Walden University ScholarWorks Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection 2018 The Relationship of Employee Engagement and Employee Job Satisfaction to Organizational Commitment Rebecca Jones Walden University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.edu/dissertations Part of the Business Commons This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact ScholarWorks@waldenu. Walden University College of Management and Technology This is to certify that the doctoral study by Rebecca Jones has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made.
Review Committee Dr. Mary Dereshiwsky, Committee Chairperson, Doctor of Business Administration Faculty Dr. Jamiel Vadell, Committee Member, Doctor of Business Administration Faculty Dr. Cheryl Lentz, University Reviewer, Doctor of Business Administration Faculty Chief Academic Officer Eric Riedel, Ph.
Walden University 2018 Abstract The Relationship of Employee Engagement and Employee Job Satisfaction to Organizational Commitment by Rebecca L. Jones MS, College of St. Rose, 2003 BS, Champlain College, 1999 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Business Administration Walden University February 2018 Abstract Business leaders in the accounting/auditing profession have limited knowledge of how employee engagement, employee job satisfaction, and organizational commitment relate to each other. The role of engaged, satisfied, and committed employees is important as globalization allows for unprecedented talent mobility.
The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between employee engagement, employee job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. The theoretical framework incorporated Emerson’s social exchange theory and Bakker and Demerouti’s job demands-resource theory. The sample included 82 out of 295 members of the Northeast Chapter of the New York State Society of CPAs who work in Albany County, New York. The sample was recruited through a nonrandom purposive sampling method.
There is significant association measured between employee engagement and employee job satisfaction (r =. Additionally, there is a significant association between employee engagement and organizational commitment (r =. Based on the analysis, there is a significant association between employee job satisfaction and organizational commitment (r =. The regression model showed that employee engagement and employee job satisfaction, when taken together, were significant predictors of organizational commitment (F(2, 79) = 115.
The implications for positive social change include strategies geared towards increasing engagement and job satisfaction, which in turn influences organizational commitment, resulting in a highly productive workforce and increased profitability. The Relationship of Employee Engagement and Employee Job Satisfaction to Organizational Commitment by Rebecca L. Jones MS, College of St. Rose, 2003 BS, Champlain College, 1999 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Business Administration Walden University February 2018 Dedication I would like to dedicate this study to my husband, my mom, family, and friends.
If it were not for their patience and support, this academic achievement would not have been possible. Acknowledgments Thank you to my loving husband, Bertram Jones, for always supporting and encouraging me through the crying fits from frustration and for talking me out of throwing in the towel on multiple occasions. I would not have become Dr. Jones if it were not for you and the encouraging words.
Thank you to all my family and friends for being there throughout this process. You would ask multiple times if it was worth it, and now I can say it was. I would like to also acknowledge and thank my chair, Dr. The knowledge and guidance she provided was invaluable throughout this process.
I would also like to thank my committee members, Dr. Jamiel Vadell and Dr. Cheryl Lentz, for their patience, insights, and feedback. Without all of us working together, this doctoral study would not have been possible.
Table of Contents List of Tables. iv List of Figures .v Section 1: Foundation of the Study.1 Background of the Problem .4 Nature of the Study .4 Research Questions and Hypotheses .8 Assumptions, Limitations, and Delimitations. 10 Significance of the Study .10 Contribution to Business Practice. 10 Implications for Social Change.
10 A Review of the Professional and Academic Literature .11 Social Exchange Theory. 13 Job Demands-Resource Theory. 24 Knowledge-Sharing Culture. 27 Tacit Knowledge/Intellectual Capital .36 Section 2: The Project .38 Role of the Researcher .39 Research Method and Design.
41 Population and Sampling .43 Data Collection Technique .46 ii Study Validity .49 Section 3: Application to Professional Practice and Implications for Change .50 Presentation of the Findings. 51 Tests of Assumptions. 57 Applications to Professional Practice .62 Implications for Social Change .63 Recommendations for Action .64 Recommendations for Further Research .69 Appendix A: Permission to Survey Membership of the Northeast Chapter of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants .104 Appendix B: Survey Questions.106 Appendix C: Human Research Protection Certificate .114 iii List of Tables Table 1. Means and Standard Deviations for Predictor and Criterion Variables.
Descriptive Statistics for Demographic Variables. Correlation Coefficients Among Study Predictor Variables. Reliability Statistics for Study Constructs. Correlations of Associations Between Employee Engagement, Employee Job Satisfaction, and Organizational Commitment.
Regression Analysis Summary for Employee Engagement and Employee Job Satisfaction. Results for the Moderated Model Among Employee Engagement, Age, and Organizational Commitment. Results for the Moderated Model Among Employee Job Satisfaction, Age, and Organizational Commitment .61 iv List of Figures Figure 1. Knowledge management components.
Knowledge transfer methods. Stem and leaf plot of engagement outliers. Stem and leaf plot of employee job satisfaction outliers. Stem and leaf plot of employee organizational commitment outliers.
Normal probability plot of the regression standardized residuals .56 v 1 Section 1: Foundation of the Study Creating and sustaining job satisfaction and engagement with employees is an ongoing challenge for organizations; establishing employee organizational commitment represents a significant additional challenge. Engaged, satisfied, and committed employees constitute a highly productive workforce that is coveted by management (Bhattacharya, 2015). Neumark, Johnson, and Mejia (2013) suggested that the high levels of senior leadership retirements expected in the coming years raises significant concern regarding the quality and delivery of services from businesses. Engaged, satisfied, and committed employees provide organizations with a competitive advantage such as higher productivity (Shahid, 2013).
