The Relationship Between Work Value and Employee Commitment Among Selected Deposit Banks in Anambra State

The Relationship Between Work Value and Employee Commitment Among Selected Deposit Banks in Anambra State.

CHAPTER ONE

 

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study
Generational differences in the workplace have received substantial attention in both the lay and empirical literature over the past few years (Duffy & Sedlacek, 2007; Gursoy, Maier, & Chi, 2008; Kupperschmidt, 2000; Smola & Sutton, 2002).

Research has found that there are differences in work values from different generational groups (Twenge, Campbell, Hoffman, & Lance, 2010; Westerman & Yamamura, 2007).

This diversity of work values may influence the level of value congruence (i.e., compatibility between employees’ work values and values held by organizations) because certain work values held by particular workers may be more likely to align with the organization’s value, such as the value of hard work held by the older generation.

Empirical research has suggested that employee possession of high levels of value congruence is important to organizations as congruent employees are likely to exhibit positive work outcomes.

One fundamental characteristic that both employees and organizations share is “values”. Values, according to Dose (2007) “are evaluative standards relating to work or the work environment by which individuals discern what is “right” or assess the importance of preferences.

One can easily generate examples to show that individuals would probably be more comfortable in an environment that is consistent with their values. Similarly, an individual who values orderliness and cautiousness is likely to shrink in an environment that encourages experimentation and creativity (Dose, 1997).

Murphy (1991) and Enz (1989) found that individuals with different value systems often have trouble working together and understanding each other’s motives. Matching managerial values with the shared values of the organization may also be a key element in successful human resource management (Enz, 1989).

Value could likely be likened to culture but not culture because culture is a part of the value. However, just like organizational culture, weak values in an organization are bound to bring about low employee commitment and in turn low productivity in such an organization. An organization’s work value could be strong or weak (Robbins, 1990; Kotter and Heskett, 1992; McOliver and Nwagwu, 2000).

A work value is considered strong if the set of norms and values are widely shared and strongly held throughout the organization (O`Reilly, 1989; Gordon and DiTmosa, 1992; Kotter and Heskett, 1992; O`Reilly and Chatman, 1996). The strength of work value is determined by the degree of sharedness and intensity.

The more members that accept the core value and the greater their commitment to those values the stronger the commitment. According to Schein (1984), young organizations or those with high staff turnover will have a weak culture because they do not have an adequate shared experience to create common meanings.

To be effective an organization`s culture, strategy, environment, and technology must be properly aligned and the stronger the culture the more important it is that these variables be aligned (Robbins, 1990).

Since a strong work value increases behavioral consistency, it could be a powerful means of implicit control and can be a substitute for formality (Weick, 1987; Robbins, 1990; McOliver and Nwagwu, 2000; Sorensen, 2002).

Therefore, the stronger an organization`s work value the less is the need for developing formal rules to guide the conduct of employees. A strong culture enables an organization to achieve excellent performance (Brown, 1998). Deal and Kennedy (1983) believe that the impact of a strong work value on productivity is amazing.

In the extreme, we estimate that a company can gain as much as one or two hours of productive work per employee per day. Meyer and Allen (1987) stated that commitment is characterized as an attitude of attachment to an employing organization. Researchers focus primarily on the identification of antecedents contributing to the development of organizational commitment and the impact on job attitudes and behavior that commitment may have.

Employees are those who are employed to work in an organization for certain defined gains. The commitment of an employee revolves greatly around the benefits and securities of his job.

These benefits are enshrined as part of the work values of an organization. Kuang (2004) indicated that Work Value led people to a real meaning about the job or specific work, such as reward, diligence, loyalty, interpersonal relationship, social status, and self-actualization, to form the preferable awareness or intention.

This research work, therefore, seeks to examine the relationship between work value and employee commitment in organizations especially banks.

1.2  Statement of the Problem

This study is embarked upon to look into the way work values affect employee commitment to work and how this commitment can help or mar the organization’s efforts at achieving its set goals which among others are to pry into the human indices responsible for poor performance standards of most banking industries with a view to reversing them.

Value and its compatibility with the type of industry, the degree of influence of organizational work value on the various employee backgrounds in the workplace as against productivity, the reward and punishment criteria, the differentiation from what is right or wrong in the organization, the way of the relationship between staff and the organization environment, etc.

In view of this, since work values make employees and employers bother about reward, diligence, loyalty, interpersonal relationship, social status, and self-actualization, the degree to which employee commitment fosters revolve around organizational work value.

The work value of certain organizations like the banks under study has regrettably not provided the satisfaction employees seek hence their poor commitment to work and poor outcomes at such organizations.

This research work, therefore, seeks to among other things identify what work values truly entail, the relationship that exists between work value and employee commitment, and how these variables affect productivity in an organization.

1.3  Objectives of the Study

The general objective of this study is on the relationship between work value and employee commitment among selected deposit banks in Anambra State.

The specific objectives are;

To identify the qualities of work value.

To identify the relationship between work value and employee performance.

To identify how to work value can be used to boost employee commitment thus productivity.

 

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