Chapter-V. Social Factors. The second minor objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between social

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1 Chapter-V Social Factors 5.0 Introduction The second minor objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between social factors and the organizational commitment of the teachers. Social factors are classified into peer cohesiveness, job prestige, job opportunities, and the availability of welfare facilities. In each case, the relevant data are extracted from the questionnaires filled out by the teachers. The relationship between each of these social factors with organizational commitment of the teachers of the three universities of Hyderabad, namely OU, Hyderabad Central, and JNTU has been studied. To test the reliability and validity of the findings different tests were conducted as well. The detailed accounts of the investigations are elaborated below. 5.1 Peer Cohesiveness and Organizational Commitment Peer cohesiveness is the first social factor to be investigated. Table 5.1 shows the distribution of the organizational commitment of the teachers in terms of their peer cohesiveness which is divided into the three levels of low, medium, and high. 142

2 Table 5.1. The Distribution of Organizational Commitment of Teachers in Terms of the Degree of Their Cohesion within the Group Cohesion within the group Teachers organizational commitment Low Medium High Total low Medium High Total Table 5.2. Chi-Square Tests Pearson Chi-Square Likelihood Ratio Linear-by- Linear Association N of Valid Cases Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided) a Approx. Table 5.3. Symmetric Measures Asymp. Std. Value Error a Approx. T b Sig. Ordinal Kendall's tau-b by Gamma Ordinal Spearman c Correlation Interval by Interval Pearson's R c N of Valid Cases

3 Based on Table 5.2, the estimated amount of χ² test for the calculated table is by the degree of freedom of 4, with the level of significance of 95% which is more than the χ² amount 9.48 of the table. Regarding the resulted χ² amount and the significance level of with 99% of confidence, it can be concluded that there is a significant relationship between cohesion within the group and the organizational commitment of teachers. Thus, according to the results obtained, the H0 (null hypothesis) is rejected and H1 (hypothesis) is confirmed. The gamma coefficient is equal to with a significance level of which is a medium coefficient. Since the correlation is positive, the organizational commitment will be decreased by increasing cohesion within the group. In other words, teachers who have greater cohesion within the group also have a higher organizational commitment. The findings are compatible with the investigation done by Eskandaricharati et al. (2009) in Iran. They found that teachers who had more intimate relationships within the group, showed a higher organizational commitment. The existence of an intimate relationship in the group affected the organizational commitment of the teachers with a β= 0.151at a significance level of Also the findings of Allen and Meyer (1990); Williamson and Anderson (1991); Kanter (1972); Mowday et al. (1982); and Carron (1980) are in line with the findings of the present study of the relationship between peer cohesion and organizational characteristics of the employees. Considering the same recurrent results in different studies, it can be said that with the development of the technology and the complication of organizational activities, the intergroup cohesion among academics plays a crucial role in fulfilling the organizational and educational goals. 144

4 5.2 Job Prestige and Organizational Commitment Job prestige is the second factor in the series of social factors which are investigated for their relationship with the organizational commitment of the teachers. Table 5.4 shows the distribution of teachers organizational commitment with respect to their job prestige or status, which in turn is divided into the three states of low, medium, and high. Table 5.4. The Distribution of Teacher s Organizational Commitment with Respect to Their Job Prestige Academics organizational commitment Low Medium High Total Job Presti ge Low Medium High Total Table 5.5. Chi-Square Tests Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided) Pearson Chi-Square a Likelihood Ratio Linear-by-Linear Association N of Valid Cases 297 Table 5.6. Symmetric Measures Asymp. Std. Value Error a Approx. T b Approx. Sig. Ordinal by Kendall's tau-b Ordinal Gamma Spearman Correlation c Interval by Pearson's R c Interval N of Valid Cases

5 Based on Table 5.5, the resulted χ² test amount is with a freedom degree of 4 at the level of 95%, which is smaller than χ² of 9.48; regarding the significance level of it can be said that there is no significant relationship between job prestige and the organizational commitment of the teachers. Thus H0 is confirmed and H1 is rejected. The findings of the present study on the relationship between job prestige and organizational commitment are inconsistent with the findings of the study by Eskandaricharati et al. (2009). They concluded that there is a significant relationship between job prestige and organizational commitment considering a Spearman's correlation coefficient of and the estimated χ² and the significance level of with 100% of confidence. Considering the estimated Kendall's tau-b= at the significance level of 0.000, it can be claimed that those teachers who have higher job prestige also have a higher organizational commitment. The findings of Mayer and Schoorman (1998); Dessler (1980); Ritzer and Trice (1969); and Rusbalt and Farrell (1983) were contrary to the findings of the present study. These differences may be caused by different values and cultures in different societies or differences in the samples under the study or the time of the study. 5.3 Job Opportunities and Organizational Commitment The opportunity to find new jobs has been proved to be effective on organizational commitment in many studies. In this study, job opportunity is considered as a social factor which may affect the organizational commitment. Table 5.7 presents the distribution of the teachers' organizational commitment considering their access to job opportunities. 146

6 Table 5.7. The Distribution of Teachers' Organizational Commitment with Respect to Their Job Opportunities Teachers organizational commitment Low Medium High Total possibility to Low find Medium another job high Total Table 5.8. Chi-Square Tests Pearson Chi- Square Likelihood Ratio Linear-by- Linear Association N of Valid Cases Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided) a Table 5.9. Symmetric Measures Asymp. Std. Value Error a Approx. T b Approx. Sig. Ordinal Kendall's tau-b by Gamma Ordinal Spearman Correlation c Interval Pearson's R c by Interval N of Valid Cases 297 According to Table 5.8, the estimated amount of χ² is with a freedom degree of 4 at the level of 95% which is more than the χ² amount of Considering the estimated χ² and the significance level of with 99%, it can be said that there is a significant relationship 147

