A RESEARCH ON ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT OF PUBLIC EMPLOYEES: THE CASE OF BURSA MUNICIPALITIES

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Gürses F., Sönmez E.

1. ULUSLARARASI GEDİZ SOSYAL BİLİMLER KONGRESİ, Kütahya, Turkey, 8 - 10 May 2026, no.1, pp.1, (Summary Text)

Abstract

Organizational commitment is a multidimensional concept reflecting employees’ emotional, continuance, and normative attachments to their organizations. Employees’ organizational commitment significantly influences both individual behaviors and organizational performance, including service quality. This is particularly critical in public institutions and municipalities, where staff maintain continuous and direct interactions with citizens, making their commitment essential for both institutional efficiency and citizen satisfaction. The primary aim of this study is to examine the effects of emotional and continuance commitment on normative commitment among municipal employees. The three-dimensional approach to organizational commitment suggests that commitment components are not entirely independent and may form a causal cycle under certain conditions. However, prior research has largely investigated these relationships at the correlational level, with empirical studies testing causal mechanisms remaining limited. Addressing this gap, the present study tests the predictive effects of emotional and continuance commitment on normative commitment using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The study employs a quantitative relational survey design. Data were collected from 235 employees working in municipalities in Bursa, Turkey, using the three-component organizational commitment scale developed by Meyer and Allen (1991). Analyses were conducted using SPSS and AMOS, including descriptive statistics, reliability and validity assessments, and SEM. Findings indicate that both emotional and continuance commitment have significant and positive effects on normative commitment. These results highlight the interaction and fluidity among organizational commitment dimensions, suggesting that emotional and continuance commitment can evolve into normative commitment over time. The study implies that municipal management should focus on practices that enhance employees’ sense of belonging, which in turn strengthens organizational loyalty and responsibility, ultimately contributing to improved service quality and citizen satisfaction.