STUDY OF RELATIONSHIP OF QUALITY OF WORK LIFE (QWL) AND ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT

STUDY OF RELATIONSHIP OF QUALITY OF WORK LIFE (QWL) AND ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT Hajieh Rajabi Farjad (Corresponding Author) Student of Public Management, Islamic Azad University, Young Researchers Club, Tehran Research And Science Branch, Tehran, Iran, Corresponding Author Shahrnaz Varnous Student of Public Management, Islamic Azad University, research and science branch, Tehran, Iran Abstract This research studies the relationship between Quality of Work Life (QWL) and organizational commitment. This is a descriptive and surveying research with an applied goal. The studied statistical society was Communications and Infrastructure Company. The random stratified sampling method was used. Data was gathered by questionnaires that were distributed between staff managers and deputies. Validity of this questionnaire was confirmed by content analysis by related professors. Kronbach Alpha Coefficient was 0.92 that confirms reliability of questionnaire. Pearson Test was used to calculate rate of significance relationship between components of research. Also, Friedman Test was used to rank the components. The gathered data was processed by SPSS. The findings for study of the relationships between independent variables (dimensions of QWL, salary and allowances, health security and work conditions, growth opportunities and future development, balance between work and other life aspects, cooperation and significant social aids, social cohesion in work, development of human capabilities) and dependent variables showed that health security and work conditions and development of human capabilities had the most effect on organizational commitment; also, balance between work and other life aspects and salary and allowances had the least effect on organizational commitment. Keywords: QUALITY OF WORKING LIFE, QWL, ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT, AFFECTIVE COMMITMENT, NORMATIVE COMMITMENT, CONTINUOUS COMMITMENT COPY RIGHT 2013 Institute of Interdisciplinary Business Research 449

Introduction Human resources is the most important department of an organization in which recognition of behavioral patterns of staffs and factors related with job views of staffs are from important in recognition of success of an organization. Also, confidence about QWL is one of the best methods to attract and preserving talent staffs and to obtain better performance in an organization (Salmani, 2005). QWL is meeting different needs of staffs including social needs, need to esteem, need to use skills (Chang & Tang, 2009). From the view of Mesut (2006), QWL is defined as a method or approach that uses special techniques to improve and modify work. QWL is the views of individuals toward their jobs; namely, how much mutual confidence, appreciation, dominant work, and suitable (material and abstract) investment opportunities in work environment were provided for staffs by managers. QWL inside an organization is estimated through measurement of satisfaction, low absence, and high motivation of staffs. Necessity of notice to QWL and its improvement has a logic that is 65% of useful lives of humans are spent in their work environment. Indices of QWL ( right Participation in work (e.g. suggestion. 2 consent improvement are 1. Happiness or work 3. Decrement of work accidents 4. Selection right (e.g. job, destiny, effectiveness, ). Low QWL means staffs know their jobs merely as devices to remove their economical needs. Such employees often have low loyalty to their organization and they are compelled to do other things to compensate deficiencies. Regarding to the definition of QWL, researches have studied QWL components. Table 1 shows different views of researchers about QWL components (Su-li, 2008). Table 1: Results of researches on QWL components Researcher Walton (1975) Stein (1983) Levine, Taylor & Davis(1984) Indices of QWL 1. Fair and enough payment (of salary and allowances); 2. Safety and healthy work conditions; 3. Providing growth opportunity and continuous security; 4. Lawfulness in organization; 5. Balance between work and other life aspects; 6. Significant social aids and cooperation; 7. Social cohesion in work; 8. development of human capabilities 1. Independence and autonomy; 2. Being outstanding and important; 3. Property and belongingness; 4. Development and progress; 5. outside rewards 1. Esteem and confidence to staffs capabilities by directors; 2. Work change; 3. Work challenge; 4. Future development comes from current work; 5. Self-esteem; 6. Cohesion and interference of work and life; 7. share of work in enhance of society Cai Hui-ru (1994) 1. Quality of life: compensation of services, welfare, work security, work support; 2. social quality: relationship with superior, colleagues, and clients; 3. growth quality: participation management, rise, individual growth, self-esteem, work features Jia Ha wee (2003) 1. Need to surveillance; 2. Need to eagerness and desire; 3. Need to belongingness; 4. need to self Chen Jia-Sheng, Fan Jing-Li (2000) Qing Tao, Peng Tian-Yu & Lou Jian (2007) 1. Work environment; 2. Salary and allowances; 3. Welfare; 4. Rise; 5. Work nature; 6. Training and development; 7. Style of superior leadership; 8. Participation of colleagues; 9. Organization face; 10. Communications; 11. Organizational rules; 12. Organizational culture and atmosphere; 13. work time and work pressure 1. Work duties: work independence, importance of duties, work feedback, work importance; 2. organizational environment: team spirit, interpersonal relations, management style; 3. social psychology, psychic and social support, mutual esteem, social picture of organization, economical situation Allen & Meyer (1991) know commitment as an internal case that is divided into three parts: affective commitment, continuous commitment, normative commitment. In organizational COPY RIGHT 2013 Institute of Interdisciplinary Business Research 450

