Assessing organizational ethics and career satisfaction through career commitment

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between an employee’s beliefs about organizational ethics, career commitment (CC), affective commitment (AC) and career satisfaction (CS). The model expands the earlier work commitment models with CS as the outcome variable. Design/methodology/approach – Subjects were drawn from a 2014 survey of frontline and middle level executives from the insurance sector in India using a structured questionnaire from six Indian insurance companies, 252 were analyzed with structural equation modeling. Findings – The results indicate that executive perceptions about organizational ethics are important for both commitment and satisfaction. Ethical practices at work have a positive outcome on CC, AC and CS. The role of career commitment as a mediator in the relationship between ethics, AC and CS is evident. Research limitations/implications – It is a cross-section study restricted to a single group with similar demographic characteristics. Hence, generalizability of the findings need further research among different groups. Common method variance is addressed using Harman single factor test. Practical/implications – By working out ethical practices in the organization and developing a culture with clarity in business policies and financial constraints to stakeholders, the organizations can win employee commitment and satisfaction. Originality/value – The theoretical contribution of this paper lies in its inclusive approach encompassing the ethical belief of individual with commitment and CS. It differs from earlier studies that have shown the influence of protestant work ethic on commitment. It highlights the similarities and differences between several work commitment models developed in a western context, and the model that we have developed in the Indian context.