Exploring the relationship between career anchors, job satisfaction and organisational committment

Abstract

The primary objective of the study was to explore the relationship between career anchors, job satisfaction and organisational commitment using a sample of 86 employees at four Information Technology companies in South Africa. A secondary objective was to determine whether individuals from various gender, race, position and age groups differed significantly regarding their career anchors, job satisfaction and organisational commitment. The instruments used were the Career Orientations Inventory (COI), Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS) and Organisational Commitment Questionnaire (OCQ). The research findings indicated that career anchors are partially related to participants’ job satisfaction and organisational commitment and participants’ levels of job satisfaction and organisational commitment are significantly related. The findings also showed that demographic groups differ significantly regarding their career anchors, job satisfaction and organisational commitment. It is recommended that interventions aimed at improving individual career decision making and organisational retention practices take cognisance of how these variables relate to individuals’ career anchors, job satisfaction and organisational commitment. The study is concluded with recommendations for Industrial and Organisational Psychology practices and further research.