Commitment and identification in the Ivory Tower: academics’ perceptions of organisational support and reputation

Abstract

Academics are the core of a university and their performance impacts the quality of student learning and university experience thereby influencing the contribution that higher education institutions are able to make to society. This study compared the impact of organisational support and external reputation on the affective commitment and organisational identification of academics at a South African university. Data were gathered from a sample of 215 academics via an online survey and analysed using structural equation modelling. Organisational support was found to influence academics’ affective commitment both directly and indirectly via organisational identification in the presence of external reputation. Contrary to expectations, the university’s reputation did not show a significant impact on academics’ organisational identification, nor on their commitment, in the presence of organisational support. Furthermore, academics’ organisational identification was not found to partially mediate the relationship between the university’s reputation and their commitment.