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This study tested the hypothesis of collectivist orientation as a predictor of affective organizational commitment. Data from 510 employees working in two organizations in China supported the hypothesis, that is, collectivist orientation is a significant predictor of affective organizational commitment when employees' specific organization, age, sex, organizational tenure, educational level, and pay satisfaction are controlled.
Organizational commitment is considered to be one of the most important work attitudes of employees. Studies have consistently found that organizational commitment has a negative correlation with an individual's intention to quit (Mathieu & Zajac, 1990). Thus for organizations which want to control their employees' turnover rate, it is important to recognize factors leading to high organizational commitment. This study tested individuals' collectivist orientation as a predictor of affective organizational commitment. The only other known study to have tested this relationship (Clugston, Howell, & Dorfman, 2000) failed to find significant results; however, that study was conducted in the USA, a country regarded as having a strong individualist culture. This study was conducted in China, a country that reportedly has a strong collectivist culture. The results of this study could provide evidence regarding the existence of a relationship between collectivist orientation and affective organizational commitment as well as information as to whether or not this relationship is cultural dependent.
Affective Organizational Commitment and Collectivist Orientation
Earlier studies on organizational commitment focused more on organizationbased factors, including job characteristics, group-leader relations, organizational characteristics, and role states (Mathieu & Zajac, 1990). Personal demographic characteristics such as age, gender, education, tenure, and salary (Mathieu & Zajac, 1990) were subjects of research as well. More recently, organizational researchers began to study the roles played by personal beliefs, attitudes, and past experiences in the formation of organizational commitment (e.g., Angle & Lawson, 1993; Clugston et al., 2000; Lee, Ashford, Walsh, & Mowday, 1992).
Angle and Lawson (1993) proposed that individuals with a positive view of being committed to an organization tend to internalize the organization's values as their own and eventually develop affective commitment to the organization. Angle and Lawson emphasized that a positive view of being committed to an organization is a component of a person's general value system. It stays stable across different times and situations, and is part of the person's personality....