Faculty Satisfaction and Orgnizational Commitment with Industry-University Research Centers

Abstract

Faculty are an important part of cooperative research centers. However, their decision to become involved in a center is entirely voluntary. A center's success is dependent on both the recruitment and retention of top-notch faculty. Knowing what contributes to a faculty member's satisfaction, commitment, and ultimately decision to remain in the organization should be a high priority for center management. The purpose of this study was to examine the concepts of satisfaction and organizational commitment as they pertain to faculty involved in industry—university research centers. A model, which included the variables of intrinsic rewards, extrinsic rewards, satisfaction, commitment, and retention cognitions, was proposed. Data were collected from faculty at industry—university research centers nationwide via an Internet survey. Results showed support for the proposed model. In particular, the model shows that satisfaction is a significant predictor of commitment. Both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards were significant predictors of satisfaction. Intrinsic rewards also had a direct effect on commitment. Both satisfaction and commitment have a significant direct effect on retention cognitions. Implications of the model results for centers are discussed.