Employee relationship and its effect on organisational commitment: a critical look at a Japanese subsidiary of India

This article investigates whether the implementation of the management practices on the shop floor of Japanese organisations located overseas in developing economies has affected the employees' organisational commitment. A qualitative study involving in-depth interviews from twenty general employees across different sections of a leading Japanese auto-maker's plant located near the national capital region (NCR) of India, have revealed a depleting relationship and dwindling commitment with their management owing to over intensified work pressure, strain, and stress. The author has proposed four profiles of employee commitments by explaining the phenomenon of employment relationship and employee behaviour through a matrix model coined as 'BION' – balanced, idealists, opportunists and non-committals. The study yielded a majority of respondents, nine employees associating with the profile of the opportunists, followed by seven respondents with the profile of the balanced and only four employees were identified with the idealists. Theoretical and practical implications with limitations of the findings have been discussed.