Revisiting the Relationship between Organisational Commitment and Professional Commitment: A Case Study of Academicians in a Private Educational Institution

Many studies have dwelled on various issues related to the concept of commitment. One particular issue concerns the relationship between organisational commitment and professional commitment.Between these foci of commitments, the issue has been whether both are compatible or in conflictwith each other. The nature of the relationship between these variables is worth noting as it may haveimpact on the behaviour of individuals in organisations, and hence, the formulation and practice ofhuman resource policies in these organisations. This paper reports the findings of a study conductedto investigate this issue of compatibility or conflict between the variables. The unit of analysis wereacademicians employed in a private research institution in Malaysia. The result of the mail surveyrevealed the existence of a commitment dilemma within the sample. No significant correlations wererecorded between professional commitment and the various dimensions of organisational commitment. Additionally, professional commitment and organisational commitment correlated significantly with intent to stay in the profession and intent to stay with the organisation, respectively. Directions for further research were also discussed.