commitment, a person is strongly loyal to his organization and he recognized his organization through it (Stron1976 & Salancik, 1977). Mowday, Porter, and Steers (1982) consider organizational commitment as affective and mental dependence to an organization upon which a committed person indicates his identity, participates in the organization, engages with it, and enjoys its membership. Porter et al (1978) defined organizational commitment as relative level of determination of individual identity with organization and his participation and engagement with organization. Thus, Porter suggests three factors with commitment: 1. acceptance of goals and values of organization, 2. desire to cooperate with organization to achieve its goals, 3. desire to retain in organization (Steers, 1989). Ghasemi (2000) studied the effect of QWL on productivity of human force. The results showed that there is a direct and significant relationship between QWL and productivity of human force; that is, the more we invest on creation of QWL system, the more the organizational productivity. Also, indices of job satisfaction, decrement of in/out rate, and production have most correlation with QWL, and index of creativity and innovation has least correlation with QWL. Hosseini and Musavi (2009) studied the relationship of QWL with organizational commitment and its dimensions in the staffs of Isfahan Body Training Organization. The results showed that there is a significant relationship between QWL and organizational commitment; however, there is not a significant relationship between dimensions of life quality, fair and enough payment with affective commitment and normative commitment. Ashrafi (1995) clarified the effective factors on organizational commitment of managers and staffs of East Alborz Coal Co. The results showed that there is a direct linear relation between job satisfaction of managers and staffs. Askari et al (2003) studied the relationship between organization commitment and mental health and their comparison in high school managers of governmental and non-governmental schools of Isfahan. The results showed that there a relation between organization commitment and mental health of managers of high schools. Also there is a relation between organizational commitment and mental health in governmental and non-governmental high schools. Generally, the goal of this research is recognizing the relationship between QWL dimensions with organization commitment and its components, recognizing QWL indices, and determination of the effect of each index on work life. Research method By goal, this research aims to recognize the relationship between QWL with organizational commitment and its components. This is a descriptive research by data gathering method and implicational by goal. The statistical society of this research is Communications and Infrastructure Company. The random stratified sampling method was used. Data was gathered by questionnaires that were distributed between staff managers and deputies. Walton s QWL questionnaire (1975) was used to measure QWL, and Allen & Mayer s questionnaire (1991) was used to measure organizational commitment including three (affective, continuous, and normative) dimensions. Also, Pearson Coefficient was used to calculate rate of significant relationship between components. COPY RIGHT 2013 Institute of Interdisciplinary Business Research 451

Analysis of Hypothesis Test Results Hypothesis1: There is a significant relationship between enough payment (of salary and allowances) and organizational commitment. Table 2 shows correlation of enough payment (of salary and allowances) with organizational commitment. Pearson Test was used to study this relation. The table shows that there is a direct and significant correlation between fair and enough payment (of salary and allowances) with total score of organization commitment, and affective and continuous subscales with p<0.05, but this correlation is reverse with normative subscale. Table 2- between enough payment (of salary and allowances) and organizational commitment enough payment (of salary and allowances) 0.196(**) organizational commitment total score 0.297(*) subscales of Organizational commitment 0.135(**) subscales of Organizational commitment -0.049(**) subscales of Organizational commitment Hypothesis 2: There is a significant relationship between the component of health security and work conditions with organizational commitment. Table 3 shows correlation component of health security and work conditions with organizational commitment. Pearson Test was used to study this relation. The table shows that there is a direct and significant correlation between health security and work conditions with total score of organization commitment, and affective and continuous subscales with p<0.05, but this correlation is reverse with normative subscale. Table 3- between health security and work conditions and organizational commitment Health security and work conditions 0.252(**) organizational commitment total score 0.402(*) subscales of Organizational commitment 0.106(**) subscales of Organizational commitment -0.024(**) subscales of Organizational commitment Hypothesis 3: There is a significant relationship between the component of growth opportunities and future development with organizational commitment. Table 4 shows correlation component of growth opportunities and future development with organizational commitment. Pearson Test was used to study this relation. The table shows that there is a direct and significant correlation between growth opportunities and future COPY RIGHT 2013 Institute of Interdisciplinary Business Research 452

