Implications of organisational change on academics’ job commitment within higher education

Orientation: The higher education sector has experienced significant advancements and competitive advantages, compelling numerous universities – including those in Saudi Arabia – to pursue reorganisation and sustainability initiatives. These often require alterations to the organisational framework, which may entail strategic, technological, people-centric and structural modifications. Research purpose: This article investigates the influence of organisational change on academics’ job commitment at the University of Jeddah, given that the country has undergone significant changes since April 2016. Motivation for the study: In the light of Vision 2030 and the post-pandemic context, this study explores how organisational change impacts academics’ job commitment in Saudi institutions. Research approach/design and method: This investigation implemented a quantitative methodology using a questionnaire-based method. Data were collected from 67 academics using a survey and assessed using SPSS software. Main findings: The results indicated that structural and technological changes did not have a statistically significant impact on academics’ job commitment; however, a people-centric change had a statistically significant influence on their job commitment. Practical/managerial implications: The study contributes to the improvement of the work environments of higher education institutions, increasing academics’ opportunities to enhance their skills and thus also increasing their job commitment to their college or university. Contribution/value-add: This research enhances the understanding of organisational change and job commitment among academics. It provides valuable insights for policymakers developing sustainable higher education institutions, focusing on various aspects of organisational change – structural, people-centric and technological – to promote job commitment among academics.