The dimensionality and stability of organizational commitment: a longitudinal examination of Cook and Wall's (1980) Organizational Commitment Scale (BOCS)

Abstract

The dimensionality and the temporal stability of Cook and Wall''s (1980) measure of organizational commitment, referred to here as the British Organizational Commitment Scale (BOCS), were examined using two-wave longitudinal data collected from a sample of 218 employees in British Rail. Alternative one-, two-, and three-factor models of the BOCS were evaluated using both the standard nine-item version of the scale and a shorter (positive) six-item version. Confirmatory factor analyses revealed that (a) the BOCS is a multi-dimensional scale made up of three empirically distinct but related components corresponding to the Identification, Involvement and Loyalty subscales, (b) the positive six-item version of the scale was psychometrically superior to the nine-item version, and ® the measurement properties of the six-item BOCS were stable over time. Based on these results the casual (time-lagged) relations between the three empirically derived sub-components of attitudinal commitment were then examined by applying structural-relations analyses to the longitudinal data. No clear causal ordering was found among the three sub-components, which were also found to exhibit differential stability over time. The implications of the findings for use of the BOCS and for future research are discussed