The Measurement Model of Performance Determinants

Human Relations
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Organizational commitment as a mediator of the relationship between

Islamic work ethic and attitudes toward organizational change
Darwish A. Yousef
Human Relations 2000; 53; 513
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Human Relations
[0018-7267(200004)53:4]
Volume 53(4): 513–537: 011750
Copyright © 2000
The Tavistock Institute ®
SAGE Publications
London, Thousand Oaks CA,
New Delhi
Organizational commitment as a
mediator of the relationship between
Islamic work ethic and attitudes toward
organizational change
Darwish A. Yousef
A B S T R AC T This study investigates the role of organizational commitment as a

mediator between the Islamic work ethic (IWE) and attitudes toward
organizational change. The study uses a sample of 474 employees
from 30 organizations in five districts in the United Arab Emirates.
The results of path analysis indicate that the IWE directly and posi-
tively influences various dimensions of both attitudes toward organiz-
ational change and organizational commitment. Furthermore,
affective commitment mediates the influences of the IWE on both
affective and behavioral tendency dimensions of attitudes toward
organizational change. On the other hand, continuance and norma-
tive commitments mediate the influences of the IWE on cognitive
dimension of attitudes toward change, while continuance commit-
ment mediates the influences of the IWE on the behavioral tendency
dimension of attitudes toward change. Implications, limitations and
lines of future research are discussed.
KEYWORDS Islamic j organizational change j organizational commitment j

path analysis j United Arab Emirates (UAE) j work ethic
513
03yousef (ds) 21/2/00 9:08 am Page 514
514 Human Relations 53(4)
Introduction
Change is one of the most important features of this era. Today’s organiz-
ations have to cope with changing environments. Caplow (1983) argued that
every organization must submit to the demands of its environment, and these
demands vary as the environment changes. As a result, management within
organizations adopts organizational change (e.g. modifying an organization’s
structure, goals, technology, work task, etc.) as a means of dealing with the
changing environment. Human beings are the most important determinants
of the success or failure of the organizational change process. Consequently,
attention is paid to the factors influencing individuals’ attitudes toward
change. One factor which is believed to affect individuals’ attitudes toward
change is their commitment to their organization. One could argue that those
who are more committed to their organizations are more likely to embrace
change than those who are less committed to their organizations, provided
that such a change is perceived as beneficial to the organization, and has no
potential to alter the basic values and goals of the organization. Organiz-
ational commitment and its correlates have attracted the attention of numer-
ous researchers (e.g. Allen & Meyer, 1990; Aranya & Jacobson, 1975; Begley
and Czajka, 1993; Benkhoff, 1997a, 1997b; Dunham et al., 1994; Hackett
et al., 1994; McCaul et al., 1995; Mowday et al., 1979; Porter et al., 1974;
Shore and Martin, 1989; Steers, 1977). However, the role of organizational
commitment as a mediator of the relationship between work ethic (Islamic
work ethic in particular) and attitudes toward organizational change has not
received adequate attention in the literature. Another factor which might also
influence individuals’ attitudes toward organizational change is work ethic
(Islamic work ethic in this case). One could also argue that those who
strongly support the Islamic work ethic are more committed to their organiz-
ations and, in turn, are more likely to embrace change, provided that such
change has no potential to alter the basic values and goals of the organiz-
ation, and is perceived as beneficial to the organization, than those who
weakly support the Islamic work ethic and who are less committed to their
organizations and who, in turn, are less likely to embrace change. Work ethic
and its linkages with organizational commitment, job satisfaction as well as
individual and organizational variables have received considerable attention
in the literature (e.g. Abboushi, 1990; Aldag & Brief, 1975; Beutell &
Brenner, 1986; Blood, 1969; Elizur et al., 1991; Furnham & Rajamanickam,
1992; Jones, 1997; Kidron, 1978; Oliver, 1990; Putti et al., 1989; Wayne,
1989; Yavas et al., 1990). However, the interaction of work ethic with atti-
tudes toward organizational change either directly or indirectly has not been
addressed adequately in the literature. Furthermore, much of the research on
03yousef (ds) 21/2/00 9:08 am Page 515
Yousef Organizational commitment as a mediator 515
the work ethic has been carried out in the West, with the focus on the Protes-
tant work ethic (PWE). The concept of the PWE was advanced by Weber
(1958) who proposed a causal relationship between the Protestant ethic and
the development of capitalism in the western society. Weber’s theory related
success in business to religious belief. He proposed the Protestant-
Calvinistic faith had a spiritual thrust toward capitalism and was based on
the assumption that work and financial success were means to achieve not
only personal goals but religious goals as well (Kidron, 1978). Weber’s theory
was introduced into psychology by McClelland (1961), who offered a social-
psychological explanation for the link between Protestantsim and capitalism.
He subsumed the PWE concept into the need for achievement concept which
he saw as a basic dimension of personality (Furnham, 1990). However, the
concept of the Islamic work ethic (IWE) has its origin in the Quran, the
sayings and practice of Prophet Mohammed, who preached that hard work
caused sins to be absolved and that ‘no one eats better food than that which
he eats out of his work’. The Islamic work ethic views dedication to work as
a virtue. Sufficient effort should go into one’s work, which is seen as obliga-
tory for a capable individual. The Islamic work ethic emphasizes cooperation
in work, and consultation is seen as a way of overcoming obstacles and
avoiding mistakes. Social relations at work are encouraged in order to meet
one’s needs and establish equilibrium in one’s individual and social life. In
addition, work is considered to be a source of independence and a means of
fostering personal growth, self-respect, satisfaction and self-fulfillment. The
IWE stresses creative work as a source of happiness and accomplishment.
Hard work is seen as a virtue, and those who work hard are more likely to
get ahead in life. Conversely, not working hard is seen to cause failure in life
(Ali, 1988). Also according to Ali (1988), the value of work in the Islamic
work ethic is derived from the accompanying intentions rather than from the
results of work. He emphasizes that justice and generosity in the workplace
are necessary conditions for society’s welfare and that no one should be
denied their full wage. Besides constant hard work to meet one’s responsi-
bilities, competition is encouraged in order to improve quality. In brief, the
Islamic work ethic argues that life without work has no meaning, and engage-
ment in economic activities is an obligation. Nasr (1984), for example,
pointed out that the Islamic work ethic deserves serious inquiry because it is
the ideal which Muslims seek to realize. Additionally, as Ali (1986–7) pointed
out, Islam is one of the most influential factors which has shaped current
Arab value systems. Ahmad (1976) asserted that the Islamic work ethic
stands not for life denial but for life fulfillment and holds business motives
in the highest regard. Ali (1996) stressed that Islam is one of the most influ-
ential forces in the Arab world, molding and regulating individual and group
03yousef (ds) 21/2/00 9:08 am Page 516
behavior and outlooks. Therefore, it is worthwhile investigating the mediat-

