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Knowledge workers: what keeps them committed; what turns them away

Author

Listed:
  • John Benson

    (University of South Australia)

  • Michelle Brown

    (University of Melbourne, Australia)

Abstract

There is a well established literature on the antecedents of organizational commitment, though the relative importance of these antecedents to particular groups of workers remains unclear. Relying on a general set of antecedents for all workers may result in the application of inappropriate HRM policies and practices. Our focus is on knowledge workers as they have been identified as important to organizational success.The literature is, however, divided on what constitutes knowledge work so we develop and apply a measure that focuses on what these workers do.We then use this measure to examine attitudinal and behavioural commitment. We find, using responses from 1969 employees, knowledge workers have higher attitudinal commitment and lower intention to quit than routine-task workers. Further, the antecedents of commitment for knowledge workers and routine-task workers differ in many important respects, creating challenges for organizational decision makers.

Suggested Citation

  • John Benson & Michelle Brown, 2007. "Knowledge workers: what keeps them committed; what turns them away," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 21(1), pages 121-141, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:woemps:v:21:y:2007:i:1:p:121-141
    DOI: 10.1177/0950017007073623
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Paul Thompson & Chris Warhurst & George Callaghan, 2001. "Ignorant Theory and Knowledgeable Workers: Interrogating the Connections between Knowledge, Skills and Services," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(7), pages 923-942, November.
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    3. Brewer, Ann M. & Hensher, David A., 1998. "The Importance of Organisational Commitment in Managing Change: Experience of the NSW Private Bus Industry," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 34(2), pages 117-130, June.
    4. Lee Cronbach, 1951. "Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests," Psychometrika, Springer;The Psychometric Society, vol. 16(3), pages 297-334, September.
    5. John Benson, 1998. "Dual Commitment: Contract Workers in Australian Manufacturing Enterprises," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(3), pages 355-375, May.
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