Predicting different commitment components: The relative effects of how career development HRM practices are perceived
Mary Bambacas
International Graduate School of Business, University of South Australia, Adelaide SA
Prashant Bordia
School of Management, University of South Australia, City West Campus, Adelaide SA
PP: 224
Abstract
Organizations today expect employees to manage their own career development although some will provide extra opportunities. We do not know exactly how career self-management impacts on employees' organizational commitment in terms of affective, normative and continuance components.
This paper is based on the model of organizational commitment put forward by Meyer and Allen (1997). We propose that organizational HRM and career self-management influence employee perceptions (such as perceived support) and the three components of commitment in different ways. Data from 196 managers showed that organizational career development (OCD) practices, were positively related to employee perceptions and the three components of commitment. On the other hand, career self-management was negatively correlated with normative commitment.
These results have implications for the career development alternatives that organizations provide to employees.
Keywords
organizational commitment, career self-management, career development, perceptions, affective, normative, continuance
Article Text
Organizations value employees for gains in individual performance which lead to organizational effectiveness (Skerlavaj, Stemberger, Skrinjar & Dimovski 2007; Zheng, Morrison & O'Neil 2006; Beck & Wilson 2000; Parker et al 2003; Suliman & Iles 2000) and see them as a critical source of competitive advantage (Gottschalg & Zollo 2007).
Organizations utilize human resource management (HRM) practices such as training and development to enhance employee organizational commitment (Ulrich 1997). A major contributor to a committed workforce is career development which organizations provide through opportunities that advance their employees' future career prospects (ie organizational career management; De Vos, Dewettinck & Buyens 2008; Sturges, Guest, Conway & Mackenzie Davey 2002). Although organizations may provide opportunities for employees to develop their careers, increasingly the responsibility for career management lies with the individual (ie career self- management; Lips-Wiersma & Hall 2007).
The trend is for employers to offer formal interventions, such as training, to help employees learn to manage their own careers (Brockner & Lee 1995). Organizations gain greater flexibility and minimize their internal labor market costs if they devolve career management to the employee (Van Buren 2003; Baruch 2006 & Lips-Wiersma & Hall 2007). However, this practice may undermine employee commitment to the organization. Consequently, the main focus of this paper was to investigate and compare the effects of the two types of career management practices (ie organizational and self-management) on organizational commitment.
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