ing role of various forms of organizational commitment in the relationship
between work ethic (Islamic work ethic in particular) and attitudes toward
organizational change, especially in a non-western multicultural work
setting.
This study is the first attempt to investigate: (1) the relationships
between the Islamic work ethic (IWE) and various dimensions of both
organizational commitment and attitudes toward change; and (2) whether
such relationships are similar to those found between the Protestant work
ethic (PWE) and organizational commitment and attitudes toward change.
The present study is expected to be of considerable value for academics
and practitioners alike. From an academic’s viewpoint, it will increase our
understanding of the factors influencing the attitudes toward organizational
change in a non-western multicultural work setting. In practice, the findings
of this study will provide change leaders with valuable information for suc-
cessfully planning and implementing organizational change through creating
a work environment in which employees accept rather than resist change.
Background of the work setting
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) depends heavily on multicultural expatri-

ate workers because of an acute shortage of domestic manpower. According
to the 1995 census, 75 percent (1,718,000) of the UAE population are expa-
triates, of whom 61 percent (1,435,000) are Asian expatriates, 12 percent
(292,000) are Arab expatriates and 2 percent (53,000) are of other nation-
alities. Eighty-five percent of the working expatriates are Asians, 13 percent
are Arabs, 1.5 percent are Europeans and 0.5 percent are of other national-
ities (GCC economic data book, 1996). Therefore, multiculturalism is a
dominant feature of the workforce in the UAE. In the UAE, a single organiz-
ation is often composed of many different nationalities, each with their own
role perception, attitudes toward other nationalities, cultural orientations,
and educational background. Consequently, such an environment has
resulted in diverse values, attitudes and behavior. A number of researchers
have observed that individuals from different cultures exhibit fairly dissimi-
lar levels of organizational commitment (Al-Meer, 1989, 1995; Near, 1989)
and job satisfaction (e.g. Azumi & Macmillan, 1976; Griffeth & Hom, 1987;
Jain et al., 1979; Kanungo et al., 1976; Lincoln & Kalleberg, 1985; Yavas et
al., 1990). Additionally, literature reveals that expatriate employees experi-
ence a variety of challenges in the host environment and have difficulties in
adjusting to the work environment and new organizational demand (Adler,
03yousef (ds) 21/2/00 9:08 am Page 517
1984; Black, 1992; Boyacigiller, 1990). Moreover, expatriates’ national cul-

tures influence how individuals perceive and react to their environment
(Adler, 1990; Ali, 1989; Lincoln et al., 1981). On the other hand, the reli-
gion of the majority of workers in the UAE is Islam and, as Ali (1996) argues,
Islam is one of the most influential forces in the Arab world molding and
regulating individual and group behavior and outlooks. Ali also points out
that Islamic values and culture, if correctly identified and understood, would
facilitate organizational change and development. He further argues that
Arab managers look favorably on change and are receptive to changes that
improve organizational effectiveness and enhance employees’ welfare. Simi-
larly, Ali et al. (1997) assert that Islamic teaching and Arab traditions that
place emphasis on group loyalty, respect for the family, and humbleness in
dealing with other people may influence employees and managers in the work
setting. Therefore, one would expect that this sort of work setting would
influence the relationships investigated in this study.
Organizational commitment and work ethic
A number of authors examined the relationship between work ethic or

