Contributions of self and organisational efficacy expectations to commitment. A fourfold typology
| Pages | 142-155 |
| Date | 04 January 2008 |
| Published date | 04 January 2008 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/01425450810843339 |
| Author | Mark van Vuuren,Menno D.T. de Jong,Erwin R. Seydel |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour |
Contributions of self and
organisational efficacy
expectations to commitment
A fourfold typology
Mark van Vuuren, Menno D.T. de Jong and Erwin R. Seydel
Institute for Behavioural Research, University of Twente, Enschede,
The Netherlands
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to investigate the main and combined effects of self-efficacy
and organisational efficacy on three dimensions of organisational commitment. A fourfold typology of
employees is proposed and tested.
Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire was sent to employees of a chemical plant. Data
were analyzed using dichotomisation and moderated multiple regression.
Findings – Both organisational efficacy and, to a lesser extent, self-efficacy contribute to affective,
normative and continuance commitment. The results concerning the fourfold typology are promising
when reviewing the median split technique, but a hierarchical multiple regression test of interaction
between self-efficacy and organisational efficacy does not fulfil this promise.
Research limitations/implications – As the self-efficacy hypotheses especially did not meet
expectations, the authors suggest another way of assessing self-efficacy in organisational contexts.
Practical implications – The results stress the contribution of organisational efficacy perceptions
to commitment, leading to new opportunities for managing commitment. The role of feedback about
organisational successes and failures appears to be crucial.
Originality/value – This attempt to build a typology by considering the efficacy expectations of
employees regarding both themselves and their organisation opens up a route to further
individualisation of employees and their relations to work.
Keywords Employee attitudes,Job satisfaction, Organizationaleffectiveness
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
There are certain goals that are so complex and time-consuming that it would be
literally inhuman to ask one person to accomplish them. The existence of such
super-ordinate goals is one of the main reasons why organisations exist (Keyton, 2005):
different people with their own capacities and backgrounds are needed to achieve
them. As the interdependence of an organisation and its members is vital for success,
one has to have a clear understanding of the “fit” between a person and the
organisation.
In the context of organisations, several lines of research deal with this interaction to
understand the behaviour of organisational members. The concept of
person-environment fit (Edwards, 1991; Kristof, 1996), for example, focuses on the
evaluation of the environment by an individual, leading to attitudes such as
commitment (Cable and DeRue, 2002) and job satisfaction (Kalliath et al., 1999).
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/0142-5455.htm
ER
30,2
142
Received 13 February 2007
Revised 2 July 2007
Accepted 3 July 2007
Employee Relations
Vol. 30 No. 2, 2008
pp. 142-155
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
0142-5455
DOI 10.1108/01425450810843339
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