Discrepancy between ideal and actual caring culture: effects on employee commitment and satisfaction

Abstract

A person-organizational culture fit approach may add to our understanding on how work attitudes are shaped, but this link has been under-investigated by extant research. In this study, we investigate whether discrepancies between the ideal and the actual caring organizational culture influence employee organizational commitment and job satisfaction. We draw on the person-organization fit literature to specify a testable theoretical framework. Employing the GLOBE (Global Leadership and Organizational Behaviour Effectiveness) project methodology and using a sample of 638 employees, we found evidence that overall supports our main premise. The results of seemingly unrelated equations (SUR) analysis showed that in most cases, a high discrepancy between the ideal and the actual organizational caring culture leads to lower employee commitment and job satisfaction. The findings of this research emphasize the importance of the gap between the ideal and the actual organizational culture, most notably collectivism, in shaping individual’s behaviour in organizations. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed.