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Publication Date: December 25, 2020

DOI:10.14738/assrj.712.9515. Hajri, M. (2020). Do Tunisian Universities Need Organizational Commitment? Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 7(12) 502-

513.

Do Tunisian Universities Need Organizational Commitment?

Mehdi Hajri

ABSTRACT

Higher education is a real lever of growth for developing countries such

as Tunisia. Our study aims to show the importance of organizational

commitment in the intention of running the university well. As a result,

the review of the literature enabled us to analyze a concept of attitude

at work, namely organizational commitment, which in our opinion can

constitute a major lever for carrying out the university development

strategies. It has been established that academics remain committed to

their vocation and thereby demonstrate their continued commitment to

their students despite the workload, administrative tasks and research

carried out (Houston et al., 2006).

Keywords: Higher education, Organizational commitment, Tunisian

universities

INTRODUCTION

Developed in the field of social and cognitive psychology, organizational commitment has received

much attention in previous research due to its significant impact on staff behaviors such as job

satisfaction, performance, absenteeism, and intentions to leave the organization. Organizational

commitment has been defined differently by a myriad of specialists depending on their origins.

However, the definition of Mowday and al 1979 remains the most widely used. These define

organizational commitment as "the relative strength in the identification and participation of the

individual in his organization".

Note that the concept of commitment has been cited in studies of developing countries (Al-Meer, 1989).

In this perspective, our analysis of this concept in the context of Tunisian Higher Education will lead us

to question the presence of commitment in a public institution, namely the Tunisian University. We

support the state of the university context after the Tunisian revolution and we propose the hypothesis that

organizational commitment can positively affect the management of university institutions in Tunisia.

THE CONCEPT OF ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT

According to Healey (1997), engagement is a learning process characterized by the creation of

confidence, knowledge, and values to build social capital. The organizational commitment of

employees has been the subject of many pieces of research in human resources management. The

literature in this area distinguishes between different dimensions and targets of engagement. Allen

and Meyer (1991, 1997) highlight three dimensions of organizational commitment, which can be

emotional, normative, or continuity. Affective commitment reflects an emotional attachment to the

organization, so that the employee remains in the organization, as he wishes. Normative

commitment, on the other hand, it is felt rather as a moral obligation. The employee stays with the

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Hajri, M. (2020). Do Tunisian Universities Need Organizational Commitment? Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 7(12) 502-513.

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.712.9515 503

organization because they think they should. Finally, the continuity commitment - now called

"calculated commitment" - is linked to the awareness of the cost of leaving the organization. The

employee stays in the organization because he needs it. Affective, normative, and calculated

commitments should be seen as different dimensions rather than different forms of this

commitment. Indeed, these dimensions are not mutually exclusive, and an employee may well

experience them at the same time, to different degrees. An employee may thus feel a strong desire

and a great need to stay in the organization (Meyer and Allen, 1991). The aim is to increase the

engagement of members of different groups.

The scientific literature specializing in the study of organizational commitment conveys several

definitions (Becker, 1960; Salancik, 1977). This concept is already treated by several researchers

with different measures (Becker, 1960; Lee, 1971; Porter, Steers, Mowday and Boulian, 1974; Allen

and Meyer, 1990), it has always been based on the study of staff behavior and on how he manages

his employability. In this context, Becker and Carper (1956) add that the concept of organizational

commitment remains a crucial element in studying the attitude of individuals in organizations.

Nevertheless, the determination of the concept remains controversial and we are witnessing several

definitions, for Becker (1960), organizational commitment is "a coherent line of conduct followed

by an individual to achieve his goals", for other authors, the concept refers to the attachment that

an individual has for their organization (Porter, Steers, Mowday and Boulian, 1974). It is from the

1980s that the term will be reconceptualized and become a multidimensional notion, endowed with

three components (Allen and Meyer, 1990).

The theoretical evolution of the concept will then follow four main currents that of the "Side-bets"

theory of Becker (1960), that is to say, the swinging approach of Sheldon (1971) and Scholl (1981);

to this is added the affective approach (Buchanan, 1974; Porte, Steers, Mowday and Boulian, 1974),

then the moral value approach or Protestant ethics (Kidron, 1978) and finally the three dimensions

approach of Allen and Meyer (1990).

