What is the difference between job engagement and organizational commitment?

Employee Engagement and Commitment are the two of the necessary endeavors in which organization must invest its time and effort. Both are different, as engagement drives commitment, whereas the reverse is not possible, commitment cannot be achieved without employee engagement. The article discusses both the concepts in turns, first Employee Engagement is highlighted followed by the concept of  Commitment to the Organization.

Employee Engagement and Commitment are the two of the necessary endeavors in which organization must invest its time and effort. Both are different, as engagement drives commitment, whereas the reverse is not possible, commitment cannot be achieved without employee engagement. The article discusses both the concepts in turns, first Employee Engagement is highlighted followed by the concept of  Commitment to the Organization.

Difference between Engagement and Commitment

Employee Engagement

Employee Engagement is about staff, takes place when employee show interest in their jobs, and are willing to exert an extra discretionary effort to get the required results. It is not for the Organization and comes from the internal motivation, however the benefits do reach the organization. An engaged employee as defined by Bevan et al (1997) is someone who is aware of business context, and works closely with colleagues to improve performance within the job for the benefit of the organization’.

An Engaged employee is someone who shows affection and dedication to the job he/she performs with no particular interest in the organization except as the provider of the opportunity to carry out the job.

For instance a Lecturer working for a University, carrying out Research, Taking part in events, conducting seminars but all this is done because of his/her interest in the field of teaching, whereas they might not identify with the objectives of the organization, they might not value the beliefs of the business and may not like to remain in the organization and  might like to leave the organization, but his/her engagement has significant positive affect on the University, as producing research, extra-curricular activities would bring good name to the University, with his/her personal growth.

Employee Commitment

Commitment on the other hand is about identification with the organization, feeling proud to go to work, and might not be prepared to go that extra mile for the job if the employee is high on commitment and low on engagement however a highly committed and high engaged employee would be excited about the job, put best effort into his/her duties and fully identifies wit the organization.

Commitment is the attachment and loyalty to the firm. It is about how strongly one associates its feelings with the organization. Porter et al (1974) found commitment as "relative strength of the individual’s identification with, and involvement in, a particular organization".

A few characteristics of a committed employees as identified by Mowday et al (1982) are:

• A potent desire to continue as a member of the business.
• A strong belief in, and acceptance of, the values and goals of the Business.
• A willingness to go that extra mile on behalf of the organization.

It is important to note that committed employee is driven through one who is engaged, otherwise employee may be high on commitment but low on engagement, and might not be that beneficial for the organization as the business desires him/her to be.

References

Bevan S, Barber, L and Robinson, D (1997) Keeping the Best: A practical guide to retaining key employees, Institute for Employment Studies, Brighton

Mowday, R, Porter, L and Steers, R (1982) Employee-organization Linkages: The psychology of commitment, absenteeism and turnover, Academic Press, London

Porter, L W, Steers, R, Mowday, R and Boulian, P (1974) Organizational commitment: job satisfaction and turnover amongst psychiatric technicians, Journal of Applied Psychology, 59, pp 603-9

As recruiting remains a challenge, I believe organizations will focus their resources toward making sure that they can keep the employees they have. Just like it’s easier to retain a customer (versus getting a new one), organizations will realize the same about employees. 

So retention will be a priority for companies, which means employee engagement will be a priority as well. Because companies cannot keep employees who are not engaged with the business. Please note: I said engaged, not committed. As I spend more time thinking about it, engagement and commitment are two different things.

I know, I’m guilty of using the terms interchangeably. But I think it’s time we draw the distinction. As a starting point, I looked up both definitions. 

Employee Engagement: The intersection of maximum contribution for the company and maximum satisfaction for employees. It’s a sustainable level of high performance that benefits both parties.

Organizational Commitment: An employee’s positive emotional attachment to the organization. 