Protestant ethic and organizational commitment. Kidron (1978) reported
that work ethic, defined as the Protestant ethic of the worker, is related more
to moral than calculative commitment. Meglino et al. (1989) discovered that
workers were more satisfied and committed when their values were congru-
ent with the values of their supervisor. Similarly, Oliver (1990) found that
work ethics have significant relationships with organizational commitment.
Employees who showed strong participatory values exhibited relatively high
commitment, while those with strong instrumental values showed relatively
low commitment. Saks et al. (1996) found that belief in work ethic is directly
related to organizational commitment. Putti et al. (1989) reported that intrin-
sic work ethics relate more closely to organizational commitment than either
the global measure of work ethics or extrinsic work ethics. Likewise, Morrow
and McElroy (1986); and Randall and Cote (1991) found a significant
relationship between work ethic and organizational commitment.
It should be noted that, because of the lack of literature related to the
relationships between the Islamic work ethic (IWE) and organizational com-
mitment, citation has been made to literature related to the relationships
between the Protestant work ethic (PWE) and organizational commitment.
However, although these relationships might be different from those which
might be found between the Islamic work ethic (IWE) and organizational
commitment because of the differences between the PWE and the IWE, they
03yousef (ds) 21/2/00 9:08 am Page 518
still can provide an insight into the nature and the type of relationships one
might find between work ethic and organizational commitment. It is hypoth-
esized that:
H1: The Islamic work ethic directly and positively influences affective, con-
tinuous and normative commitments.
Attitudes toward organizational change, organizational

commitment and work ethic
Several previous studies have also investigated the impact of organizational

commitment on attitudes toward organizational change. Iverson (1996) noted
that organizational commitment is the second most important determinant,
after union membership, of attitudes toward organizational change. Employ-
ees with high organizational commitment are more supportive of the goals
and values of the organization, willing to expend considerably more effort on
behalf of the organization, and thus more likely to accept organizational
change. Iverson (1996), consistent with Guest’s (1987, 1992, 1995) model,
reported that organizational commitment mediates the total causal effect of
positive affectivity, job security, job satisfaction, job motivation and environ-
mental opportunity on organizational change. Lau and Woodman (1995) dis-
covered that organizational commitment had significant, direct effects on the
impact and control dimensions of change schema, but the effects on the sig-
nificance and meaning dimensions were only significant at the (0.10) level.
Cordery et al. (1993) reported that organizational commitment makes a
modest contribution toward predicting attitudes toward functional flexibility.
On the other hand, scholars have long recognized that organizational
development is a value-based process. French et al. (1983), for instance,
noted that organizational development theory and practice focus primarily
on human and social aspects of organizations. Similarly, Bennis (1969)
asserted that organizational development ‘almost always focussed on the
values, attitudes, leadership, organizations’ climate – the people variables’.
Golembiewski (1993) and Srinivas (1994) argued that organizational
development concentrates on feelings and emotions, ideas and concepts,
placing considerable importance on the individual’s involvement and par-
ticipation. Ali (1996) stressed that, in the Arab world, any approach to
organizational change is assumed to be influenced by existing work ethics
and norms. Additionally, a number of authors (e.g. Williams & White, 1978;
Walton, 1978; Kelman & Warwick, 1978) have addressed the ethical issues
involved in planned organizational change. It could be hypothesized that:
03yousef (ds) 21/2/00 9:08 am Page 519
H2a: Affective commitment directly and positively influences cognitive,

affective and behavioral tendency attitudes toward organizational
change.
H2b: Continuance commitment directly and negatively influences cognitive,
change.
H2c: Normative commitment directly and positively influences cognitive,
change.
H3: The Islamic work ethic directly and positively influences cognitive,
change.
H4a: Affective commitment mediates the influences of the Islamic work ethic
on cognitive, affective and behavioral tendency attitudes toward
organizational change.
H4b: Continuance commitment mediates the influences of the Islamic work
ethic on cognitive, affective and behavioral tendency attitudes toward
H4c: Normative commitment mediates the influences of the Islamic work
ethic on cognitive, affective and behavioral tendency attitudes toward
Figure 1 depicts the hypothesized model of the interrelationships

between the Islamic work ethic, and various dimensions of both organiz-
ational commitment, and attitudes toward organizational change.
Method
Sample and data collection

