The Impact of Command Likelihood on Commitment
Abstract
This study focuses on how commitment among army officers, having between five and fifteen years of commissioned service, may be impacted as a consequence of the army's current drawdown. It was hypothesized that officer commitment would decline as a result of a reduced likelihood of commanding a battalion. Additionally, an officer's branch specialty and number of alternatives defining a successful career were expected to have varying impact on commitment. Despite the absence of a psychological theory of commitment, motivational and cognitive theories were found to be parsimonious in accounting for the hypotheses. The hypotheses were tested using a quasi-experimental technique in a 3 X 4 X 2 design which examined the manipulated effects of 'likelihood of command' according to branch and sample type. Using a published inventory, each subject's commitment was assessed before and after the manipulation. The analyses revealed robust support for the principal hypothesis: likelihood of command does impact commitment. Branch specialty exhibited a differential effect on commitment, but not as a consequence of command likelihood nor the number of alternatives officers have for defining success as was hypothesized. Implications for expanding the army's vision of career success and for the psychological research community were offered, and issues requiring further research were set forth. Command likelihood, Commitment, Drawdown, Battalion Branch differences, Psychological research
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 03, 1994
- Accession Number
- ADA284504
Entities
People
- Steven M. Jones
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College