Affective and continuance commitment to the organization: Evaluation of measures and analysis of concurrent and time-lagged relations

Abstract

The factor structure of the Affective and Continuance Commitment Scales (ACS and CCS; J. P. Meyer and N. J. Allen; see record 1984-32952-001 ), as well as the causal links between affective and continuance commitment, were examined. Data were obtained from 2 employee samples on a single occasion and from a sample of new employees on 3 occasions during their 1st yr of employment. Confirmatory factor analyses revealed that (a) the ACS and CCS measure different constructs and (b) the CCS can be divided into 2 highly related subscales reflecting costs associated with leaving the organization (lack of alternatives and personal sacrifice). Tests of nonrecursive causal models with cross-sectional data revealed that (a) affective commitment had a negative effect on the alternatives component of continuance commitment in all samples and (b) both components of continuance commitment had a positive effect on affective commitment for established employees. Analyses of the longitudinal data revealed only a weak, negative, time-lagged effect of the alternatives component on affective commitment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)