The Dynamic Relation Between Organizational and Professional Commitment of Highly Educated Research and Development (R&D) Professionals

Abstract

Researchers of the work-related commitment of professionals have investigated the possibility of conflict between organizational and professional forms of commitment. Drawing on the organizational socialization literature, the authors hypothesized that both forms of commitment would change with increasing organizational tenure. Specifically, the authors proposed that the patterns of change of the 2 forms of commitment would be complementary: Organizational commitment would take a U-shaped pattern of change, whereas professional commitment would take an inverse U-shaped pattern. The results, based on data collected from a sample of 204 research and development (R&D) professionals with PhDs, confirmed the U-shaped pattern of organizational commitment and the complementary relation between the 2 forms of commitment during the first 14 months after organizational entry. These findings suggest the importance of maintaining a balance between organizational and professional commitment and provide a method for identifying the critical period for interventions designed to increase retention of R&D professionals during their early organizational socialization.