EFFECTS OF INNOVATIVE ORGANIZATIONAL CLIMATE ON ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT IN MALAYSIAN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

Abstract

A recent development which prioritizes on creativity and innovation to compete and survive in the context of higher education propagates organizational climate as a significant concern. As such, studies on innovative organizational climate have grown despite its essence as a multidimensional variable is sparsely examined in empirical researches. This research measures the relationship between innovative organizational climate and organizational commitment among 444 academics in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). This is a cross sectional study which incorporates Life-Span theory, Social Exchange Theory (SET) and Three Component Model of Organizational Commitment (TCM). Data was collected among Malaysian academicians of public and private Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and analysed using Smart PLS 3.25. The findings revealed a significant positive relationship between innovative organizational climate and organizational commitment. This generate an implication that the experiences of a supportive innovative organizational climate lead academics to affectively feel attached to their institutions, hence, strengthen their obligations to pursue new developments for their institutions, peers and themselves. Improving innovative organizational climate is a strategic decision to enhance the commitment among academics, thus increasing organizational achievement.