Resumo

The present study analyzes the scientific production on organizational commitment in the public sector in Portuguese and English, covering a twenty one-year period (1997-2017. To comprehend this scenario, some procedures were used to investigate the tendencies, the most utilized models and the worldwide scenario of the research in OC, specifically in this specific sector.

The objective of this study is to comprehend the phenomenon of the Organizational Commitment in the public sector, through the articles published in the period between 1997 and 2017. Thus, the question that leads the investigative course is: how is the scenario of publications of the Organizational Commitment in Portuguese and English language in the last twenty-one years?

Meyer and Allen’s (1991) framework indicates that employees are considered to be subject to three different forces, in the form of three mindsets: Affective Commitment (AC), Continuance Commitment (CC), and Normative Commitment (NC). Moldogaziev and Silvia (2015) that the AC refers to the emotional attachment of the employee to the organization, accepting and internalizing their goals and values. The CC refers to the perceived cost associated with leaving the organization. Finally, the NC, refers to the feeling of obligation to continue with the organization.

The frequency of publication has increased from 2011 to 2015, but also decreased in 2016 and 2017. The most utilized method is the quantitative, with 79.5%. There is a prevalence of the Meyer and Allen (1991) approach, with 57.5%. In Portuguese language, the sample indicate that there is prevalence in studies about commitment, especially with professors. In English language, organizational commitment is related to leadership and motivation. Another tendency found in the research is the investigation of antecedents, with 53.3% of studies.

As we observed, specially from 2010 to 2015, there is an increasing of the number of articles discussing the researched subject. But, in the last two years, this index has been decreasing. All the most 10 cited studies in English language were present in Portuguese publications. The reverse, in turn, was not found. Analyzing the adopted methodological procedure, we observed that there is a huge prevalence of the quantitative approach. Therefore, it is necessary to carry studies with different approaches, such as qualitative or even mixed, especially in English language publications.

MEYER, J. P.; ALLEN, N. J. A three-component conceptualization of organization commitment. Human Resource Management Review, v. 1, n. 1, 61–89, 1991. MOLDOGAZIEV, T. T.; SILVIA, C. Fostering affective organizational commitment in public sector agencies: the significance of multifaceted leadership roles. Public Administration, v. 93, n. 3, p. 557–577, 2015.