Evaluation of organizational commitment of military aviation pilots: the case of the Lithuanian Air Force

Abstract

Commitment to the organization has a significant connection with operational productivity, turnover, employee satisfaction and loyalty, affects the quality and efficiency of work, facilitates staffing challenges, enables the organization to properly and efficiently use its human resources. Aviation professionals often change organizations in the hope of better working conditions: better pay, a safer work environment and a more favorable working climate in the workplace. Therefore, it is important to strengthen the organizational commitment of aviation personnel in order to maintain qualified employees and specialists and ensure the successful operation of the organization. In the face of new threats and tasks set for the Lithuanian Air Force (LAF), more funding is allocated for their implementation, and the number and the need for personnel is growing. The aim of the article is to study the expression of pilots‘ organizational commitment in LAF and the factors that determine it, using Meyer‘s and Allen (1991) three­dimensional model of organizational commitment. After conducting the research, it was found that the expression of organizational commitment of LAF pilots is low, emotional commitment is slightly higher, while continuous commitment is low. A negative relationship between holding civilian commercial pilot‘s license and organizational commitment was discovered.