WHAT DRIVES ACADEMICS’ ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT? EVIDENCE FROM MALAYSIAN PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35631/AIJBES.829111Keywords:
Malaysian Public Universities, Networking Behaviour, Organizational Career Growth, Organizational Commitment, Organizational Justice, Perceived Organizational SupportAbstract
Organizational commitment matters in higher education because academics’ attachment to their institutions shapes their willingness to fulfill institutional responsibilities and remain with their universities. Prior research has largely examined organizational career growth, perceived organizational support, and organizational justice as isolated predictors of commitment; however, their combined influence remains underexplored. Investigating these combined organizational factors is essential in Malaysian public universities, where fostering commitment requires aligning career growth, institutional support, and workplace fairness. Therefore, grounded by Social Exchange Theory, this study examines the impact of organizational career growth, perceived organizational support, and organizational justice on academics' organizational commitment, as well as the moderating role of networking behaviour. This study employed a quantitative approach and a correlational research design, and data were collected from academics at public universities who met the predetermined eligibility criteria. 508 complete responses were obtained, data screening was conducted, and only 457 usable responses were retained. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze the data. The findings revealed that organizational career growth (β = 0.267, t = 4.699, p < 0.001), perceived organizational support (β = 0.163, t = 3.000, p = 0.001), and organizational justice (β = 0.271, t = 4.656, p < 0.001) had a significant positive effect on organizational commitment. However, networking behaviour showed no moderating effect on the relationship between organizational factors and organizational commitment. Organizational career growth, perceived organizational support, and organizational justice independently drive organizational commitment, demonstrating that individual networking does not alter the impact of these organizational factors. These insights offer actionable strategies for Malaysian public university administrators and policymakers.
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