Organisational commitment and communication satisfaction in two Indonesian state-owned enterprises

Abstract

The relationship between organisational commitment and communication satisfaction was examined using 799 employees of two state-owned enterprises in Indonesia. Organisational commitment was operationalised using Allen and Meyer's (1990) instrument supplemented by an additional 8-item scale. Communication satisfaction was measured using the Communication Audit Questionnaire (Downs, 1990).

Communication satisfaction was found to correlate positively and significantly with all dimensions of organisational commitment (affective, continuance, and normative) as well as with total commitment. Stepwise and hierarchical regression analysis revealed that, among the ten dimensions of communication satisfaction, media quality, supervisory communication, subordinate communication, and top management communication are the most important predictors of organisational commitment in Indonesian SOEs.

The findings confirmed previous findings of a significant correlational relationship between communication satisfaction and organisational commitment across different cultures, organisational types, and specific conditions faced by organisations. The study extends earlier research by demonstrating the influence of communication on different forms of commitment. National cultures, organisational types/structures, management styles, and specific conditions faced by organisations also appear to influence the relationship between communication satisfaction and organisational commitment.

Some managerial and theoretical implications of the findings and limitations of the study are discussed. Finally, some future research directions are outlined.