Corporate citizenship and employee commitment: a micro-level measurement scale development

Purpose The paper aims to develop a cogent and coherent research instrument to measure the effect of good citizenship actions by corporations on the commitment of their employees through micro-level research (i.e. based on the perceptions of employees’ themselves). Design/methodology/approach A three-phase modus operandi has been used, where at first scale, items have been phrased from a methodical review, then arranged and finally validated by factor analysis. For this, 240 forms filled out by the top-notch executives of selected Indian family conglomerates have been analysed through a split-sample approach. Findings The results of exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis uncover and underpin three building blocks (employee fidelity, immersion and perseverance) and indicate 14 indicators to reflect employees’ strong commitment on account of corporation’s citizenship endeavours. Research limitations/implications This measurement catalyst would function as a panacea while addressing the existing methodological gap (by conducting an all-inclusive micro-level exploration), conceptual gap (using the “extended view” of corporate citizenship) and contextual gap (through culture-specific examination). Also, it could complement the earlier macro-level investigations. Practical implications It would realistically support corporate practitioners in identifying how their good deeds of citizenship have been affecting the diverse sides of commitment among their most valued yet overlooked assets. Originality/value Corporate citizenship, a concept that has by now theoretical relevance for a company’s internal stakeholders and on the commitment, they manifested, can nonetheless obtain empirical significance as well through this micro-level instrument by divulging employees’ underlying facets of commitment.