A list of 50 major organizations of different sizes, activities and ownership
in five main districts in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was compiled by
the author with the assistance of a number of experts. A random sample
of 30 organizations from this list was selected, then a random sample of
the employees in each of the 30 organizations was drawn. This procedure
has been adopted because of the absence of any listing that can serve as
sampling frames for drawing random samples. The total sample of this
study was 800 individuals. Eight hundred questionnaires were distributed
by the author using drop-off and pick-up methods. Only 550 question-
naires were returned, resulting in a 69 percent response rate. Of the
03yousef (ds) 21/2/00 9:08 am Page 520
Figure 1 Model of the interrelationships between the Islamic work ethic, and dimensions of
both organizational commitment and attitudes toward organizational change
returned questionnaires, only 474 questionnaires were usable. Of the sub-

jects, 68 percent are age 36 or over, and 68 percent hold a graduate or post-
graduate degree. About 67.5 percent have six years or more experience in
their present occupation. About 89.7 percent of the subjects are male and
70 percent have been working with their present organization for six years
or more. About 59.5 percent hold positions in supervisory management,
23.4 percent are UAE nationals, 36.7 are Arab expatriates, 34.6 percent
are Asians and 5.1 percent are Westerners. Forty-nine percent of the sub-
jects work in manufacturing organizations and the same percentage work
in service organizations. About 88 percent work in organizations with over
200 employees and 94 percent work in organizations which have been in
business for 11 years or more. The main characteristics of the sample are
presented in Table 1.
Measures
Organizational commitment was measured using Meyer and Allen’s (1991)
instrument. This instrument consists of 24 items. It has three subscales,
namely affective, continuance, and normative. Each subscale has eight items.
This instrument has been adopted rather than the Mowday et al. (1979)
03yousef (ds) 21/2/00 9:08 am Page 521
Table 1 The main characteristics of the sample (n = 474)
Characteristic Frequency %
Age
35 years or less 153 32
36–45 years 167 35
46 years or over 154 33
Experience
5 years or less 154 32.5
6–10 years 97 20.5
11 years or over 223 47
Marital status
Married 417 88
Single 57 12
Education level
Less than university level 148 31.2
University degree 265 55.9
Postgraduate 59 12.4
Missing 2 0.4
Tenure in present organization
5 years or less 142 30
6–10 years 113 23.8
11 years or over 219 46.8
Nationality
UAE 111 23.4
Arab 174 36.7
Asian 164 34.6
Western 24 5.1
Missing 1 0.2
Gender
Male 425 89.7
Female 49 10.3
Occupation level
Top management 23 4.9
Middle management 157 33.1
Supervisory management 284 59.9
Missing 10 2.1
Organization ownership
Government 189 39.9
Private 185 39
Joint 99 20.9
Missing 1 0.2
03yousef (ds) 21/2/00 9:08 am Page 522
Table 1 continued
Characteristic Frequency %
Organization’s activities
Manufacturing 230 48.5
Service 231 48.7
Both 13 2.7
Organization age
5 years or less 8 1.7
6–10 years 23 4.9
11 years or over 443 93.5
Organization size
Less than 50 employees 9 1.9
50–200 employees 48 10.1
Over 200 employees 417 88
questionnaire which has been recently criticized for lack of homogeneity

(Benkhoff, 1997b). Examples of the items included in the affective subscale
are: ‘I would be very happy to spend the rest of my career with this organiz-
ation’, ‘I really feel as if this organization’s problems are my own’, ‘I feel
emotionally attached to this organization’; examples of the items included in
the continuance subscale are: ‘It would be very hard for me to leave my
organization right now, even if I wanted to’, ‘Too much in my life would be
disrupted if I decided I wanted to leave my organization now’, ‘I feel that I
have too few options to consider leaving this organization’. Examples of the
items included in the normative subscale are: ‘I think that people these days
move from company to company too often’, ‘I was taught to believe in the
value of remaining loyal to one organization’, ‘I think that wanting to be a
company man or company woman is sensible’. A seven-point response scale
was employed, ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree).
Scores on the eight items of each subscale were averaged to yield a summary
score reflecting that subscale. The internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) for
overall organizational commitment scale and for affective, continuance and
normative subscales in this study are 0.89, 0.85, 0.88, and 0.79 respectively.
Islamic work ethic was measured using a short version of Ali’s (1988)
instrument. This instrument (short version) consists of 17 items. Examples
of these items include: ‘Laziness is a vice’, ‘Good work benefits both one-self
and others’, ‘One should carry work out to the best of one’s ability’. Scores
on the 17 items were averaged to yield a summary score reflecting Islamic
03yousef (ds) 21/2/00 9:08 am Page 523
work ethic. A seven-point response scale was employed, ranging from 1

(strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). The internal consistency (Cronbach’s
alpha) for this scale in this study is 0.76. This scale has been previously tested
using a sample of 117 managers in Saudi Arabia, where the Cronbach’s alpha
was 0.89.
Attitude toward organizational change was measured using Dunham
et al.’s (1989) 18-item instrument. This instrument consists of three subscales,
namely cognitive, affective, and behavioral tendency. Each subscale consists
of six items. Examples of the items included in the cognitive subscale are: ‘I
don’t like change’, ‘I usually resist new ideas’. Examples of the items included
in the affective subscale are: ‘Change usually benefits the organization’, ‘Most
of my co-workers benefit from change’. Examples of the items included in
the behavioral tendency subscale are: ‘I look forward to changes at work’, ‘I
am inclined to try new ideas’. A seven-point response scale was employed,
ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). Scores on each sub-
scale were averaged to yield a summary score reflecting that subscale. The
internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) for overall attitudes toward organiz-
ational change and for cognitive, affective and behavioral tendency subscales
in this study are 0.77, 0.80, 0.83, and 0.86 respectively. For the complete set
of items of the scales used in this study see Appendices 1, 2 and 3.
Analysis
Descriptive statistical analysis which includes frequencies and percentages
was used to present the main characteristics of the sample. Additionally,
means, standard deviations and intercorrelations were calculated. Factor
analysis was used to confirm the heterogeneity of organizational commitment
and attitudes toward organizational change scales (see Appendix 2). Path
analysis, using EQS package (Bentler & Wu, 1995) was employed to test the
validity of the proposed hypotheses. This technique was used because of the
need to check the presence of an indirect relationship between attitude
toward organizational change (dependent) and the Islamic work ethic (IWE)
via organizational commitment.
Results
Means, standard deviations and intercorrelations of the variables of interest

are reported in Table 2.
Results show that the overall mean of organizational commitment is
slightly above the scale mid-point, 4. This can be interpreted as meaning that
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Table 2 Means, standard deviations and intercorrelations of the variables of interest
No. Variables 2 3 M SD
1 Organizational commitment .35* .13* 4.88 0.92

2 Islamic work ethic (IWE) – .18* 6.19 0.53
3 Attitudes toward change – – 5.42 0.72
*p < .01
employees in the investigated organizations are neither committed nor

uncommitted to their organizations. However, they are more inclined toward
being committed. The overall mean of the Islamic work ethic (IWE) is reason-
ably high. This may indicate that employees in the investigated organizations
strongly support the Islamic work ethic. Similarly, the overall mean of atti-
tudes toward organizational change is reasonably high. This may point out
that employees in the investigated organizations support change. Results
further indicate that there is a moderate relationship between organizational
commitment and the Islamic work ethic (IWE). There is also a moderate
relationship between the Islamic work ethic and attitudes toward organiz-
ational change, and a weak relationship between organizational commitment
and attitudes toward organizational change. Path analysis is used to detect
the interrelationships between the Islamic work ethic (IWE) and various
dimensions of both organizational commitment and attitudes toward
organizational change. Path analysis was conducted over two stages. In the
first stage, all paths presented in Figure 1 were included in the model,
whereas, in the second stage, only significant paths were included in the
model. The results of this process revealed that the full model provides better
results than the trimmed model (see Table 3).
Path analysis results indicate that the Islamic work ethic (IWE) directly
and positively influences various dimensions of both organizational commit-
ment and attitudes toward organizational change. These results support both
H1, which suggested that the Islamic work ethic directly and positively influ-
ences affective, continuance and normative commitments, and H3, which
stated that the Islamic work ethic directly and positively influences cognitive,
affective and behavioral tendency attitudes toward organizational change.
Results of the path analysis further indicate that affective commitment
directly and positively influences both affective and behavioral tendency
dimensions of attitudes toward organizational change, and that continuance
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Table 3 Results for research model
Path Full model Trimmed model+

From To Standardized Standardized
path coefficient path coefficient
IWE Affective commitment . 32* .32*

Continuance commitment .27* .27*
Normative commitment .22* .22*
Cognitive attitude .18* .19*
Affective attitude .13* .12*
Behavioral attitude .11* .09
Affective Cognitive attitude .05

commitment Affective attitude .16* .14*
Behavioral attitude .17* .12*
Continuance Cognitive attitude –.18* –.19*

commitment Affective attitude .03
Behavioral attitude –.10* –.08
Normative Cognitive attitude .10* .08

commitment Affective attitude .03
Behavioral attitude .06
Goodness of Fit Index (GFI) .86 .80

Chi-square 468.4 (p = .00) 476.3 (p = .00)
*p < .05
+ Only significant paths were retained
commitment directly and negatively influences both cognitive and behavioral

