Types of Organisational Outcomes of Organisational Commitment

This article defines organisational commitment and discusses the types of organisational outcomes it can lead to. It also explores two strategies supported in the academic literature that can increase organisational commitment.

Question 1  Define the term ‘Organisational Commitment’ and describe the types of
organisational outcomes it might lead to.
Answer 1  Organisational commitment is defined as a psychological attachment that the
employees of a company feel towards their organisation. Employees that demonstrate high
levels of organisational commitment are those who feel that they fit in the organisation and in
the jobs given to them. They understand the goals that are set for them and contribute best of
their efforts towards the achievement of organisational goals and objectives (Lok &
Crawford, 2004). Organisational commitment is becoming increasingly importance in human
resource management because it can have benefits for employees as well as for the
companies. Some outcomes of organisational commitment are discussed below:
First of all, employees who are committed to their jobs show greater levels of job satisfaction,
even when there are times when the job becomes boring or monotonous. Employees with
higher organisation commitment develop a positive psychological contract towards their
employer and are ready to go an extra mile for the achievement of individual as well as
organisational goals and objectives (Singh & Gupta, 2915).
Secondly, organisational commitment can help an organisation in bringing down absenteeism
and labour turnover rates. Employees cannot be satisfied with their jobs throughout their
career paths, but employees with higher organisational commitment show a lesser tendency
to quit even when they experience periods of job dissatisfaction. Organisational commitment
not only helps in bringing down labour turnover ratios but can also be helpful in retaining a
talented pool of employees and establishing a firm image in the market as an employer.
Thirdly, organisational commitment has also been found to have an impact on the
organisational citizenship behaviour of the employees. Organisational citizenship behaviour
is defined as the discretionary actions performed by an employee that are not listed in the job
descriptions of the employees. Looking after the interests of an organisation or ensuring the
well-being of co-workers are examples of organisational citizenship behaviour.
Organisational citizenship behaviour, as an outcome of organisational commitment, can
improve the workplace culture of an organisation and can make it a good place to work in
(Devece, et al., 2016).

References:
Devece, C., Palacios-Marqués, D. & Alguacil, M. P., 2016. Organizational commitment and
its effects on organizational citizenship behavior in a high-unemployment environment.
Journal of Business Research, 69(5), pp. 1857-1861.
Lok, P. & Crawford, J., 2004. The effect of organisational culture and leadership style on job
satisfaction and organisational commitment: A cross-national comparison. Journal of
management development, 23(4), pp. 321-338.
Singh, A. & Gupta, B., 2915. Job involvement, organizational commitment, professional
commitment, and team commitment: A study of generational diversity. Benchmarking: An
International Journal, 22(6), pp. 1192-1211.

Question 2  Briefly describe two strategies, supported in the academic literature, that
might lead to Organisational Commitment.
Answer 2  Organisational commitment, as discussed above, can have multiple positive
outcomes for the employees as well as for the employers. As a result, contemporary business
organizations are trying their best to implement workplace strategies that could help them in
increasing the level of organisational commitment in their employees. The only way in which
an organisational can ensure high levels of organisational commitments is by ensuring the
best work conditions for its employees. Two strategies that can be used to increase the level
of organisational commitment are discussed below:
Work-Life Balance:
Work-life balance is a concept that has been gaining a lot of importance in the past few
decades. With the work lives and personal lives becoming more complex, employees have
started feeling burnouts more often than ever. It has become difficult for the employees to
manage their work obligations and family obligations side by side, which can sometimes lead
to job dissatisfaction and lack of organisational commitment (Pradhan, et al., 2016). Business
organisations can implement strategies that are aimed at improving the work life balance of
the employees, which would not only make them more committed towards their organisation
but would also lead to better job engagement and employee performance levels.
Goal-Setting:
Employees generally prefer to work for an organisation that can ensure a good future for
them. They also want to work towards the achievement of goals and objectives that are
clearly defined and shared with them by their employer. By setting achievable and clear goals
for the employees, an organisation can ensure that the employees remain engaged in their
jobs. Further, managers can also communicate openly about the goals, expectations and the
performance levels with the employees, which would help in keeping the system transparent
and foster an increased sense of belongingness amongst the employees (Chang, et al., 2016).

Organisational commitment can sometimes be difficult to achieve and can require more than
just two strategies but the two strategies discussed above can surely start a process that would
definitely foster a sense of commitment amongst the employees.
References:
Chang, K. et al., 2016. HR practice, organisational commitment & citizenship behaviour: a
study of primary school teachers in Taiwan. Employee Relations, 38(6), pp. 907-926.
Pradhan, R. K., Jena, L. K. & Kumari, I. G., 2016. Effect of work–life balance on
organizational citizenship behaviour: Role of organizational commitment. Global Business
Review, 17(3_suppl), pp. 15S-29S.