ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT IN THE MILITARY 1
Organizational Commitment in the Military
Tiffany Porterfield
Liberty University
Author Note
Tiffany A. Porterfield
I have no known conflict of interest to disclose.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Tiffany A. Porterfield
Email: taporterfield@liberty.edu
ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT IN THE MILITARY 2
Organizational Commitment in the Military
Background
Organizational behavior explores group and individual performance and activity within
an organization by specifically examining human behavior within a work environment and
evaluating the impact on performance, job structure, motivation, and communication (Kinicki &
Fugate, 2020). The organization to focus on is the military, and the behavior is organizational
commitment (OC). A member's psychological attachment to their organization and the workplace
define organizational commitment. This concept plays a critical role in determining whether a
person will stay with their organization and work diligently towards fulfilling the company goals
(Kinicki & Fugate, 2020). A prominent OC theory is the 3-component model (TCM), which
acknowledges that OC has three distinct components (Solinger et al., 2020). Affective
commitment is the first component, and it defines a person's emotional commitment to an
organization (Kinicki & Fugate, 2020). A person with a high level of affective commitment is
likely to enjoy their relationship with the organization and may stay longer because they intend
to enjoy working in the company. Continuance commitment defines the extent to which a person
believes that exiting the organization would be costly (Kinicki & Fugate, 2020). A person is,
therefore, compelled to stay because they feel so. The third component of normative commitment
is the degree to which a person feels obligated to the organization or believes that staying may be
the correct thing to do. Thus, they believe they ought to stay (Solinger et al., 2020). Hence, an
organizational commitment profile comprises the interaction between the three components, and
they collectively have a severe effect on work performance, retention, job satisfaction, and
member well-being.
Step 1
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As the central organization that this paper focuses on, the military is one work sector that
requires committed service members. In this case, a committed individual is firmly attached and
connected to their military service. Commitment in the military is critical because people
working in this field are expected to perform their roles better through loyalty to the military
(Gade, 2003). However, in some instances, organizational commitment is uncommon in the
military because some people do not have support in the workplace, work within very toxic
environments, and lack motivation from their leaders to facilitate their commitment to their
organization. Regardless of the department that a person works in the military, organizational
commitment is highly encouraged because of the obligation and duty to serve civilians (Gade,
2003). Commitment while working in the military is predictive of quality job outcomes and
organizational development. The perceived advantages include a dedication to service, better job
performance, and perceived readiness fundamental to service.
Therefore, in examining the issue in detail, the problem of lack of commitment is
apparent in the organization, and the integration of multiple factors causes the problem. The first
challenge is poor leadership, which generates dissatisfied and uncommitted employees who have
no connection to the organization, hence no zeal to work and fulfill their goals (Gade, 2003).
Ineffective leadership is highly detrimental to employee motivation, which gradually leads to job
dissatisfaction and loss of enthusiasm, hence significantly impeding organizational goals and
objectives. Poor leadership transcends deeper to aggravate the problem because some employees
may feel mistreated compared to others. In such cases, leaders may give employees differential
treatment and fail to appreciate the concept of diversity among individuals (Kinicki & Fugate,
2020). When employees feel unappreciated due to their unique values, they are less likely to be
motivated, influencing the capacity to develop organizational commitment. Lack of employee
ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT IN THE MILITARY 4
organizational commitment among a few individuals may potentially affect more people due to
impeding the organization's progress (Kinicki & Fugate, 2020).
Accordingly, identifying the primary causes of a lack of organizational commitment
facilitates a better approach to developing a solution and improving commitment among
employees. The major overriding issue is that low employee commitment in the military affects
the fulfillment of principal objectives (Gade, 2003). A military is a unit or professional field that
relies on teamwork, motivation to work amid the job's challenges, job satisfaction, and effective
leadership for quality outcomes. Therefore, the lack of commitment implies zero dedication to
service and derails a person's ability to challenge themselves and push their efforts further
towards meeting personal and organizational goals. Committed individuals enjoy their work and
are likely to excel in the career field, predominantly if their work is driven by the three processes
of organizational commitment, namely, affective commitment (AC), continuance commitment
(CC), and normative commitment (NC) (Solinger et al., 2020). The three components imply
'want' to commitment, the need to commit, and the 'ought' to commitment, respectively.
Key issues that merit the discussion on the need to improve employee commitment in the
military include the benefits of organizational commitment. The benefits include higher
employee productivity, better skills as team players, more vigorous advocates of the profession, a
developed teamwork culture, and the ability to communicate clear goals (Kinicki & Fugate,
2020). Committed employees also embrace transparency and adopt a positive work culture that
creates a team of focused individuals. Therefore, it is essential to champion further the
development of positive work culture, reinforced by employees committed and dedicated to their
work. Committed military personnel will feel that theirs is not a mere job but a call to serve
others with diligence (Al-Jabari & Ghazzawi, 2019). While addressing the issue, the relevant
ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT IN THE MILITARY 5
individuals are employees, shareholders, the board of governors, and leaders, who take
responsibility for implementing change through specific roles that encourage organizational
commitment. The significant opportunities they pose include transforming the workplace into a
positive environment with good leadership that encourages organizational commitment (Kinicki
& Fugate, 2020).
