Correlates of Organizational Commitment Among Governing Board Members (Human Service Organizations, Directors).

The applicability of a model of organizational commitment was examined among human service governing board members. The primary goal was to identify correlates of organizational commitment among various personal characteristics, role-related factors, work experiences, and structural factors. In addition, the relationship between commitment and various behavioral indicators was examined. A self-administered questionnaire was completed by 126 board members from 20 substance abuse organizations. Three major questions guided the development and implementation of this study: (1) would the concept of "organizational commitment" lend itself to empirical examination among governing board members?, (2) would variables derived from organizational behavior theory account for varying levels of commitment among governing board members?, and (3) would organizational commitment be related to a variety of individual level behavioral indicators? A cross-sectional research design was employed in this study. Stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that the model was able to account for a significant amount of the variance in organizational commitment (R('2) = .62), with four variables as significant independent predictors. Age, personal importance, and executive director support were positively associated with commitment, while role tension emerged as a significant negative predictor. Zero-order correlations showed that commitment was significantly and negatively correlated with propensity to leave the board; while positively correlated with attendance and preparation at board meetings. These findings support the model of organizational commitment as developed by Mowday, Porter, and Steers (1982). Organizational commitment among governing board members was determined by considerations of individual-organization exchange, with variables assessed in terms of their cost, benefit, investment, or alternative value. These findings are also in agreement with prior research in that commitment was found to predict various individual level behaviors, supporting the conceptual link between work-related attitudes and employee behaviors.PhDOccupational psychologyUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/160694/1/8520942.pd