tendency dimensions of attitudes toward change, while normative commit-
ment directly and positively influences cognitive dimension of attitudes
toward change, thus supporting H2a, H2b and H2c. Results further show
that affective commitment mediates the effects of the Islamic work ethic on
both affective and behavioral tendency dimensions of attitudes toward
organizational change. Furthermore, continuance and normative commit-
ments mediate the effects of the Islamic work ethic on cognitive dimension
of attitudes toward change. These results support, to a great extent, H4a,
H4b and H4c. The path analysis results are reported in Table 3 and in
Figure 2.
03yousef (ds) 21/2/00 9:08 am Page 526
Figure 2 Path model solution
Discussion
The results that the overall mean of organizational commitment are low are
consistent with the findings of other studies carried out in other Arab Gulf
states (Al-Meer, 1989; Ben-Baker et al., 1994; Bhuian et al., 1996). Such a
low pattern of organizational commitment has been attributed to the fact
that expatriate workers work for relatively high salaries and benefits, and
therefore they tend not to hesitate to leave their organization for better jobs
elsewhere (Bhuian et al., 1996). The results that the overall mean of attitudes
toward organizational change is reasonably high support Ali’s (1996) argu-
ments that Arab managers look favorably on change and are receptive to
changes that improve organizational effectiveness and enhance employees’
welfare. Similarly, the results that employees in the investigated organizations
strongly support the Islamic work ethic are consistent with previous research
(Ali, 1989, 1992; Ali & Azim, 1994). These results have several implications
for organizational development practitioners. Ali (1996) argues that the
emphasis on hard work, meeting deadlines and persistence in securing work
means that the establishment of a timetable and the clarification of goals and
responsibilities are essential for carrying out successful change interventions.
03yousef (ds) 21/2/00 9:08 am Page 527
Ali further points out that work is viewed not as an end in itself but as a
means of fostering personal growth and social relationship, and therefore
group interactions and team activities, if designed appropriately, could result
in the optimal facilitation of intended change. Dedication to work and work
creativity are seen as virtues. Thus, organizational development practitioners
may focus their design process on new methods of change and on producing
results that reinforce existing commitment and enthusiasm. The results that
the Islamic work ethic directly and positively influences all dimensions of atti-
tudes toward organizational change are in line with previous research (Ali,
1992, 1996). These results suggest that those who strongly support the
Islamic work ethic would be more likely to embrace change. Moreover, the
results that the Islamic work ethic directly and positively influences all dimen-
sions of organizational commitment are consistent with the findings of prior
research (Kidron, 1978; Meglino et al., 1989; Oliver, 1990; Putti et al., 1989;
Saks et al., 1996) which demonstrated a direct relationship between work
ethic (based on Protestant ideas) and organizational commitment. Once
again, these results indicate that those who strongly support the Islamic work
ethic would be more committed to their organizations. Similarly, the findings
that organizational commitment directly influences attitudes toward organiz-
ational change support the findings of previous studies (Cordery et al., 1993;
Iverson, 1996). The results that affective commitment has direct and positive
effects on both affective and behavioral tendency attitudes to change, while
it has no effects on cognitive attitude to change indicate that employees who
decide to remain with the organization because they want to do so are more
likely to be more linked to and satisfied with change, and less anxious about
it. Furthermore, they will take actions for the change. On the other hand,
their cognitions about change will not be affected. The results that continu-
ance commitment has direct and negative effects on both cognitive and
behavioral tendency attitudes to change might suggest that employees who
remain with the organization because of low perceived alternatives or
because of high personal sacrifice are more receptive to change when there
are few alternatives available outside their organization or when the cost of
leaving the organization is high. On the other hand, when alternatives are
plentiful or the cost of leaving the organization is low, they are less tolerant
of change, as they are able to leave their current organization and move to
another more easily. The results that normative commitment has direct and
positive effects on cognitive attitude to change might indicate that those who
decide to remain with the organization because they feel they ought to do so,
as a sense of obligation toward the organization, will have strong cognitive
attitude to change but their affective and behavioral tendency attitudes to
change will not be affected. Finally, the findings that organizational
03yousef (ds) 21/2/00 9:08 am Page 528
commitment mediates the effects of the Islamic work ethic on attitudes

toward organizational change support the notion that employees who
strongly support the Islamic work ethic are more committed to their organiz-
ations and subsequently more likely to embrace change as far as such a
change has no potential to alter the basic values and goals of the organiz-
ation, since organizational commitment usually reflects a belief in the goals
and values of the organization, and also this change is perceived as beneficial
to the organization.
Conclusion
This study is concerned with investigating the validity of some western

management theories related to the impact of work ethic (Islamic work ethic
in this study) on various dimensions of the attitudes toward organizational
change, and the mediating role of different forms of organizational commit-
ment between work ethic and various dimensions of attitudes toward
organizational change in a non-western multicultural work setting. The study
concluded that western management theories related to the relationships in
question are valid in a non-western environment.
The contributions of this study are:
1 This study represents a first attempt to investigate the relationship

between different dimensions of organizational commitment and
various dimensions of attitudes toward organizational change in a non-
western multicultural work setting in particular.
2 It examines the impact of the Islamic work ethic (IWE) on various
dimensions of attitudes toward organizational change in a non-western
multicultural work setting.
3 It examines the mediating role of various dimensions of organizational
commitment between the Islamic work ethic and different dimensions
of attitudes toward organizational change. This area of research has
not been explored yet, particularly in a non-western multicultural work
setting.
The present study has a number of implications. First, the findings that
the Islamic work ethic directly and positively influences all dimensions of atti-
tudes toward organizational change would be useful for change leaders in
domestic firms as well as multinational corporations in the UAE or in a work
setting similar to that of the UAE. Change leaders may take steps to enhance
employees’ support of the Islamic work ethic (or work ethic in general), and
03yousef (ds) 21/2/00 9:08 am Page 529
subsequently improve employees’ acceptance of change. The Islamic work