Extensive research on the topic has opined that leadership plays a fundamental role in
organizational commitment if the leaders place value on developing a clear, change-centered
vision and inspiring their followers to pursue the vision, thus providing a strong motivational
impact for change (Al-Daibat, 2017). The style of leadership adopted by the management body
determines the nature and quality of organizational commitment. For example, transformational
leaders are considered to wield power on employees with personal development, inspirations,
personal development, and intellectual stimulations that encourage employees to commit to the
organization through persuasion and not command (Chowdhury, 2014). Leadership plays a
critical role in organizational commitment because, in most cases, a leader sets forth the pace for
employees to develop loyalty and feelings of attachment, which develops as a person shares
common values with other group members. Thus, adopting transformational leadership is crucial
for influencing change. Such a leader encourages the followers to make significant changes at a
personal level while simultaneously generating change that benefits the organization through
better commitment (bin Osman & Uli, 2014). Followers should be motivated, and their
confidence is harnessed through actions taken by a transformational leader, who instills power to
fulfill performance objectives and meet work goals. Commitment is primarily based on a feeling
of emotional attachment to the job or the organization in this case. Thus, leaders must adopt
leadership strategies that focus on improving employee commitment by enhancing employee
ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT IN THE MILITARY 6
skills, fostering creativity, risk-taking, and driving the changeover processes to promote change
(bin Osman & Uli, 2014). Their actions are likely to instill change and encourage organizational
commitment because employees feel supported, understood, appreciated, and their well-being is
kept a priority. At the same time, they are motivated to fulfill individual and organizational goals.
Thus, transformational leadership is highly recommended because the goal is to provide
motivators and remove de-motivators to fulfill the goal of employee organizational commitment
(Al-Daibat, 2017). While implementing change, the most critical environmental issues to
consider are the environmental factors such as the workplace environment and the relationships
cultivated among individuals that increase the likelihood of losing commitment to the
organization.
Step 2
The theory that applies to organizational commitment applies to the problem-solving
process because understanding a problem's background through a theoretical framework is the
first step to developing viable solutions. The author's current view on the chosen organizational
theory is that within the military, the 3-component model (TCM) heavily influences different
levels of organizational commitment among employees and can develop individual solutions that
suit each person's specific problems (Solinger et al., 2020). The 3-component model (TCM)
acknowledges that within the organization, affective commitment is the first component, and it
defines a person's emotional commitment to an organization; also, it is an intrinsic factor that an
individual develops on their terms. Thus, a person with a high affective commitment enjoys their
relationship with the organization and chooses to stay longer because they intend to and enjoy
working in the company due to positive relationships (bin Osman & Uli, 2014). The second
component is the continuance commitment that involves the extent to which a person believes
ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT IN THE MILITARY 7
that exiting the organization would be costly. Therefore, a person is obliged to stay because they
feel that leaving the organization may be detrimental to them, with consequences such as
joblessness or the fear of staying long without the opportunity of career development (Gade,
2003). The third constituent is the extent to which a person feels obligated to the organization.
They believe that staying may be the correct thing to do; thus, they believe they should work
longer, without considering other extra factors. Therefore, such people believe that quitting is not
the right thing to do when judged based on good and bad. Hence, they opt to stay within the
organization.
The theory relates to organizational commitment because the three constituents provide a
detailed background and theoretical framework to understanding how organizational
commitment exists or is absent within the organization, and how either affects different
employees (Solinger, 2020). The author's current view on the theory is essential as a base for
probing the problem further. The key indicators that the author applies from theory to the concept
in organizational behavior include the capitalization of one theory as the core framework for
analyzing the problem and developing a better understanding (Kinicki & Fugate, 2020). The
narrowed focus on one theory allows for a comprehensive analysis without dwelling on multiple
theories that do not provide a detailed evaluation of the problem of organizational commitment.
Thus, this chosen theory examines the root cause of the issue to develop a superior understanding
and cultivate the capacity to develop a deeper understanding of the magnitude of organizational
commitment in the workplace. The author also gives practical, real-life examples to describe the
theory and apply the theoretical background to the concept of organizational commitment as
organizational behavior.
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The most relevant portions of the article that link the theory and concepts with the
organizational issue to design an explanation for the problem include the identification of various
aspects of organizational behavior, the relationship between various aspects, the challenges
within different realms, and how these issues may overlap onto one another (Kinicki & Fugate,
2020). Understanding the vastness of organizational behavior is imperative because most
organizational behavior concepts are interconnected, and issues within one area may overlap
with other areas and create specific impacts. Thus, while studying organizational behavior, it is
practical to focus on multiple realms of the broad topic and establish the relationship between
them to identify the causes of some prevalent issues (Kinicki & Fugate, 2020). For instance,
supposing organizational commitment was explained to someone, it would be related to what the
author stated via a simple context. The context is that different organizational behavior issues
such as job satisfaction, productivity, retention, personal relationships, or job dissatisfaction are
all linked to organizational behavior, and understanding the root causes of specific problems
could imply a universal solution to all the challenges.