1. THE SIDE BETS THEORY OF EXCHANGE

The first classical approach to organizational commitment is the theory of exchange, more

commonly known as the theory of "side bets" (accumulated investments), which was developed by

Becker (1960) and which dominated from the 1960s to 1980s. In this theory, the term "side bets"

refers to any investment made by an individual. Using this approach, Becker (1960) presents the

concept of organizational commitment according to the principle that an individual adopts a certain

course of action following logical reasoning. This rational choice is often linked to external interests

(Hrebiniak and Alutto, 1972). Indeed, an organizational commitment results from a cognitive

judgment specific to the employee concerned about the consequences of a change of job (Ritzer and

Trice, 1969). The economic, psychological, and social costs such as investments in time and effort,

job security, relationships with colleagues as well as the skills and knowledge acquired at the

employer's place come under a cognitive assessment specific to the company's employee. The latter

will remain with his company as long as he considers that the costs generated by the severing of the

contractual link with the organization are greater than the benefits he can expect from this change

(Becker, 1960). In this approach, organizational commitment is a structural phenomenon that

occurs as a result of an exchange relationship between the employee and the organization. Kanter

(1968), who developed the concept of "cognitive continuance-commitment", argues that

organizational commitment does not correspond to an emotional attachment on the part of an

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employee to his organization, but rather is the logical consequence of positive assessment of the

ratio of benefits received compared with the costs invested. However, it should be noted that the

advantages, which will determine the degree of organizational commitment of an employee,

depending on their values in the eyes of the latter (Mottaz, 1988). The more significant benefits an

individual perceives at low cost, the more difficult it is for them to leave their organization, and the

greater is their commitment. In the context of the trade approach, organizational commitment is

therefore the fruit of a positive transaction between the individual and his organizational

environment.

2. AFFECTIVE APPROACH

During the same period, a second approach to organizational commitment has developed the so- called affective approach. This view of commitment began with the work of Kanter (1968). The

latter describes organizational commitment as the willingness of social actors to make the

necessary efforts for the success of the company and to remain loyal to it. This definition leads Lee

(1971) to assert that organizational commitment is similar to the sense of belonging and loyalty

that an employee will feel towards his company. While according to the theory of exchange,

organizational commitment depends on the costs associated with the departure of the employee,

supporters of the affective approach assert that organizational commitment can be understood as

a psychological attachment of an employee to its organization (O'Reilly and Chatman, 1986). The

emotional side of the relationship between an employee and his company is at the core of this

approach. Buchanan (1974) believes that organizational commitment has three components:

identification, involvement, and loyalty. According to this author, identification results in a

psychological bond between the employee and their organization, while involvement is about the

employee's adoption of the goals and values of their company. Ultimately, it reduces loyalty to a

feeling of affection or attachment to the organization. Following the work of the researchers

mentioned above, Mowday, Porter, and Steers (1982) characterize organizational commitment as a

function of three factors:

1) A belief in and acceptance of the objectives and values of the organization;

2) A willingness to make an effort for the company;

3) A desire to remain employed in the organization.

These authors see engagement as a one-dimensional attitude that develops over the long term. It

increases as the employee becomes familiar with the characteristics of their organization.

3. MORAL VALUE APPROACH (PROTESTANT ETHICS)

Although it is less known, this approach is not less important in the evolution of the concept of

organizational commitment. Jaros, Jermier, Koehler, and Sincich (1993) assert that researchers

dealing with moral commitment are inspired by the researches done on the affective approach. It

was only after the studies of the affective approach were brought together with research explicitly

dealing with a moral commitment that the latter concept took on its full significance.

One of the first studies that focus on moral engagement was that of Kidron (1978). The latter wanted

to reproduce research by Dubin, Champoux, and Porter (1975) whose center of interest deals with

worker' life and organizational commitment, while adding elements of the Protestant ethics of

Weber (1958). It seems that workers who show a high level of Protestant ethics exhibit much higher

organizational commitment than others (Kidron, 1978). In this research, the Protestant ethic is