Commitment in Family and Organization Share Many Concepts

Organizational Commitment

Just as for organizational goals and organizational leadership, parallels for family life can be easily found in research on “Organizational Commitment: Its Major Effects.” Without commitment by family members to their goals and family leadership, it is doubtful that there will be a high degree of success and satisfaction in family endeavor. Research (Baron and Greenberg 1986, 164) indicates that “Organizational commitment appears to exert powerful effects on several aspects of work behavior.” I believe that most of these effects are paralleled in the family. These authors summarize and chart 2 groups of factors related to “Level of organizational commitment”:

• Factors Tending to increase Organizational Commitment
• Factors Tending To Reduce Organizational Commitment

Factors Tending To Increase Organizational Commitment – A Summary

• Motivating potential of specific job
• Role ambiguity
• High level of responsibility
• Job tension
• High level of autonomy
• Availability of other employment opportunities
• Satisfaction with own level of work performance

Factors Tending To Reduce Organizational Commitment – A Summary

• Belief that company does not care about employees
• Seniority/tenure
• Use of punishment by supervisors
• High quality of supervision
• Fair appraisals

Commitment within the family can be enhanced through following the above described principles. Broken families do not demonstrate adherence to these principles. The fractured family does not have a recognized leader demonstrating the requisite characteristics for advancing the family welfare toward worthwhile individual goals.  The assignment of roles within the family and the expectations and dependence or reliance on confidence that they will be carried out, promoted, and rewarded, will generate awareness of potential and enthusiasm for the family unit.  Commitment to the family unit will be seen as positive in benefits to all.

In a like manner, the belief that the parents and children do not care for one another will have negative effects.  It is hard to commit to those who do not return the care and commitment one has demonstrated toward them.  A high level of supervision, or direction of one’s activities, stifles the individual’s own initiative and risk-taking.  The individual does not develop to his/her highest potential.  The lack of praise and other rewards for one’s accomplishments, and even inevitable failures along the way, does not encourage commitment to the organization, family unit, or individual.

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