit. Helen
developed a good relationship with her colleagues,
often bringing gifts of food and sharing family
pictures with them. At one point, she said, “We are
like family. I hope I can work here for good.” One day,
the unit manager called for a volunteer to take charge
of an intensive care unit training course for the entire
hospital staff. This task required much time and effort
in planning the course curriculum and arranging for
instructors. Helen volunteered for the opportunity,
and, in time, the training course was successful
because of Helen’s efforts.
“We are like family. I hope I can work here
for good.”
The source of Helen’s success was her positive
attitude toward her unit and hospital. From that
attitude came acceptance of the organizational goals,
an emotional attachment to the hospital and its people,
and her willingness to involve herself in the activities
of the workplace. She required some time, however,
for her relationship with the hospital and her emotional
connections with her coworkers to develop. Her
organizational commitment showed practical results
when she successfully completed a new task entailing
wider responsibilities. Helen had taken on the new
task simply because “She wanted to.”
Related Case
Mary, 26 years old, worked in a medical unit. She
graduated from nursing school as an outstanding
student, and she had expert knowledge in her
Nursing Forum Volume 43, No. 3, July-September 2008
specialty. Although Mary expressed her enjoyment in
working, she had a poor relationship with her
manager and colleagues in the unit. She rarely did
favors for her colleagues, and she was reluctant to get
involved in unit or hospital activities. She said, “I just
work here and get paid for what I do. I am not inter-
ested in anything in this unit or hospital other than my
work.”
We can see that Mary is satisfied with her work
performance, but she has little interest in anything
other than work. In this case, Mary has job satisfaction,
but lacks organizational commitment.
Contrary Case
Soon after graduating from nursing school, Sandy,
23 years old, took a job in a medical center. Before
starting work at the hospital, she told her friends that
she did not like being a nurse. The only reason she
studied nursing, she said, was the insistence of her
parents. In fact, Sandy had little patience in caring for
her patients, and she resented the heavy workload
nurses must bear. To lighten the workload and to
avoid having to work in hospitals and clinics, she
planned to return to school for the advanced
degree and qualifications to teach nursing. Approxi-
mately 2 months after taking the position, Sandy
found another nursing job and left the hospital
without notice.
Sandy’s example is completely contrary to the
model case. She is not interested in understanding the
goals and values of the organization, much less in
adopting them. She is not even committed to nursing
as a career, although she wants to be a nursing
instructor. Finally, she gave no notice when she left
the hospital, a clear sign of her lack of attachment and
commitment.
Related Concepts
Some terms often used to describe commitment do
not turn out to be defining attributes of organizational
121
An Analysis of the Concept of Organizational Commitment
commitment, although they may have relevance.
Examples of such terms are job satisfaction and career
commitment.
Job Satisfaction
Job satisfaction refers to the degree to which
individuals like their jobs (Price & Muller, 1981).
Organizational commitment, which stresses employees’
identification with and attachment to the organiza-
tion’s goal and values, is a broader concept than job
satisfaction, which focuses only on the individual’s
feelings toward the job itself or the task environment
(Mowday et al., 1979). In addition, organizational
commitment develops slowly but consistently over
time, whereas job satisfaction is less stable and not so
bound by time and space, which are apt to be influenced
by environmental factors such as the quality of work
benefits (Mowday et al.).
Career Commitment
Some authors have defined career commitment
according to the series of jobs, vocational choices, and
other work-related activities over the individual’s
lifetime (Arthur, Hall, & Lawrence, 1989). This form of
commitment relates to “one’s attitude towards one’s
profession or vocation” (Blau, 1985, p. 280). Thus, an
individual can be committed to his or her career
despite frequent changes in jobs and organizations.
People with this form of commitment are intensely
and emotionally engaged in their careers, and they are
willing to contribute aggressively to their jobs to the
extent that such contributions further the goals of their
careers rather than their organizations.
From the attributes described above, the related
types of commitment have some of the attributes of
organizational commitment, but their final focus is not
on the goals and values of the organization. Instead,
they emphasize either the job itself or the specific task
environment of the job. In addition, career commitment
is not necessarily bounded by time and space.
122
Organizational commitment, which stresses
employees’ identification with and
attachment to the organization’s goal and
values, is a broader concept than job
satisfaction, which focuses only on the
individual’s feelings toward the job itself
or the task environment (Mowday et al.,
1979).
Antecedents and Consequences of the
Organizational Commitment
From a review of the literature, Steers (1977)
designed and tested a hypothetical model of the
antecedents and outcomes of organizational commit-
ment. According to the results of this tested model,
personal characteristics, job characteristics, and work
experiences are influences on organizational com-
mitment. Personal characteristics include age, education,
and need for achievement. Job characteristics comprise
job challenge, opportunities for social interaction, and
the amount of feedback provided by the job. Work
experience includes group attitudes toward the
organization, organizational dependability and trust,
and one’s personal importance to the organization.
