NCJ Number
177326
Date Published
1998
Length
57 pages
Annotation
This Australian study examined factors related to police officers' levels of organizational commitment.
Abstract
The research included a cross-sequential study that collected data from 10 groups of police officers across 3 years (1994, 1995, and 1996). The original sample of 1,200 officers was selected on the basis of the years that they were attested (i.e., 1977-1979 and 1987-94 inclusive) and represented officers with tenure that ranged from 1 year to 19 years of experience. From the data collected across the 3 years, it was possible to detect the manner in which organizational commitment developed with tenure and to identify factors that caused changes in individual levels of commitment. Results show that the commitment of experienced employees within the police organization was relatively low, independent of occupational grouping of the employee. To some extent this apparently resulted from peer group attitudes and the transmission of commitment "norms" within the police culture; however, the strongest predictor of an individual's level of commitment was his/her personal experience of support from the organization. This study recommends that police managers who wish to improve the commitment of their employees should first identify the specific aspects of the organization that signal value and support to various groups of employees. Armed with this information, they may then begin to change or introduce policies, processes, and procedures that will communicate to their employees that they are valued and supported; this should improve commitment to the organization and prevent initial levels of commitment from declining. 4 figures, 4 tables, 36 references, and appended supplementary data