I can see how a person could feel a positive connection to the organization but not necessarily engaged. I think about some of my former employers with great fondness. Keyword there being “former” employers. Even though I enjoyed working there, it wasn’t enough to keep me there. That’s where I think companies could get lulled into a false sense of “we have a super duper engaged workforce” when the reality is, the company has a lot of people who are proud of their affiliation with the company. 

In thinking about the definitions, it seems to me that employee engagement comes from a different place. Employees do work that they know has value or meaning. It’s satisfying work. In addition, the company acknowledges the employee’s contribution as being valuable. Both pieces need to exist. Have you ever worked someplace where you knew that you were doing great work, but no one else seemed to notice? I have and that’s not engaging (at least to me it wasn’t). It’s not enough just for the employee to know they’re doing good work. The company needs to know it as well. 

Now, if my line of thinking makes sense, then it’s possible that organizational commitment can lead to employee engagement. But I’m not sure it works the other way around. Which is why organizational efforts to improve culture with bean bag chairs, open office environments, free food, and bring your pet to work day are great for building commitment but not engagement. Let me say, this doesn’t mean any of these things are bad or wrong. They have the ability to build a foundation – which needs to happen.

But to truly build employee engagement, companies need to make the investment in activities that create the win-win. Employees need the tools and resources to do their jobs well. Or they won’t be satisfied with their work. And managers need the tools and resources to communicate and coach employees. So they know that the work they do brings value. “No news is good news” isn’t how employees learn the value they bring to the company.

Regardless of what you think of the term employee engagement, it’s an important concept. And it’s a necessary ingredient for employee retention. Companies cannot afford to ignore it. Too much talent will leave the organization.

Image captured by Sharlyn Lauby in Dallas, TX

Having a clear idea on the difference between employee engagement and commitment is important for those in the field of human resource management as employee engagement and employee commitment are often confused terms. Employees who are engaged in particular activities must be committed to completing the tasks effectively. If so, it will gain competitive advantage for the company within the industry. Organizational success heavily depends on the employee’s contribution. Therefore, employee engagement and commitment are important concepts to every organization. This article analyzes the difference between employee engagement and commitment.

What is Employee Engagement?

Employee engagement is the level of the employee’s involvement in carrying out the business operations. A person’s attitudes, beliefs and experiences determine the level of the engagement to a particular task. Therefore, leaders have a huge responsibility in stimulating the intrinsic desires of the employees in an organization in order to get their maximum contribution.

According to Scarlett Surveys, employee engagement as an individual’s degree of positive or negative emotional attachment to their organization, their job and their colleagues. This definition has been considered as a accepted global standard due to few reasons as follows.

• It is measurable in terms of the performance level of the employees.

• The impact of leadership can be measured with the organizational achievements.

An engaged employee is a person who is fully involved in and enthusiastic about, his or her work. Engaged employees are emotionally attached to the organization and always working with the aim of achieving the vision of the company.

Employee engagement directly affects the mindset of the people. Engaged employees are working with a confidence to make a difference and build the company to a higher level in the industry. Confidence that is built up with the knowledge, skills, and abilities that people possess in both themselves and others can be considered as a powerful predictor of behavior and their subsequent performance.

What is Employee Commitment?

Commitment means the employees’ dedication towards achieving a particular task effectively and efficiently. It is a some sort of a responsibility to the wellbeing of the organization as a whole. This can be a responsibility to the company, his/her product, facility or department.

The success of the company depends on the level of employee commitment towards the organization to achieve the specific goals. Employee commitment is build up with his interest towards a particular task. Therefore, it is the duty and the responsibility of the managers to create a friendly and safe environment within the organization for its employees.

What is the difference between Employee Engagement and Commitment?

• Employee commitment refers to the level of employee dedication towards completing a particular task or an activity; employee engagement involves the employee’s contribution towards the attainment of organizational goals.

• Employee commitment is build with the satisfaction level of the employees to work in the organization. An engaged employees are those who are emotionally attached to the organization and are always trying to give their maximum contribution for its betterment.