Table of Contents
Description
This measure, Organizational Commitment scale (OC) developed by Jaros, Jermier, Koehler, and Sincich (1993), describes affective organizational commitment with 14 bipolar adjective items. Using a 7-point scale with two extreme emotional responses as end anchors, respondents are asked to report the degree of feelings they usually experience when thinking of their employing organization. Other measures of affective commitment use a Likert-type format, possibly tapping cogni tive beliefs about emotional attachments more than the feelings themselves (Jaros et al., 1993). Although there is usually a strong relationship between beliefs and feelings toward a referent, the bipolar adjective approach may enable measurement of a more purely affective domain of experience (Jaros et al., 1993).
Reliability
Coefficient alpha was .94 (Jaros et al., 1993).
Validity
In three validation studies, this measure of affective commitment correlated positively with Meyer and Allen’s (1997) measure of affective commitment and an independent moral commitment measure. Affective commitment measured with bipolar adjectives correlated negatively with role conflict and role ambiguity, thinking of quitting, search intentions, and intent to quit (Jaros et al., 1993).
Source
Jaros, S. J., Jermier, J.M., Koehler, J. W., & Sincich, T. (1993). Effects of continuance, affective, and moral commitment on the withdrawal process: An evaluation of eight structural equation models. Academy of Management Journal, 36(5), 951-996. © 1993 by Academy of Management. Items were taken from the appendix, p. 994. Reproduced with permission of Academy of Management in the format textbook via Copyright Clearance Center.
Items
Instructions and items:
Most people have specific feelings about their employing organization. When you think of your employing organization, what feelings do you expe rience? Please choose the number which best represents your feelings and enter it to the right of each question.
The 14 bipolar adjective items are presented in the following format: Cold 2 3 4 5 6 7 Warm
The other anchor pairs are:
- Hate-love
- Affection-contempt (R)
- Detachment-belonging Loyalty-disloyalty (R)
- Boredom-excitement
- Sadness-happiness
- Disgust-fondness
- Comfort-discomfort (R)
- Lifelessness-spiritedness
- Anger-peace
- Ecstasy-agony (R)
- Pleasure-pain (R)
- Despair-hope
Items denoted with (R) are reverse scored.