A Qualitative Analysis of Organisational Commitment in an Algerian Pharmaceutical Industry

Abstract

Quiet quitting, bullshit jobs , the great resignation are recurrent words referring to disturbances increasingly observed in work life and new concepts characterizing the job market. They mainly indicate the evolution of work perception, the deterioration of work relations, and a quest for meaning among employees. In this context, this research attempts to look closely into the relationship between an organisation and its employees through a qualitative case study. This paper will first present a literature review as thoroughly as possible about the evolution of the concept of organisational commitment from the 1960s up to now; the literature review will also encompass the main antecedents and outcomes of this concept on organisational performance. Then, qualitative research following the socio-economic approach to management will be conducted in the Algerian pharmaceutical industry to grasp the complexity of the concept. A series of 38 semi-guided interviews is conducted, starting with the CEO of the company and including each Division Director and Chief of Department. The results of the research allowed us to identify several pivotal ideas that are likely to hinder organisational commitment, including the size of the premises is no longer fitted to the size of the company, which deteriorates the work environment and impedes performance; lack of work organisation and information communication following the growth of the company such as the absence of a Human Resource Management and a Management control division; centralization of decision making and communication about company objectives which contributes to a blurred role distribution; HRM practices characterized by limited career evolution option and a flawed personnel appraisal process; and finally, organisational changes put the company at challenge because of resistance to change ERP, skills shortage, skills destruction, flawed training and dissonant communication.