Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment among Faculty in Public Universities: An Empirical Analysis

Abstract

The present study investigates the relationship between job satisfaction and organizational commitment among faculty members in a single public university in India. The conceptual framework of the study is grounded in Frederick Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory (1959), which explains job satisfaction through motivational and hygiene factors. Based on this framework, three dimensions of job satisfaction were examined: job design, remuneration and welfare benefits, and management practices. Organizational commitment was conceptualized through the three-component model developed by John P. Meyer and Natalie J. Allen (1991), encompassing affective, continuance, and normative commitment. Primary data were collected using a structured questionnaire distributed to faculty members working in a single public university. A total of 103 valid responses were obtained and analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics. The statistical techniques applied in the study included Pearson correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis to determine the relationships between the dimensions of job satisfaction and the components of organizational commitment.The results indicate that job design has a statistically significant positive relationship with affective commitment, suggesting that faculty members who perceive their work structure, autonomy, and role clarity positively tend to develop stronger emotional attachment to their institution. However, the findings reveal that remuneration, welfare benefits, and management practices do not exhibit statistically significant relationships with the components of organizational commitment. Furthermore, the analysis suggests that a decline in affective commitment among faculty members is associated with a reduced sense of involvement and engagement in institutional activities. Considering that faculty members represent a critical intellectual resource for universities, the findings highlight the importance of enhancing job satisfaction through effective job design and meaningful academic engagement in order to strengthen organizational commitment. The study provides practical implications for university administrators and policymakers and suggests directions for future research to explore additional institutional and psychological factors influencing faculty commitment in university.