Employee commitment and organizational policies

Purpose – To propose new commitment construct‐policy commitment, and to examine the influence of attitude, role clarity, and role conflict on policy commitment, as well as the influence of policy commitment on citizenship behavior. Design/methodology/approach – Using a self‐report questionnaire and a sample of 148 workers in a rural manufacturing plant, we use structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques to examine the effects of attitude, role clarity, and role conflict on policy commitment, as well as the effect of policy commitment on the conscientiousness and civic virtue dimensions of citizenship behavior. Findings – SEM revealed that attitudes and role clarity positively influenced policy commitment, and that policy commitment positively influenced conscientiousness and civic virtue. Research limitations/implications – Our sample is relatively small ( N =148) and largely homogeneous, which may limit its generalizability. A number of additional research opportunities are suggested in the study, including those designed to further explore the nature of the policy commitment construct and those designed to examine its relationship with other known commitment antecedents and outcomes. Implications for practitioners and researchers are suggested. Originality/value – Commitment in organizations has long been conceptualized as acceptance of organizational goals and dedicated effort on behalf of the organization itself. However, we believe this conceptualization of commitment may be considerably less salient in today's highly mobile work environment. This study introduces the construct of policy commitment, a conceptualization of commitment as belief in and proactive endorsement of specific courses of action (i.e. policies) that embody the values resident within organizations.