Coworker support and organisational commitment: A comparative study of Thai employees working in Thai and American airlines

The importance of organisational commitment is simultaneously witnessed and empirically supported, with social support revealed as a significant determinant. A number of studies have examined the effect of culture on the development of employees' level of commitment to an organisation. These studies typically focus on culture at either the individual or the national level. However, in an organisational culture context, the literature regarding its influence on commitment remains limited. Therefore, the primary objective of this study is to explore whether the influence of coworker support on the three dimensions of organisational commitment differs amongst Thai flight attendants working in organisations with different cultural orientations. Using a self-administered questionnaire survey, data was collected from a sample of 439 Thai cabin service attendants from two major flag-carrier airlines (one based in Thailand and the other based in the USA). In general, results of structural equation modelling analysis reveal significant differences with regard to influences of coworker support on organisational commitment amongst the two sample groups. Significant relationships between coworker support and affective and normative components of organisational commitment were found in the Thai sample whereas such relationships were not statistically significant in the US sample. However, negative influence of coworker support on continuance commitment was found amongst Thai employees working in the American airline. These results are discussed in light of their theoretical contribution and managerial implications.