Commitment in the Workplace

Book excerpt: What is a committed employee? Are employees who are committed better or worse off than employees who are uncommitted? What are the organizational advantages and disadvantages of having a committed workforce? Commitment in the Workplace provides an overview of academic and popular perspectives on what committed employees look like and how they become committed. The multiple faces of commitment are examined as are the links that have been established between the various forms of commitment and organizational behavior. In addition, questions concerning individual differences, organizational characteristics, and work experiences associated with commitment are explored. The book concludes with a discussion of what organizations can do to manage commitment effectively, including commitment under more difficult circumstances, such as merger/acquisition, downsizing, and relocation. One of the great strengths of the book is that it summarizes the key organizational commitment research in such a way that the research findings can be evaluated for both their scientific merit and their practical value. The primary audience for Commitment in the Workplace includes students in MBA and executive MBA programs, researchers, and students and practitioners in the fields of organizational behavior and industrial psychology.