Newcomers' Profiles of Workplace Affective Commitment

• Published in: Canadian journal of behavioural science 2024-10, Vol.56 (4), p.456-470
• Main Authors: Houle, Simon A., Shafei, Arya, Tóth-Király, István, Vandenberghe, Christian, Morin, Alexandre J. S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Affective Commitment; Commitment; Employee Turnover; Female; Human; Intention; Male; Membership; Profiles (Measurement); Socialization
• ISSN: 0008-400X; 1879-2669
• DOI: 10.1037/cbs0000386

This study studied profiles of workplace affective commitment (WAC) among organizational newcomers (N = 443). We estimated these profiles from newcomers' specific levels of WAC directed at eight targets (i.e., organization, supervisor, coworkers, career planning, career advancement, customers, profession, and tasks) and their global levels of commitment to their work life. This approach allowed us to detect whether these profiles would evidence congruence versus incompatibility among targets, and whether WAC to the organization would emerge as a primary versus one of many targets. This study also investigated whether employee socialization (i.e., organization, coworkers, and role) predicted membership into desirable profiles. Finally, to investigate the complementary, synergistic, and/or competing effects of WAC profiles, we tested their associations with job performance, turnover intentions, and life satisfaction. Latent profile analyses revealed five profiles displaying compatibility and conflict amongst targets and positioning the organization as one of many targets: (a) globally committed to the work life with a professional career orientation, (b) globally committed to the work life with a social orientation, (c) globally uncommitted to the work life with a professional orientation, (d) globally uncommitted to the work life with a career planning and customer orientation, and (e) globally committed to the work life with an upward drive. With exceptions involving role socialization, all forms of socialization predicted membership into more desirable WAC profiles. Profiles characterized by higher global levels of WAC were also associated with more desirable outcomes. We finally found evidence for complementarity, synergy, and competition among WAC targets in terms of outcomes. Cette étude visait à identifier les profils d'engagement affectif au travail (workplace affective commitment, WAC) observés auprès de nouveaux employés (N = 443). Nous avons estimé ces profils à partir des niveaux spécifiques d'engagement affectif au travail des nouveaux arrivants par rapport à huit cibles (c'est-à-dire l'organisation, le ou la superviseur(e), les collègues, la planification de carrière, l'avancement de carrière, les clients, la profession et les tâches) et de leur niveau global d'engagement face à leur vie professionnelle. Cette approche nous a permis de détecter si ces profils montraient une congruence ou une incompatibilité entre les cibles, et si l'engagement