The employer’s commitment: Conceptualization, development, and validation of a scale

Abstract

This research aimed to achieve two sequential objectives: (1) to provide conceptual support for the idea of organizational commitment toward employees (the employer’s commitment), showing differences in concepts such as perceived organizational support, high commitment work systems, human resource (HR) philosophy, and psychological contracts, and (2) to develop a scale to measure employer’s commitment. To define the construct, we extrapolated the three-component model (TCM) dimensions (affective, continuance, and normative) from the individual to the organizational levels. To develop the new scale, we first used the Delphi method to determine the items in the questionnaire. Second, to verify the validity and reliability of the new scale, data collected from two sample populations (financial and hospitality sectors) were examined. The results suggest that the three dimensions of TCM in the final construct are independent and autonomous. JEL CLASSIFICATION: M12