Outcomes of organizational commitment, according to
the model, include increases in employee attendance,
job performance, desire and intent to remain in the job,
and the employee retention rate.
Still’s (1983) later commitment model identified
factors that influence individual commitment. Those
Nursing Forum Volume 43, No. 3, July-September 2008
factors are (a) pre-employment variables, such as
individual attributes, anticipatory socialization, and
job search behaviors; and (b) current employment
variables, such as relationships with work group and
supervisor and job characteristics. The outcome of this
commitment model comprises two parts: (a) satisfaction
with the company as shown by the employees’ desire
and intent to remain; and (b) dissatisfaction with the
company as shown by the high rate of absenteeism
and turnover and attempts to change jobs or
departments.
Other studies also discovered antecedents for
organizational commitment. Those antecedents
include age, education, role stress, job satisfaction,
tenure, rewards, and costs and alternatives (Aryee,
Wyatt, & Min, 1991; Bateman & Strasser, 1984; Reichers,
1985).
The results of studies in nursing are different from
those of studies in other fields. For example, a
qualitative study of 30 nurses (McNeese-Smith, 2001)
identified factors that affect the organizational
commitment of nurses. These factors were learning
opportunities, job satisfaction, retirement plan, mone-
tary benefits, patient care, cultural factors, job security,
and relationship with coworkers. Factors that were
specific to nurses included home and family needs, the
stability of the job, desire to serve and work with
diverse patients in patient care, work values, desire for
a better life for self and family, and cultural factors
(McNeese-Smith). Some research has revealed that a
collectivist orientation is a culture-related predictor of
affective organizational commitment (Chen & Francesco,
2000; Wasti, 2003).
Empowerment is another important antecedent of
organizational commitment among nurses. Researchers
designed and tested a theoretical model to show the
linkage between work empowerment and organiza-
tional trust on one hand, and work satisfaction and
organizational commitment on the other. The researcher
concluded that the empowerment of nurses
strongly affected their organizational trust and had
a positive impact on their job satisfaction and
Nursing Forum Volume 43, No. 3, July-September 2008
affective commitment (Laschinger, Finegan, &
Shamian, 2001).
Empirical Referents for the Organizational
Commitment
Empirical referents are the measures of defined
attributes. To measure effectively the degree of organi-
zational commitment, a combination of quantitative
and qualitative methods is required. A common
research technique for evaluating organizational
commitment is for nurses to submit self-reports describ-
ing the quality of their commitment. Indications of
organizational commitment in those reports would be
statements like “I would be very happy to give this
organization my best effort;” “I really enjoy working
in this unit. We work as a family”; “I would be very
happy to spend the rest of my career with this
organization”; “I am willing to stay in this organiza-
tion no matter what happens to it”; and “Working for
this organization is meaningful for me.” In addition,
quantitative instruments have received wide use,
including the Organizational Commitment Ques-
tionnaire developed by Mowday et al. (1979) and
the Affective, Continuance, and the Normative Com-
mitment Scale developed by Allen and Meyer (1990).
In addition to individual self-reports, another
qualitative method to assess organizational com-
mitment is to observe behaviors directly. For
example, one may be able to collect evidence for
organizational commitment by observing actual
interactions between employees and their adminis-
trators. Interpretations based on such observations,
however, may have to allow for a degree of subjec-
tivity on the part of the observer. Some objective criteria,
however, could be established. For example, an indi-
cation of organizational commitment may be the degree
that individuals voluntarily and enthusiastically
participate in organizational events or join in activities
that meet organizational goals or values. Those events
and activities may or may not be beyond those
associated with the employees’ individual jobs.
123
An Analysis of the Concept of Organizational Commitment
Implications for Nursing
The process of evaluating organizational commit-
ment leads to a better understanding of the concept
itself. For example, administrators can use the ideas of
this analysis as conceptual tools for assessing the level
of organizational commitment among nurses in their
organizations. With that information, they can then
devise means to increase that commitment and build a
more effective organization. Administrators should
also realize that organizational commitment is an
ongoing, dynamic process. By being aware of the
developmental stages of commitment, administrators
can identify where their employees are in the evolution
of organizational commitment and guide those
employees to a desired next stage.
By being aware of the developmental stages
of commitment, administrators can identify
where their employees are in the evolution
of organizational commitment and guide
those employees to a desired next stage.
For nurses, the notion of organizational commitment
helps them become aware of the quality of their
commitment to the organization and articulate their
reasons for remaining in their jobs. Through this type
of self-examination, nurses may find remedies to their
feelings of unhappiness with their jobs or organiza-
tions. Most important is the opening of channels of
communication between administrators and the
nursing staff. Only through open, clear communica-
tions can administrations and nurses reach a mutual
understanding of the other’s needs and establish the
124
level of organizational commitment that builds a long-
lasting, effective work environment for administrators,
nurses, and clients alike.
Author contact: srliou5022@gmail.com, with a copy to the
Editor: nursingforum@gmail.com
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