Does the manager-employee relationship influence employee commitment during a time of change in a local authority?

The concept of employee commitment has been the subject of a plethora of research over the last thirty years. The balance of opinion within this research suggests that a committed employee will work harder, attend work regularly, and go beyond their employment contract to achieve company goals. Furthermore, the literature also suggests that one of the main roles of a manager or leader is to influence their employee's to achieve organisational goals. In more recent years, research has focused on employee commitment as being a multi-focal concept, and therefore, this approach was utilised in this study. An examination of whether the manager-employee relationship can influence an employee's commitment was also explored. The evidence presented from this exploratory research supports the concept of employee commitment being multi-foci. Furthermore, the evidence supports the theory that an employees focus of commitment can be identified, and that the strength of feeling towards each foci can be measured. Evidence also suggests that the manager-employee relationship can influence employee commitment, although the type of influence (negative or positive) was dependent on the managerial practices deployed and the manager's knowledge and involvement in organisational changes. Recommendations are presented, which will enable the organisation to utilise the findings of this study together with recommendations for further research.