Integrating Dual Commitment into Commitment Profiles: a large study among temporary workers

Purpose: Despite the ever increasing phenomenon of contingent work, few studies investigated the specific features of temporary work, such as the dual employment relationship that temporary workers develop with the agency and the client organization (Liden, et al., 2003), namely dual commitment (McClurg, 1999). Recently the configural approach has been adopted to study the multidimensional nature of commitment (Sinclair et al. 2005, Dello Russo et al., 2013) to distinguish different profiles based on the combination of continuance and affective commitment. The aim of this study is to apply this approach to identify commitment profiles among temporary workers, considering their dual commitment (to the organization and the agency). Design/Methodology: A sample of 7225 workers from 17 agencies completed an on line survey measuring commitment, job insecurity, exhaustion, job satisfaction and turnover intentions. Cluster analysis was used to identify commitment profiles and Anova to explore the differences among identified groups. Results: 5 different profiles were identified: allied (N=2970), attached (440), devoted (2002), free agents (840) and trapped (N=973), partly confirming previous studies. The trapped and free agents profiles reported higher job insecurity, exhaustion and turnover intentions, whereas the attached and devoted profiles reported higher job satisfaction. The five groups showed differences also among socio-demographical characteristics. Limitations: the cross-sectional nature of the study and the lack of objective outcomes (such as performance). Research/Practical Implications: By recognizing the different types of relationship among worker, agency and organization, it is possible to differentiate motivational interventions. Originality/Value: to our knowledge this is the first study that adopted the configural approach to study commitment profiles of agency workers including the dual commitment concept.