The Organizational Commitment Questionnaire (OCQ)

Background and Development of the OCQ:

The OCQ was developed at a time when organizations were increasingly recognizing the importance of employee commitment as a key driver of productivity and organizational success. Mowday, Steers, and Porter set out to create a comprehensive tool that could measure different facets of employee commitment and help organizations understand and manage this critical aspect of their workforce.

The OCQ was developed through a rigorous process of research and validation. The initial version of the questionnaire contained 15 items, and it was administered to employees from various organizations to gather data. The researchers then used statistical techniques, including factor analysis, to refine the questionnaire and identify the underlying dimensions of organizational commitment. Through this iterative process, they arrived at the three-component model of organizational commitment that the OCQ is known for today.

Organizational Commitment Questionnaire (OCQ) helps measure employee’s organizational commitment. It is a 15-item scale developed by Mowday, Steers and Porter ( Mowday et al., 1979) and uses a 5-point Likert type response format, with 3 factors that can describe this commitment:

  • willingness to exert effort,
  • desire to maintain membership in the organization, and
  • acceptance of organizational values.
The Organizational Commitment Questionnaire (OCQ) is a 15-item scale developed by Mowday, Steers, and Porter in 1979. It is designed to measure an employee’s commitment to their organization. The OCQ uses a 5-point Likert-type response format, with three factors that can describe this commitment: willingness to exert effort, desire to maintain membership in the organization, and acceptance of organizational values .The OCQ has been widely used in research and practice to measure organizational commitment. It has been found to have good predictive, convergent, and discriminant validity, as well as satisfactory test-retest reliabilities and internal consistency reliabilities . Norms for males and females are also available based on the available sample .The OCQ has been used in various studies to investigate the relationship between organizational commitment and other variables, such as job satisfaction, turnover, and absenteeism. It has also been used to compare levels of organizational commitment across different groups, such as employees in different industries or countries.

Significance and Impact of the OCQ:

The OCQ has had a profound impact on both academia and the business world. Here are some key reasons for its significance:

  1. Enhanced Understanding of Employee Commitment: The OCQ revolutionized the way researchers and practitioners conceptualize and measure organizational commitment. Its three-component model provides a more nuanced view of commitment than previous models, which typically treated commitment as a monolithic construct.
  2. Predictive Validity: Numerous studies have demonstrated the OCQ’s predictive validity regarding important organizational outcomes. High levels of affective commitment have been linked to lower turnover, higher job performance, and greater willingness to exert extra effort on behalf of the organization.
  3. Practical Applications: The OCQ has been widely adopted by organizations as a diagnostic tool. It helps managers identify employees’ commitment profiles, which can inform retention strategies, talent management, and employee engagement initiatives.
  4. Research Advancements: The OCQ has served as a foundation for extensive research on commitment and related topics, such as organizational citizenship behavior, job satisfaction, and work engagement. It has spurred further investigation into the antecedents and consequences of commitment.

Enduring Relevance:

Despite being developed over four decades ago, the OCQ remains relevant today for several reasons:

  1. Stability of the Concept: The underlying concepts of affective, continuance, and normative commitment are still widely accepted and continue to shape contemporary research on employee commitment.
  2. Organizational Challenges: Employee commitment remains a critical factor in addressing contemporary organizational challenges such as talent retention, employee well-being, and organizational culture.
  3. Global Applicability: The OCQ has been adapted and validated in various cultural contexts, making it applicable to organizations worldwide.
  4. Technological Advancements: The OCQ can be administered online, making it easier for organizations to collect and analyze data on employee commitment in today’s digital age.

The Organizational Commitment Questionnaire (OCQ)

1 1. I am willing to put in a great deal of effort beyond that normally expected in order to help this organization be successful. (1) strongly disagree (7) strongly agree
2 2. I talk up this organization to my friends as a great organization to work for.
3 3. I feel very little loyalty to this organization. (R)
4 4. I would accept almost any type of job assignment in order to keep working for this organization.
5 5. I find that my values and the organization’s values are very similar.
6 6. I am proud to tell others that I am part of this organization.
7 7. I could just as well be working for a different organization as long as the type of work was similar. (R)
8 8. This organization really inspires the very best in me in the way of job performance.
9 9. It would take very little change in my present circumstances to cause me to leave this organization. (R)
10 10. I am extremely glad that I chose this organization to work for over others I was considering at the time I joined.
11 11. There’s not too much to be gained by sticking with this organization indefinitely. (R)
12 12. Often. I find it difficult to agree with this organization’s policies on important matters relating to its employees. (R)
13 13. I really care about the fate of this organization.
14 14. For me this is the best of all possible organizations for which to work.
15 15. Deciding to work for this organization was a definite mistake on my part. (R)


1. I am willing to put in a great deal of effort beyond that normally expected in order to help this organization be successful.
2. I talk up this organization to my friends as a great organization to work for.
3. I would accept almost any type of job assignment in order to keep working for this organization.
4. I find that my values and the organizations values are similar.
5. I am proud to tell others that I am part of this organization.
6. This organization really inspires the very best in me in the way of job performance.
7. I am extremely glad that I chose this organization to work for over others I was considering at the time I joined.
8. I really care about the fate of this organization.
9. For me this is the best of all possible organizations for which to work.

Porter‚ L. W. & Smith‚ F. J.(1970). The etiology of organizational commitment. Unpublished manuscript‚ University of California at Irvine.

Mowday‚ R. T.‚ Steers‚ R. M. & Porter‚ L. W. (1979). The Measurement of organizational commitment. Journal of Vocational Behavior‚ 14‚ 224-247.

Mowday‚ R. T.‚ Porter‚ L. W. & Steers‚ R. M. (1982). Employee-organization linkages: The psychology of commitment ‚ absenteeism‚ and turnover. New York: Academic Press.

Douglas. Stephen Michael. (2010). Department of Educational Leadership‚ Policy‚ and Technology Studies. University of Alabama. Doctoral dissertation.

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