The Investment Model and Organizational Commitment: Predicting Workplace Behaviors

A study of employees across a variety of professions was conduced to test several hypotheses concerning the Investment Model (Farrell & Rusbult, 1981), organizational commitment, and organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs). It was hypothesized that organizational commitment would predict OCBs and that the components of the Investment Model--satisfaction, alternatives, and investments--would predict both organizational commitment and OCBs. More specifically, a mediated model was hypothesized, in which the relationship between the Investment Model components and OCBs is mediated by organizational commitment. Many of the findings of the current study support previous research in the field of organizational commitment. Our main hypothesis concerning a mediated model was largely supported, with commitment exhibiting a mediating effect on both satisfaction and investments in predicting OCBs. Additionally, group differences were analyzed to explore the ways in which employees of varying professions experience work differently. The current research provides additional support for the Investment Model and offers insight into the antecedents and outcomes of organizational commitment. Implications for both researchers and employers are addressed in the discussion.