Meaningful Workplaces: Reframing How and Where We Work

Employee Commitment

There seems to be a chicken-and-egg dilemma in the literature as to which came first, engagement or commitment. Scholars have been studying the psychology of commitment for a while and describe it as both a “willingness to persist in a course of action and reluctance to change plans, often owing to a sense of obligation to stay the course” (Vance, 2006, p. 4). Personal, work, and organizational commitment are portrayed in different ways. For example, people may go above and beyond to fulfill their work responsibilities as well as their family, personal, community, and spiritual obligations. Commitment can also emerge emotionally, in terms of people experiencing and expressing positive feelings about other people or events. ...