A longitudinal person-centered investigation of organizational commitment trajectories among Canadian military recruits

This longitudinal study investigates the profiles underpinning the trajectories of affective organizational commitment observed across the basic training period and the subsequent 9 months of employment among a sample of 4859 military recruits and officer cadets. We also considered how these trajectories were associated with components of the onboarding process (i.e. perceived realism of job previews, socialization, satisfaction with the implications of military life for work–life balance, and identity conflict) and important outcome variables (turnover and transition intention, job satisfaction, and perceived performance). Three profiles were identified: (1) Committed, (2) Learning to Love, (3) Failure to Commit. Socialization and identity conflict were both associated with profile membership and within-profile differences in the shape of these trajectories. Employees’ satisfaction with the implication of military life for their work–life balance was linked to strong organizational commitment. In contrast, exposure to previews seen as more realistic seemed to help avoid very low levels of commitment. Profiles with higher and increasing levels of commitment displayed lower average levels of turnover and transition intentions and greater average levels of job satisfaction, although associations involving changes in these outcomes over time were much weaker. Associations with perceived performance at the end of basic training were minimal.