Organizational commitment: predictors
There are many predictors of organizational commitment. Affective commitment research has shown that perceived organizational support, procedural justice, and rewarding outcomes. Contrastingly, continuance commitment research has shown side bets, social relationships with coworkers, and perceived alternate jobs. Lilly et al (2008) examined predictors of organizational commitment in their disaster research. Roughly 70% of the participants said that practices of the Human Resources department of their employer have a direct impact on their attitude towards that employer. Of these respondents roughly half had experienced negative HR practices preceding the disaster and thus negative attitudes toward their employer and half had experienced positive HR practices before the disaster and felt positive attitudes about their employer. Positive attitudes of the participant towards the employer were then related to positive perception of organizational justice, organizational trust, and organizational commitment. This is true in the opposite direction as well with the participant holding negative attitudes toward the organization and thus negatively viewing organizational justice, organizational trust, and organizational commitment.
The ranch I worked at sits at the foot of the Big Thompson Canyon on Highway 34. This canyon is where some of the most severe flooding occurred and because the property is where the river washes out of the canyon, it was very affected by the water. The flooding started in the morning of Thursday, September 12, 2013. I was told to not come into work but this was only after I had been contacted via reverse 911 and then contacted my manager. I was told to not come in. However, those who were already on ranch, were expected by our owner to help move furniture onto higher ground, even as water was flowing in those buildings. Fourteen people who lived on ranch were stranded there that day as the river took out two of our lodges, two cabins (there are not even foundations left), destroyed the bridge to the highway (the only way out of the ranch), and the infrastructure for the entire ranch. Communication between the ownership (a brother and sister team) broke down and between ownership and management. During this time, my coworkers and friends lost property and their homes who lived off ranch as well. Management staff contacted office staff with remote logins (myself included) to contact guests personally to cancel all reservations for the next three months. After that, there was a black out of communication from the ranch. Other than reverse 911 calls, I did not hear about my employer.