Participation impacts IT workers’ organisational commitment through the mediating roles of internal communication adequacy, burnout and job satisfaction
Purpose The author said it was important to study organisational commitment in knowledge-based sectors like IT, where the quality and commitment of employees was critical. In addition, IT workers can easily find new jobs and high turnover is costly for organisations. His goal was to establish the antecedents of EOC Design/methodology/approach Data came from a public IT company (PITC) owned by a large Midwestern US university. PITC employs around 300 people in IT-related services, including engineers, technicians, and systems support personnel. There were 111 completed surveys. Around 61% had a bachelor’s degree and 23% had a postgraduate diploma. Findings The results showed that the three proposed mediators – ICA, burnout and job satisfaction ? were all significantly correlated with organisational commitment. But the data also indicated that there was no direct relationship between EWP and EOC. Instead, the relationship was found to be indirect. Originality/value There are several important implications for IT managers: first, when participative communication practices fail to increase the adequacy of internal communication, employees? understanding of their jobs, they are unlikely to foster EOC. Second, for EWP to positively impact EOC, it has to reduce employees? emotional exhaustion to the extent that it also increases their job satisfaction. Third, employees should be involved in the design of participation communication practices.