These employees demonstrate their engagement, satisfaction, and commitment through their services to clients or customers and help to generate more business for the organization (Andrew & Sofian, 2012). Organizations want dedicated, satisfied, and committed employees working for them because these employees understand how they help meet the goals of the organization (Dobre, 2013). Engaged, satisfied, and committed employees tend to stay with the company, which helps create a competitive advantage of consistent productivity. This study was focused on the relationship between employee engagement, employee job satisfaction, and employee organizational commitment within certified public accounting firm professionals who are members of the Northeast Chapter of the New York State Society of CPAs (NYSSCPA).
The knowledge gathered from this study may assist upper management with considering ways to increase employee engagement, 2 employee job satisfaction, and employee organizational commitment. With this knowledge, organizational management may look at employee engagement, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment in order to understand and improve individual and organizational performance (Burns, 2016). Background of the Problem As the age of the knowledge worker with a multigenerational workforce unfolds, employee retention is an increasing concern for the accounting profession. Management must develop an understanding of the relationship between the engagement, job satisfaction, and commitment of their employees to retain the necessary talent for the maintenance of competitive advantage (Albrect, Bakker, Gruman, Macey, & Saks, 2015).
Engaged, satisfied, and committed employees are critical to ensuring a highly productive workforce (Das & Baruah, 2013). Per Aguenza and Mat Som (2012), by understanding the level of engagement, satisfaction, and commitment, organizations can determine ways to improve organizational practices for the retention of valuable staff members. Organizational structure, work experiences, characteristics of the work, and the relationships established between management and coworkers influence engagement, satisfaction, and organizational commitment (Leite, de A. Rodrigues, & de Albuquerque, 2014).
Sufficiently engaged and satisfied employees tend to produce outstanding results, such as increased profitability and improved productivity, so this commitment is of strategic importance for organizations (Geldenhuys, Laba, & Venter, 2014). Employees are the fundamental source of value creation for a firm, particularly in knowledge-based industries such as accounting (Edmans, 2012). By keeping employees engaged, satisfied, 3 and committed, accounting firms do not have to be concerned about employees leaving the organization. Since 2012, studies are lacking regarding the relationship between employee engagement, job satisfaction, and employee organizational commitment, particularly within certified public accounting firm professionals.
A significant amount of the research showed the relationship of engagement and commitment to job satisfaction, but minimal research showed how both engagement and job satisfaction affect commitment (Zaki Dajani, 2015). The lack of research on how both engagement and job satisfaction affects commitment results in the lack of information available. The research conducted helps to fill the gap in the examination of the possible relationship between employee engagement, job satisfaction, and employee organizational commitment existing within the accounting professionals working at certified public accounting (CPA) firms of the Northeast Chapter of the NYSSCPA. Problem Statement As of 2013, Gallup estimated that disengaged employees cost the U.
economy about $450 billion to $550 billion a year in lost productivity (Ruslan, Islam, & Noor, 2014). With globalization and the age of the knowledge worker continuing to unfold, employee retention and employee commitment are two leading challenges facing organizations caused by the unprecedented talent mobility globalization allows (Das & Baruah, 2013). The general business problem was that CPA business leaders do not understand the role that engaged, satisfied, and committed employees play in an organization’s success. The specific business problem was that CPA business leaders in 4 Albany County, New York possess little knowledge about how employee engagement and job satisfaction influence their employees’ commitment to the organization.
Purpose Statement The purpose of this quantitative correlation study was to determine if there is a relationship among employee engagement, employee job satisfaction, and employee organizational commitment. The independent variables were employee engagement and employee job satisfaction. The dependent variable was employee organizational commitment. The targeted population included members of the NYSSCPA Northeast Chapter in Albany County, New York.
Due to the complexity of the regulatory accounting framework, long hours, burnout, and routine tasks, employees in public accounting experience low engagement, satisfaction, and commitment (Yakin & Erdil, 2012). These complexities make the members of the NYSSCPA an appropriate population for this study (Chong & Monroe, 2015). This research may have implications for positive social change by determining how differing levels of employee engagement and job satisfaction influence organizational commitment. Nature of the Study I used the quantitative methodology for this study.
Understanding the relationship, if any, between employee engagement, employee job satisfaction, and employee organizational commitment required the assessment of CPA business leaders’ perceptions of each variable. Kura (2012) stated that the use of mathematical structures supports the validity of the data by interpreting the numerical information within the quantitative method. Miles, Gordon, and Storlie (2013) suggested the quantitative method promotes 5 the analysis of objective facts and researcher independence. Alternatively, per Sergi and Hallin (2011), the qualitative method assists the researcher in describing, decoding, translating, and interpreting information and may not yield the complete representation of accounting professionals’ views on employee engagement, employee job satisfaction, and employee organizational commitment.
I designed this research after a correlational study using a survey. Correlational design was suitable because the primary purpose of the research was to determine if relationships exist between variables (Nimon & Oswald, 2013). Unlike the correlational design, experimental design involves complete control by the researcher in randomizing the participants’ treatments (Levy & Ellis, 2011).