7 between job opportunities and teachers organizational commitment. So, H0 is rejected and H1 is confirmed. The Kendall's coefficient is equal to b= and gamma equal to at a significance level of which is medium. Since the correlation is negative so it can be concluded that as less the teachers have the chance for alternative jobs, as more their commitment to the organization will decrease, and vice versa. The negative correlation between job opportunity and organizational commitment is similar to what Eskandaricharati et al. (2009) concluded. In their study, the Spearman correlation coefficient for the two variables of job opportunity a n d organizational commitment was The calculated χ² amount was with a degree of freedom of 4 at the level of 95%, which is higher than the χ²= Based on the calculated χ² and the significance level of with a confidence of 100% it can be said that there is a significant relationship between the teachers organizational commitment and their access to alternative jobs. Thus, with respect to the above findings, H0 is rejected and H1 is accepted. Kendall's tau coefficient (b) is equal to with a significance level of obtained which is medium. These findings are also approved by Allen and Meyer (1990); Chetin (2004); Mowday et al. (1974); Mathieu and Zajac (1990); Koch and Steers (1978); Porter et al. (1974); and March and Simon (1958). Continuous commitment indicates the probable costs of turnover and hence the compulsion to stay and continue working with the organization; as less is the occupational opportunities available out of the organization, as more will be the employees organizational commitment. In other words, by spending more time with the organization and being involved with the job, people will not be simply ready to leave their jobs and the organization. 148

8 5.4 The Availability of Welfare Facilities and Organizational Commitment In this study, the availability of the welfare facilities is the last social factor investigated for its relationship with the teachers organizational commitment. For the ease of analysis, the extent of the availability of the facilities is divided into low, medium and high. Table 5.10 shows the distribution of teachers' organizational commitment in terms of the availability of welfare facilities. Table The Distribution of Teachers' Organizational Commitment in Terms of the Availability of Welfare Facilities Availability of Welfare Teachers organizational commitment low Medium High Total low Medium High Facilities Total

9 Table Chi-Square Tests Asymp. Sig. (2- Value df sided) Pearson Chi-Square a Likelihood Ratio Linear-by-Linear Association N of Valid Cases 297 Table Symmetric Measures Asymp. Std. Approx. Approx. Value Error a T b Sig. Ordinal by Kendall's tau-b Ordinal Gamma Spearman c Correlation Interval by Pearson's R c Interval N of Valid Cases 297 Based on table 5.11, the amount of calculated χ² is with a freedom degree of 4 at the level of 95% which is more than χ² amount of Regarding the estimated χ² amount and the significance level of with the confidence of 99%, it can be said that there is a significant relationship between teachers enjoying the welfare facilities and their organizational commitment. Thus H0 is rejected and H1 is accepted. The estimated gamma coefficient is with a significance level of which is medium. Since the correlation is positive, it can be said that the more the teachers enjoy welfare facilities, the more their organizational commitment will be. In other words, the teachers who enjoy more welfare 150

10 facilities will also have a higher organizational commitment. The findings of the present study on the relationship between the availability of welfare facilities and organizational commitment are compatible with Eskandaricharati et al. (2009). They investigated the distribution of organizational commitment of teachers according to their access to welfare facilities; The Spearman correlation coefficient for the two variables of availability of welfare facility and organizational commitment was Regarding the estimated χ² a n d the significance level of with a confidence of about 100%, they concluded that there was a significant relationship between the teachers organizational commitments and their access to welfare facilities.. Thus H1 was confirmed. The Kendall's tau coefficient (b) was equal to with a significance level of Since the correlation was positive, it can be said that increase in the teachers welfare facilities will as well increase their organizational commitment. So, when an organization is founded, it needs resources and facilities to be able to achieve its goal. In this respect, human resources are the most significant factors. The people who work for the organization, dedicate a degree of diligence and loyalty to the organization and in return they expect more than the material rewards. They expect safety, respect, fair treatment, social connection and support to achieve their goals well. If the organizations only meet the employees material needs and ignore their spiritual aims, the employees performance will deteriorate, because their expectations are failed. When both spiritual and material needs of the employees are respected by the organizations, the employees will as well try their utmost to fulfil the organizations goals. It can be said that, organizational commitment is not limited to being committed to the organization, but it is a continuous process through which the employees express their interest in the organization and its goals. Investigating the relationship between the social factors and the organizational 151

11 commitment of the teachers of the three universities of Hyderabad revealed that all the social factors, except job opportunity have a significant positive relationship with organizational commitment of the teachers. The increasing technological improvements and organizational complexities make the peer-cohesion more determining in fulfilling the aims of the organizations. Knowledge of the factors effective on organizational commitment can help the managers of organizations to take due measures in increasing the organizational commitment of the employees. 5.5 Summary of the Chapter This chapter elaborated on the relationship between social factors and organizational commitment of the teachers of the three universities of Hyderabad. Social factors have been divided into peer cohesiveness, job prestige, job opportunities, and the availability of welfare facilities. Each factor has been studied separately for its relationship with organizational commitment through different statistical tests. 152

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