How to raise commitment in public university lecturers

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to qualify the hypothesis that states that the presence of committed workers contributes to organizational success. So, it is necessary to clarify first of all what type of commitment and what kind of success is meant. The article then examines which variables the organization needs to act upon in order to influence it. A survey questionnaire was developed and distributed to academic staff at a public university in Spain. Data were analyzed using two ordered logit models, one for each type of commitment analyzed: affective commitment and continuance commitment. Analysis of the data shows that personal variables have a positive impact on affective commitment, and, while job-related characteristics do not appear to be significant, group variables such as working atmosphere have a positive impact. With respect to continuance commitment, age proved to be negatively significant and possession of a doctorate has a positive influence. The variables used to capture available opportunities to leave the organization are negatively significant. Points for practitionersThe results that emerge can help educational managers to understand the predictors of the different types of commitment and design effective human resource policies. The empirical application is carried out in an organization within the services sector, specifically, a public university in Spain. A further contribution is the incorporation of variables from all categories or groups of antecedents, which permits a thorough diagnosis.

Framework for the Study of Employee Commitment

“…Studies in the recent past (e.g. Bayona-Sáez et al, 2009;Dick, 2011;Giffords, 2009) examined gender and employee commitment. All the above studies were unanimous that gender had a weak correlation with employee commitment.…”

“…Prior studies in the recent past (e.g. Bayona-Sáez et al, 2009;Benligiray & Sonmez, 2013;Innocenti et al, 2013) related education levels to employee commitment. However, from the studies above, some gaps emerge.…”

“…However, from the studies above, some gaps emerge. For instance, the studies by Benligiray and Sonmez (2013) related education to continuance commitment, the studies Innocenti et al (2013) and Bayona-Sáez et al (2009) related it to affective commitment. Besides, all the above studies used a quantitative approach and were carried out in western world.…”

“…They explain that working couples have difficulties in making arrangements for their children and career responsibilities. However, Bayona-Sáez et al (2009) suggest otherwise indicating that marital status enhances employee commitment. This is because marital status increases workers' family responsibilities which make employees with family responsibilities more reliant (continuance commitment) on the organisation to fulfil their financial needs.…”

Organizational Commitment and Leadership in Higher Education Institutions

“…Faculty members' organizational commitment goes up with increases in salary, because they feel more valued based on salary (Khan, Shah, Dajjad, Khan & Khan, 2013;O´Meara, 2014). Faculty can feel satisfied with teaching and researching thereby increasing their organizational commitment (Bayona, Goñi, & Madorrán, 2009). In addition, faculty who work in a pleasant atmosphere, where they perceive positive organizational support (POS) (Baotham, 2011), socialization of campus values (Lawrence, Ott, & Bell, 2012), and where they notice they have opportunities for promotion and advancement, possess positive organizational commitment (Bayona, et al, 2009).…”