PROFESSIONAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT - COMPATIBLE OR INCOMPATIBLE

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, it was argued that professional workers are more likely to be committed to their profession than their employer, especially in bureaucratic types of organizations. Since then, however, it has been suggested that professional and organizational commitments are not necessarily incompatible. The primary purpose of this study is to empirically assess the nature of the relation between professional and organizational commitment. Meta-analysis is used to integrate previous findings of relevant correlational data from 15 published studies. The results indicate a moderately strong, positive association between professional and organizational commitment, thereby supporting the currently prevailing view. Investigation of four potential moderators reveals that the degree of occupational professionalization, the individual′s position in the employing organization, and the form of professional commitment have moderating effects on the true correlation between professional and organizational commitment. © 1993 Academic Press, Inc.