Meyer 1990; Meyer et al. 1993) that used 8 items to measure each of the three
domains. The eight items used by Allen and Meyer (1990: 6) to measure the
Affective Commitment factor are listed in Table 5 - 2. The original scale was
developed using responses from clerical, supervisory and managerial employees
in two manufacturing organisations and one university. On examining the
individual scale items, it was felt that some may be less appropriate in a
hospitality service setting where many front line waiters and waitresses may not
relate to their organisation in the same way as the more senior staff who would
constitute a significant part of Allen and Meyer’s original sample.
Item Allen and Meyer’s (1990) item statements Applicability in a
catering service
context
- I would be very happy to spend the recareer with this organization st of my Not applicable
- I enjoy discussing my organization with people outside it Maybe
- I really feel as if this organization's problems are my own Doubtful
- I think that I could easily become as attached to another organization as I am to this one (R) Applicable
- I do not feel like 'part of the family' at my organization (reverse coded) Applicable
- I do not feel 'emotionally attached' to this organization (reverse coded) Applicable
- This organization has a meaning for me great deal of personal How will respondents interpret ‘meaning’?
- I do not feel a strong sense of belonging to my organization (reverse coded) Applicable
Table 5-2 Allen and Meyer’s (1990) Affective Commitment scale
For Item 1, many of the target population will not perceive themselves as a
‘career waiter’ or ‘career waitress’. For Item 2 it was considered that service staff
may discuss their jobs with people outside of their work, but perhaps less often
their ‘organisation’. Item 3 was not considered to be an appropriate means of
assessing commitment of the target population owing to its characteristic (partial)
composition of part-time, temporary and, by definition, non-supervisory,
employees. Furthermore, Items 1, 2 and 3 did not load particularly strongly on
the Affective Commitment factor in Allen and Meyer’s rotated factor matrix (0.55,
0.56 and 0.52 respectively). Item 7 was dropped owing to the difficulty in
interpreting ‘meaning’ in a single unidimensional statement (as per the arguments
provided immediately above in the discussion on operationalising and measuring
Work Meaning).