ethic (or work ethic in general) may be an important individual difference to
consider during recruitment and selection for organizations that are looking
for ways to hire employees who strongly support the Islamic work ethic and
in turn have positive attitudes toward change. Second, the results that the
Islamic work ethic directly and positively influences all dimensions of
organizational commitment would also be useful. In order to improve the
levels of organizational commitment so that a number of employees’ desir-
able behaviors, such as better performance in the job, more satisfaction with
the job, less absenteeism and low intentions to quit and turnover could be
achieved, actions need to be taken to enhance employees’ support of the
Islamic work ethic. Third, the findings that organizational commitment medi-
ates the effects of the Islamic work ethic on attitudes toward organizational
change would also benefit managers in both domestic firms and multinational
corporations. Attitudes toward organizational change efforts could be
improved through improving both support of the Islamic work ethic and
organizational commitment.
This study, like all studies, has certain limitations. First, it is confined
to a limited number of organizations, which in turn might limit the ability to
generalize its findings and conclusions. Second, it is of snapshot type, which
might not fully capture the dynamic nature of the attitudes toward organiz-
ational change. Another limitation is that one must be cautious in interpret-
ing the findings of this study due to possible non-response bias. The potential
problem with respect to non-response is the possibility that non-respondents
will differ from respondents with respect to the variables in question, in
which case the survey estimates will be biased.
Several lines of research suggest themselves. First, a longitudinal study
of the relationships between various dimensions of attitudes toward organiz-
ational change, organizational commitment, and the Islamic work ethic
might better capture the dynamic nature of attitudes toward organizational
change. Second, a study which investigates the role of organizational com-
mitment as a mediator of the relationship between individualism and atti-
tudes toward organizational change would be of interest. Furthermore, it
would be worthwhile studying the impact of job satisfaction on the attitudes
toward organizational change. Replication of this study using a different
sample and under different circumstances to confirm or refute the findings of
the present study would also be of interest. The influence of the perception
of organizational justice on employees’ attitudes toward organizational
change is also worth studying. It would be worthwhile comparing the Protes-
tant work ethic (PWE) and the Islamic work ethic (IWE), and further investi-
gating whether or not the PWE creates similar work attitudes to that of the
03yousef (ds) 21/2/00 9:08 am Page 530
IWE, and if so why a particular version of Protestantism should create work

attitudes so similar to those of Islam.
Appendix 1: Islamic work ethic scale
1 Laziness is a vice.
2 Dedication to work is a virtue.
3 Good work benefits both oneself and others.
4 Justice and generosity in the workplace are necessary conditions for
society’s welfare.
5 Producing more than enough to meet one’s personal needs contributes
to the prosperity of society as a whole.
6 One should carry work out to the best of one’s ability.
7 Work is not an end in itself but a means to foster personal growth and
social relations.
8 Life has no meaning without work.
9 More leisure is not good for society.
10 Human relations in organizations should be emphasized and encour-
aged.
11 Work enables man to control nature.
12 Creative work is a source of happiness and accomplishment.
13 Any man who works is more likely to get ahead in life.
14 Work gives one the chance to be independent.
15 A successful man is the one who meets deadlines at work.
16 One should constantly work hard to meet responsibilities.
17 The value of work is derived from the accompanying intention rather
than its results.
Source: Ali (1988).
Appendix 2: Factor analysis – organizational commitment

scale
Factor Factor Factor

No. Items 1 2 3
1 I would be very happy to spend the rest

of my career with this organization .59 – –
2 I enjoy discussing my organization with
people outside it .49 – –
3 I really feel as if this organization’s
problems are my own .69 – –
03yousef (ds) 21/2/00 9:08 am Page 531
4 I think that I could not easily become as

attached to another organization as I am
to this one .62 – –
5 I feel like ‘part of the family’ at my
organization .73 – –
6 I feel ‘emotionally attached’ to this
7 This organization has a great deal of
personal meaning for me .77 – –
8 I feel a strong sense of belonging to my
9 I am afraid of what might happen if I quit
my job without having another one lined up – .72 –
10 It would be very hard for me to leave my
organization right now, even if I wanted to – .72 –
11 Too much in my life would be disrupted if
I decided I wanted to leave my
organization now – .79 –
12 It would be too costly for me to leave my
organization now – .80 –
13 Right now, staying with my organization is
a matter of necessity as much as desire – .64 –
14 I feel that I have too few options to
consider leaving this organization – .74 –
15 One of the few serious consequences of
leaving this organization would be the
scarcity of available alternatives – .74 –
16 One of the major reasons I continue to
work for this organization is that leaving
would require considerable personal
sacrifice; another organization may not
match the overall benefits I have here – .63 –
17 I think that people these days move from
company to company too often – – .39
18 I believe that a person must always be
loyal to his or her organization – – .42
19 Jumping from organization to organization
seems unethical to me – – .70
20 One of the major reasons I continue to
work for this organization is that I believe
that loyalty is important and therefore
feel a sense of moral obligation to remain – – .66
21 If I got another offer for a better job
elsewhere, I would not feel it was right to
leave my organization – – .53
22 I was taught to believe in the value of
remaining loyal to one organization – – .74
03yousef (ds) 21/2/00 9:08 am Page 532
23 Things were better in days when people

stayed with one organization for most of
their careers – – .65
24 I think that wanting to be a ‘company man’
or ‘company woman’ is sensible – – .61
Notes:
Factor 1 eigenvalue (7.137), percentage of variance (29.9)
Source: Meyer and Allen (1991).
Appendix 3: Attitude toward change scale
Factor Factor Factor

