Ethical context in relation to employee commitment in a developing country setting

Abstract

This chapter examines the relationship between perceived ethical context and employee commitment. The convenience sample of employees (n = 839; males = 68%; females = 32%) consisted of permanent employees in a railway organisation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The research constructs were measured using the corporate ethical virtues questionnaire (CEVQ), the ethical climate questionnaire (ECQ) and the organisational commitment scale (OCS). Standardised multiple regressions were calculated to predict employee commitment through work ethics culture and work ethics climate. The results indicate that the perceived work ethics culture and work ethics climate variables predict employees’ level of commitment. Using the data from a very large organisation in a developing country, the results are generalised to human resource management. Interpretations are formulated about how organisational leaders who facilitate ethical values in building a work ethics culture and a work ethics climate can significantly decrease turnover intention and increase the level of commitment towards collaboration among organisation members.