On the discriminant validity of the Meyer and Allen measure of organizational commitment: How does it fit with the work commitment construct?

The purpose of this article is to examine the discriminant validity of the Meyer and Allen scales of organizational commitment and their relationships to commitment of different foci such as work involvement, job involvement, career commitment, and the Protestant work ethic. A total of 238 usable questionnaires were returned from nurses from two hospitals in western Canada. Results of confirmatory factor analysis (LISREL) and correlation analysis showed a good discriminant validity among the seven commitment foci; the three organizational commitment foci, and the four work commitment foci. The data also showed that the fit measures of the Meyer and Allen scales were better than those of the widespread Organizational Commitment Questionnaire (OCQ).