Psychological sense of community at work: A measurement system and explanatory framework

Abstract

Organizational research has long dealt with community-related themes such as organizational commitment, workgroup cohesion, psychological climate, and morale. More recently, psychological contracts and organizational citizenship behaviors have approached the concept of community in more specific terms (Rousseau, 1995; Graham & Organ, 1993; Van Dyne, Graham, & Dienesch, 1994). The present investigation integrated the existing literature on community-related variables. This theoretical and empirical foundation was used to operationalize the construct of psychological sense of community in the workplace (PSCW), develop a measurement system and assess its psychometric properties, and test an initial framework of antecedents and consequences of PSCW. A cross-organizational sample of 256 employees partially support the proposed framework. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.