No. Items 1 2 3
1 Change usually reduces my ability to

control what goes on at work – – .43
2 I usually resist new ideas – – .58
3 I don’t like change – – .81
4 Change frustrates me – – .84
5 Most changes at work are irritating – – .79
6 I usually hesitate to try new ideas – – .65
7 Change usually benefits the organization – .75 –
8 Most of my co-workers benefit from
change – .77 –
9 I intend to do whatever possible to
support change – .61 –
10 I usually support new ideas – .43 –
11 I find most changes to be pleasing – .55 –
12 I usually benefit from change – .67 –
13 I look forward to changes at work .53 – –
14 I am inclined to try new ideas .78 – –
15 Changes tend to stimulate me .73 – –
16 I often suggest new approaches to things .71 – –
17 Change often helps me perform better .69 – –
18 Other people think that I support change .52 – –
Notes:
Source: Dunham et al. (1989).
03yousef (ds) 21/2/00 9:08 am Page 533
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Darwish A. Yousef received his PhD in Management Science from the

UKC in January 1989. He is currently an Associate Professor in the
Department of Business Administration at the United Arab Emirates Uni-
versity. Dr Yousef has conducted research in the areas of organizational
commitment, organizational change, work ethics, job satisfaction, job
stress and leadership. His research has been published in several academic
journals, including International Journal of Manpower (UK), European Journal
of Operational Research (NE), Leadership & Organizational Development
Journal (UK), Arab Journal of Administrative Sciences (Kuwait).
[E-mail: dayousef@uaeu.ac.ae]

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Human Relations

Organizational commitment as a mediator of the relationship between

The online version of this article can be found at:

The Tavistock Institute

Email Alerts: http://hum.sagepub.com/cgi/alerts

A B S T R AC T This study investigates the role of organizational commitment as a

KEYWORDS Islamic j organizational change j organizational commitment j

514 Human Relations 53(4)

Yousef Organizational commitment as a mediator 515

516 Human Relations 53(4)

behavior and outlooks. Therefore, it is worthwhile investigating the mediat-

Background of the work setting

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) depends heavily on multicultural expatri-

Yousef Organizational commitment as a mediator 517

1984; Black, 1992; Boyacigiller, 1990). Moreover, expatriates’ national cul-

Organizational commitment and work ethic

A number of authors examined the relationship between work ethic or

518 Human Relations 53(4)

Attitudes toward organizational change, organizational

Several previous studies have also investigated the impact of organizational

Yousef Organizational commitment as a mediator 519

H2a: Affective commitment directly and positively influences cognitive,

Figure 1 depicts the hypothesized model of the interrelationships

Sample and data collection

520 Human Relations 53(4)

returned questionnaires, only 474 questionnaires were usable. Of the sub-

Yousef Organizational commitment as a mediator 521

Table 1 The main characteristics of the sample (n = 474)

522 Human Relations 53(4)

questionnaire which has been recently criticized for lack of homogeneity

Yousef Organizational commitment as a mediator 523

work ethic. A seven-point response scale was employed, ranging from 1

Means, standard deviations and intercorrelations of the variables of interest

524 Human Relations 53(4)

Table 2 Means, standard deviations and intercorrelations of the variables of interest

1 Organizational commitment .35* .13* 4.88 0.92

employees in the investigated organizations are neither committed nor

Yousef Organizational commitment as a mediator 525

Table 3 Results for research model

Path Full model Trimmed model+

IWE Affective commitment . 32* .32*

Affective Cognitive attitude .05

Continuance Cognitive attitude –.18* –.19*

Normative Cognitive attitude .10* .08

Goodness of Fit Index (GFI) .86 .80

commitment directly and negatively influences both cognitive and behavioral

526 Human Relations 53(4)

Figure 2 Path model solution

Yousef Organizational commitment as a mediator 527

528 Human Relations 53(4)

commitment mediates the effects of the Islamic work ethic on attitudes

This study is concerned with investigating the validity of some western

1 This study represents a first attempt to investigate the relationship

Yousef Organizational commitment as a mediator 529

subsequently improve employees’ acceptance of change. The Islamic work

530 Human Relations 53(4)

IWE, and if so why a particular version of Protestantism should create work

Appendix 1: Islamic work ethic scale

Source: Ali (1988).

Appendix 2: Factor analysis – organizational commitment

Factor Factor Factor

1 I would be very happy to spend the rest

Yousef Organizational commitment as a mediator 531

4 I think that I could not easily become as