development with total score of organization commitment, affective, continuous and normative subscales with p<0.05. Table 4- between growth opportunities and future development and organizational commitment Growth opportunities and future development 0.459(*) organizational commitment total score 0.580(**) subscales of Organizational commitment 0.177(**) subscales of Organizational commitment 0.235(**) subscales of Organizational commitment Hypothesis 4: There is a significant relationship between the components of lawfulness with organization commitment. Table 5 shows correlation component of lawfulness with organizational commitment. Pearson Test was used to study this relation. The table shows that there is a direct and significant correlation between lawfulness with total score of organization commitment, and affective and continuous subscales with p<0.05, but this correlation is reverse with normative subscale Table 5- between lawfulness and organizational commitment Lawfulness 0.172(**) organizational commitment total score 0.414(*) subscales of Organizational commitment -0.109(**) subscales of Organizational commitment -0.047(**) subscales of Organizational commitment Hypothesis 5: There is a significant relationship between the component of balance in work and other life aspects with organization commitment. Table 6 shows correlation component of balance in work and other life aspects with organizational commitment. Pearson Test was used to study this relation. The table shows that there is a direct and significant correlation between balance in work and other life aspects with total score of organization commitment, affective, continuous and normative subscales with p<0.05. COPY RIGHT 2013 Institute of Interdisciplinary Business Research 453

Table 6- between balance in work and other life aspects and organizational commitment Balance in work and other life aspects 0.483(**) organizational commitment total score 0.448(**) subscales of Organizational commitment 0.239(*) subscales of Organizational commitment 0.464(**) subscales of Organizational commitment Hypothesis 6: There is a significant relationship between the component of cooperation and social aids with organization commitment. Table 7 shows correlation component of cooperation and social aids with organizational commitment. Pearson Test was used to study this relation. The table shows that there is a direct and significant correlation between cooperation and social aids with total score of organization commitment, affective, continuous and normative subscales with p<0.05. Table 7- between cooperation and social aids and organizational commitment Cooperation social aids and 0.355(**) organizational commitment total score 0.480(**) subscales of Organizational commitment 0.039(**) subscales of Organizational commitment 0.241(**) subscales of Organizational commitment Hypothesis7: There is a significant relationship between the components of social cohesion in work with organization commitment Table 8 shows correlation component of social cohesion in work with organizational commitment. Pearson Test was used to study this relation. The table shows that there is a direct and significant correlation between social cohesion in work with total score of organization commitment, affective, continuous and normative subscales with p<0.05. Table 8- between social cohesion in work and organizational commitment Social cohesion in work 0.475(**) organizational commitment total score 0.447(*) subscales of Organizational commitment 0.262(**) subscales of Organizational commitment 0.447(*) subscales of Organizational commitment Hypothesis 8: There is a significant relationship between the components of development of human capabilities with organization commitment. Table 9 shows correlation component of development of human capabilities with organizational commitment. Pearson Test was used to study this relation. The table shows that there COPY RIGHT 2013 Institute of Interdisciplinary Business Research 454

is a direct and significant correlation between development of human capabilities with total score of organization commitment, and affective and continuous subscales with p<0.05, but this correlation is reverse with normative subscale Table 9- between development of human capabilities and organizational commitment Development of human capabilities 0.188(**) organizational commitment total score 0.311(**) subscales of Organizational commitment -0.156(**) subscales of Organizational commitment 0.229(**) subscales of Organizational commitment The average of scores for these 8 components is shown in table 10 according to Friedman Test. Table 10- Average and Rank Hypothesis1 Hypothesis 2 Hypothesis3 Hypothesis 4 Hypothesis 5 Hypothesis 6 Hypothesis7 Hypothesis 8 enough health security growth lawfulness balance in cooperation social development of payment and work opportunities work and and social cohesion in human (of salary and conditions and future other life aids work capabilities allowances) development aspects Average 3.53 6.57 4.68 5.52 3.12 4.28 5.52 5.98 Standard deviation 0.996 0.693 0.934 0.897 0.674 1.047 0.805 0.795 Rank Seventh First Fifth third eighth Sixth Fourth Second Regarding to the results from data interpretation and analysis, health security and work conditions with average of 6.57 and standard deviation of 0.693 is the most important factor affecting organizational commitment, and then there is human capabilities development with average of 5.98 and SD of 0.795. Balance between work and other life aspects with avertable of 3.12 and SD of 0.674, and salary and allowance with average of 3.53 and SD of 0.996 have least effect on organizational commitment. Discussion and conclusion The findings of this research showed that generally there is a significant relationship between independent variables (dimensions of QWL, salary and allowances, health security and work conditions, growth opportunities and future development, balance between work and other life aspects, cooperation and significant social aids, social cohesion in work, development of human capabilities) and dependent variables. However, there is a reverse and significant relationship between salary and allowances, health security and work conditions, and development of human capabilities with continuous and normative subscales of organizational commitment. Finally, there is a reverse and significant relationship between human capabilities development and continuous organizational commitment, which complies with the results of Hosseini and Musvi (2009) and Jamshidi (2000). The findings of Jamshidi (2000) by ranking QWL indices showed that fair and enough payment, lawfulness in organization, social role of work life, and safe and healthy work environment had lower marks by evaluation of the related indices. The results of Shahbazi (2007) showed that social integration and cohesion and general space of life had most relations with job performance. Also, fair and enough payment and growth opportunity and continuous security had least relation with job performance. COPY RIGHT 2013 Institute of Interdisciplinary Business Research 455

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