An Examination of the Relationship Between Commitments and Culture Among Five Cultural Groups of Israeli Teachers

This study examines the relationship between commitment forms (organizational commitment, occupational commitment, job involvement, work involvement, and group commitment) and cultural values (individualism versus collectivism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and masculinity versus femininity). Five groups of Israeli teachers who are assumed to represent different cultural groups (secular Jews, orthodox Jews, kibbutz teachers, Druze, and Arabs) are examined. Of the 2,269 questionnaires that are distributed in 54 schools in northern Israel, 1,328 usable questionnaires are returned, a response rate of 59%. The findings, using MANCOVA and regression analysis, show the strong effect of culture on multiple commitments. First, the five cultural groups related to commitment forms even when cultural values are controlled. Second, all of the cultural values are related to forms of commitment, and they add to the variance already explained by the cultural groups. The findings and their implications for the continuation of research on commitment and culture are discussed.