这个素自己去年写毕业论文用到的一段哈,要原文就上原文了The different dimensions of loyalty The first problem in studying loyalty in human organizations is that there seems to be no generally accepted definition of this concept. Often, loyalty is taken to mean remaining in an organization for a long time. But some studies have shown how it can have many different dimensions. Cole (2000), for instance, interviewed David L. Sturn, President of the Loyalty Institute, an arm of Chicago-based Aon Consulting, about a study undertaken by that organization interviewing the employees of more that 200 of its corporate clients. According to that study, what characterizes a “committed” employee is that (1) he is a team player; (2) willing to make sacrifices for the good of the company; (3) believes in the company’s products; (4) will recommend the company as among the best places to work, and (5) is prepared to stay in the company for the next several years, even if offered a modest pay increase elsewhere (Cole, 2000). Obviously, the first four characteristics of a committed employee go well beyond the fifth one, which is the only one related with remaining in the organization; and, still qualifying the fact of remaining in the organization by rejecting a change with a “modest” pay increase elsewhere. Powers (2000) offers an interesting set of indicators of loyalty:– Remaining with the company; not leaving, not job hunting– Staying late to complete a project– Keeping the company’s business confidential; no whistle-blowing– Promoting the company to customers and community– Adhering to rules without close supervision– Sacrificing personal goals to achieve company’s goals– No gossiping, lying, cheating or stealing– Buying company’s products– Contribution to company-sponsored charities– Offering improvement suggestions– Participating in company’s extracurricular activities– Following orders– Taking care of company property and not being wasteful– Working safely– Not abusing leave policies; including sick leave– Helping coworkers; cooperating Again, remaining with the company is a symptom of loyalty, but only a symptom. And a symptom is an indication, a noisy signal. A headache may be a symptom of a malignant brain tumor or a symptom of poor eyesight. The remaining indicators are also noisy signals, which go along with the basic intuitive concept of loyalty. In summary, both in the Cole and Powers articles, the basic idea is that an employee is committed, or loyal, to an organization when he holds two kinds of beliefs: (1) believes that what the organization is doing “is worth the while”, ., feels that the products of the company are really solving some type of human need; and (2) feels that the people he works with (superiors, subordinates, or at the same level) are people he can work with, and, therefore, is willing to cooperate with them, is willing to have initiatives, and be a team player. It is interesting to point out though, that in these analyses, loyalty and commitment are viewed as very positive for the organization and (possibly) for the individual. On the opposite side, some researchers have noticed some negative characteristics of loyalty and commitment. Randall (1987), for instance, signals as disadvantages of a strong commitment to an organization: (a) for the individual, that it may stymie individual growth and limit opportunities for mobility, as well as stifle creativity and innovation, and (b) for the organization, that it may blindly devote the individuals to their employers, and therefore perhaps waste their time and talents in jobs they don’t like, making it a situation that is unprofitable both for the individual and for the organization. Essentially then, the unfavorable consequences of loyalty are reduced to the possible loss of efficiency that is obtained if an individual is used where he shouldn’t be, which harms both the individual and the organization, but much more the former than the latter, and has to do with a misallocation of resources that is rather an error in judgement than a mistake arising from loyalty itself. Josep M. Rosanas and Manuel Velilla. Loyalty and Trust as the Ethical Bases of Organizations.[D]Journal of Business Ethics , 2003(1): 29~44.