Examining the relationship between organizational commitment and jobsatisfaction of higher education institutions employees: A study in Istanbul and Ankara provinces

This study was conducted to examine the relationship between organizational commitment and job satisfaction among 203 employees working in higher education institutions in Istanbul and Ankara, Turkey. Utilizing data collected through an online survey, the research adopted the three-component commitment model developed by Meyer and Allen (1991) and the Job Satisfaction Survey by Spector (1985) as its theoretical framework. The findings revealed a strong positive correlation between affective commitment and job satisfaction (r=0.52, p<0.01), and a moderate correlation between normative commitment and job satisfaction (r=0.38, p<0.01). However, the relationship between continuance commitment and job satisfaction was found to be weaker (r=0.15, p<0.05). Regarding demographic characteristics, analyses based on job type indicated that academic staff exhibited significantly higher levels of affective commitment and job satisfaction compared to administrative staff (p<0.05). No significant differences were observed based on other demographic factors (age, gender, tenure) or institution type (public or private university) (p>0.05). This study contributes to the development of employee-centered policies in higher education institutions, suggesting that practices enhancing affective commitment could improve job satisfaction