Individual Values, Organizational Commitment, and Participation in a Change: Israeli Teachers' Approach to an Optional Educational Reform

The purpose of this study was to examine how individual values and organizational commitment are related to teachers' participation in an optional change program in the Israeli educational system. Data were obtained from 214 Israeli teachers employed in 25 secular Jewish schools during a time when teachers had the option of joining a reform plan initiated by the government and one of several Israeli teachers' unions. The results, using analysis of variance and logistic regression, showed that teachers who joined the reform valued conservation more than those who did not. These teachers also scored higher on normative organizational commitment in comparison to teachers who did not join the reform. The logistic regression showed that organizational commitment had a stronger effect on participation in the reform than individual values. Little data exists on top-down change processes in organizations. Research on issues such as the one discussed here can help academics better understand such change processes, and can help practitioners and decision makers in planning and implementing large-scale change. Few studies currently offer data on the relationship between values and commitment, on the one hand, and participation in a top-down change program on the other. Additionally, most studies of attitudes and values have examined them in a stable environment. This study examines how the two concepts are related to participation in change in a turbulent environment and can deepen our understanding of values and commitment.