Step 3
Based on the research, recommendation plans are necessary for addressing the problem,
intending to solve the problem through increased efforts to foster organizational commitment.
Implementing change is hardly a smooth process because of the perceived resistance to change
and the difficulties that are likely to be encountered when driving change. Therefore, the
consequences for the plan of action are solely rooted in the possibility of facing resistance when
implementing change that requires better leadership. However, the perceived benefit of better
productivity due to organizational commitment overrides the consequence that is likely to be
faced during the first phases of implementing change (Kinicki & Fugate, 2020).
ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT IN THE MILITARY 9
Given the benefits associated with organizational commitment among employees, the
problem should be addressed amicably regardless of the extent that the organization must go to
improve employee commitment to their organization. As a significant challenge in the
contemporary business world, organizations face this issue, and if left unaddressed, they suffer
the consequences of a disengaged workforce (Kinicki & Fugate, 2020). In most situations, a
disengaged workforce comprises unsatisfied employees who may quit their jobs or shift their
focus to different career paths. Such happenings imply loss of productivity, loss of top talent, and
demoralization of other employees. In the military, this problem could have worse implications
due to the profession's objectives and the dedication towards serving the nation at different levels
of work (Gade, 2003).
The recommended solution to improve organizational behavior and foster commitment is
by improving leadership through cultivating respect for employee needs (Chowdhury, 2014). The
military is one field of work where challenges are likely because personal life may be
intertwined with professional life. Given the already challenging nature of military work, it is
critical to offer work flexibility as a leader, thus allowing employees to have a perfect balance of
work and life because the two are interconnected. Attending to employee needs could also entail
allowing for reasonable periods of compensated leave, prompting the development of a healthy
work-life balance, and encouraging them to have some time for themselves to attend to their
needs (Al-Daibat, 2017). A leader who understands employees' needs demonstrates the effort of
fully integrating employees into the team, valuing their well-being, and appreciating their
relevance. Such actions are crucial to increased employee commitment and loyalty. Another
aspect of the recommended plan is developing clear strategies for employee engagement to
ensure organizational commitment (Chowdhury, 2014). The role of employee engagement is to
ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT IN THE MILITARY 10
encourage a healthy and loyal workforce that demonstrates superior skills and competencies for
growth. Employees are entitled to inclusion in effective decision-making processes as the
foremost step towards engagement. Therefore, to improve their commitment and loyalty to the
organization, it would be vital to increase their engagement (Kinicki & Fugate, 2020).
Better leadership also involves clear and transparent communication with the team
through active listening and providing feedback. In most instances, employees do not feel a
connection or commitment to their organization because there is no inclusion or belonging
element to the team (Kinicki & Fugate, 2020). It is crucial to include the employees in crucial
decision-making processes while soliciting their feedback to make them feel appreciated as
valuable team members. Their input should also be considered when making primary decisions
that affect them. While ensuring effective communication, providing feedback is an equally
integral component of communication because people feel a connection and appreciation
whenever they are aware of their progress (Al-Daibat, 2017). Keeping employees knowledgeable
about individual and organizational progress opens up communication between different parties
and gives them a better understanding of excellent performance areas and those that need
improvement. Accordingly, objective and fair feedback can immensely improve organizational
commitment within the organization by proving to employees that they are appreciated and their
efforts acknowledged (Al-Jabari & Ghazzawi, 2019). Proper communication in the workplace
increases employees' satisfaction levels, fosters better relationships, and improves commitment
while minimizing misunderstandings.
Reflection
My personality fits into a transformational leader, with the vision of motivating
employees, giving exemplary leadership, helping them identify their purpose, and encouraging
ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT IN THE MILITARY 11
them to foster change through positive practices that encourage organizational commitment.
Some other skills that I possess include kindness, integrity, empathy, and honesty, which are
crucial for implementing change. Therefore, such a personality trait as possessed by a leader fits
into the organization's recommendation to ensure the plan is fulfilled. Finally, following the
numerous lessons I have learned through Scripture, I will ensure that I treat others with love,
kindness, integrity, and fairness as the principal virtues. Therefore, I will seek guidance that the
Lord may grant me wisdom and foresight to implement the recommendation plan.
ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT IN THE MILITARY 12
References
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and empirical literature and a research agenda. International Leadership Journal, 11(1),
78-130.
bin Osman, Z., & Uli, J. (2014). The affective commitment as a mediator in relationship between
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Chowdhury, R. G. (2014). A study on the impact of leadership styles on employee motivation and
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