Investigation of Organizational Commitment of Engineers Working in the Automotive Industry

Abstract

This study aims to examine the opinions and attitudes of engineers working in the automotive sector on their organizational commitment levels. The research was conducted within the scope of the case study model in order to deeply examine the organizational commitment of engineers working in the automotive sector. The participants of the study were determined by the purposive sampling method among a total of 15 engineers working in an automotive company operating in Turkey. The data were collected through a semi-structured interview form developed by the researcher and revised based on expert opinion. The obtained data were analyzed by the content analysis method. According to the findings obtained as a result of the research, the organizational commitment of engineers working in the automotive sector is shaped in different types such as long-term work intention, emotional, compulsory and normative commitment. Wage policies, promotion opportunities, work-life balance and leadership approach are among the basic factors determining commitment levels. While emotional commitment is strengthened by social ties established with co-workers and company culture, compulsory commitment arises from limited options in the labor market. Normative commitment is related to the sense of loyalty. Organizational commitment increases employee performance and job satisfaction while decreasing the intention to leave the job. The commitment of committed engineers to their work increases productivity and quality. In addition, employees with high commitment levels contribute more to innovation processes and support development within the organization. Employees with strong internal motivation increase their psychological well-being, reduce their stress levels, and are more satisfied with their jobs. These findings reveal that companies need to manage many elements from wage policies to leadership in a balanced way in order to increase the organizational commitment of engineers. Thus, the turnover rate will decrease while corporate success and competitiveness will increase.

Key Words: Commitment, Organizational Commitment, Engineer, Qualitative Research.