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Profiles of dual commitment to the occupation and organization: Relations to well-being and turnover intentions

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Abstract

Work-relevant commitments have important implications for employee behavior and well-being, but the connections are complicated by the fact that commitments can be characterized by different mindsets and be directed at different targets. Recent developments in person-centered analytic strategies (e.g., latent profile analysis) have helped to address these complexities, particularly as they pertain to the interactions among the mindset of affective, normative, and continuance commitment to the organization. In the present study we extend application of the person-centered approach to identify profiles of commitment to two interrelated targets—the organization and the occupation—in a sample of 1,096 Hong Kong teachers. We identified seven distinct profiles reflecting both similarities and differences in the nature of the dual commitments across targets, and demonstrated differing patterns of turnover intentions and well-being across the profiles. Implications for commitment theory, future research, and practice are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

The research was supported by a GRF fund from the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong SAR (Ref. No.: 843911) awarded to the first, third, and fourth authors. This article was also made possible by a grant from the Australian Research Council (LP140100100) awarded to the first, second, and fourth authors.

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Institute for Positive Psychology and Education, Australian Catholic University, Strathfield Campus, Locked Bag 2002, Strathfield, NSW, 2135, Australia

      Alexandre J. S. Morin & Herbert W. Marsh

    2. The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada

      John P. Meyer

    3. The Hong Kong Institute of Education, Tai Po, Hong Kong

      Dennis M. McInerney & Fraide A. Ganotice Jr.

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    1. Alexandre J. S. Morin
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    Correspondence to Alexandre J. S. Morin.

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    The authors (Alexandre J. S. Morin and John P. Meyer) contributed equally to this article and both should be considered first authors.

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    Morin, A.J.S., Meyer, J.P., McInerney, D.M. et al. Profiles of dual commitment to the occupation and organization: Relations to well-being and turnover intentions. Asia Pac J Manag 32, 717–744 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10490-015-9411-6

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