Organisational commitment for an individual is to accept the goals and values of an organisation, to spend effort to reach these goals and to wish to continue to be a member of the organisation. Organizational Commitment is a versatile consept that its different perspectives discussed (Mathews & Shepherd, 2002). Morrow emphasizes that there are more than 25 descriptions for organizational commitment (Oliver, 1990, p.10). As for the descriptions, even if there is consensus on organizational commitment is a direct relation between organization and worker, there are different perspectives about  structure  and  evaluation  of  this  relation.  According  to  Mathews  and Shepherd, “individuals having high commitment are the persons strongly believes the organization’s objectives and aims, working hard for the sake of organization and willingness to be a member and part of organization” (p.369). As it is observed organizational commitment is acceptance of organizational process by workers. Grusky says organizational commitment is the strength of affinity of worker to the organization while Mowday et.al. describe strong emotions of workers in order to stay in the organization as well as believing organizations objectives and effort to achieve them. Commitment is important for the organizational performance since it effects productivity, labor force turnover ratio, performance changes and idea for leaving from job.

Another important part of the organizational commitment is worker’s acceptance for organizational objectives, give more importance to organizations objetives more than personnel objectives and continuance for organizations membership willingly. So individuals will adjust both personnel and organizations principles and values (Clayton,2000, p.160).

Organizational commitment is worker’s loyalty to work, accordance with work and adaptation to work (Yüksel, 2000, p.76). In that perspective since commitment is the identification degree of worker to organization, it requires to actively participation (Newstorm & Davis, 1993, p.198).

Mathews & Shepherd describes organizational commitment as “torrential willingness for acquiring organizations objectives and values, effort for the sake of organization and torrential eagerness to be part and member of organization”.

Benefit of Organizational Commitment

There are lots of researches showing that organizational commitment increases job performance (Meyer, et.al., 1989), and decreases the labor force turnover ratio (Meyer, et.al., 1989; Blau & Boal, 1987). According to different researches in literature, it is emphasized that organizational commitment reflects the identification degree and have three different components (Reichers, 1985, p.468):

a) Strong eagerness of worker in order to become a member of organization.

b)High degree eagerness of worker for the sake of organizations benefit.

c)  Workers acceptance of organizations objectives and values

Types of Organizational Commitment

Allen & Meyer seperates organizational commitment in three section and shows that  all  of  them  are  different  and  can  measurable  (Meyer  &  Allen,  1991,  p.61-89). Meyer & Allen (1991, p.61-89) in their study focusing on the commitment’s physological specialities, tell the three factor of organizational commitment are

• Eagerness (affective commitment)
• Need (continuance commitment) and
• Obligation (normative continuance).

Continuance Commitment:

When individuals base their relationship with the organization on what they are receiving in return for their efforts and what would be lost if they were to leave (i.e., pay, benefits, associations). These individuals put forth their best effort only when the rewards match their expectations. Continuance Commitment  is  worker’s  continue  to  organization  membership  and commitment because of personnal expectations and profits. As it is called rational continuance in literature, it is awereness of worker for the cost of leaving from organization (Chen & Francesco, 2003).

It is based on profit between worker and organization. It is the need of staying in organization after assesing/measuring of his/her investment to organization (Bergman,2006, p.646). In other words, it is the possible loss of material that force worker to stay in organization. In that sense worker thinks that leaving from organization will pay much to himself/herself. Some of them prefer to stay in organization because of not to find new work or lack of qualification. And some think threre’s no alternative because of personal or family problems (Ölçüm, 2004, p.95).

Continuance commitment can be describe as workers’ belief about cost of leave from organization will be high for them. As for the other resons, workers stay on the organization because of some social, physologic and economic reasons such as; fear not to find a better job, unwillingness to leave from friends, unwillingness to move in a new place, family issues, money loss etc. (Allen & Grisafe, 2001).

       Normative Commitment:

When individuals remain with an organization based on expected standards of behavior or social norms. These individuals value obedience, cautiousness, and formality. Research suggests that they tend to display the same attitudes and behaviors as those who have affective commitment.

Normative Commitment is to prefer to stay on the organizations because of past relations. This commitment is consist of on a compulsory basis. Worker’s feelings are because of the trainings or good relations is the cause of this commitment (Ünler, 2006, p.96). In other words since worker beliefs that to stay in the organization is some kind of responsibility, this commitment is different from other two. Normative commitment is effected by organizational culture, age, education, serving period (Dordevic, 2004, p.112).

As a conclusion, affective commitment is come out because person want, continuance commitment come out because profit requires it, and normative commitment come out because of ethic and moral issues (Wasti, 2002).