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2.1 INTRODUCTION The first chapter of this dissertation has indicated organizational commitment (OC) as the way to improve a wide range of positive organizational outcomes and in curing turnover and absenteeism problems. It is vital to have a thorough understanding of the overall concept of OC. Therefore, the main objective of this chapter is to provide a review on OC based on an extensive search of existing literature. This chapter starts with the theoretical background of OC and its definition in the current world. Different approaches of OC are then discussed and Three-Component Model will be presented in detail. This chapter progresses to evaluate the OC in the construction industry based on the existing literature. Finally, a summary is provided at the end of this chapter. 2.2 BACKGROUND AND DEFINITION OF ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT (OC) Commitment is a multi-foci concept. One may find commitment to the profession associations, the union, the work teams as well as commitment to the family, the state or religion, projects, values or career (Reichers, 1985; Baruch, 1998; Meyer & Herscovitch, 2001; Paillà ©, Fournier & Lamontagne 2011). OC is one of the five forms of work commitment indicated by Morrow (1983) and has been conceptualized in different constructs, definitions and interpretations to better understand the intensity and stability of an employee’s dedication to the organization (Cohen, 2007; Singh & Venugopal, 2008). The earliest attempt of the conceptualization of commitment is by Becker’s (1960) side-bet theory. He argued that an individual is committed in an organization is because of the hidden investments. The threat of losing these investments, along with a perceived lack of alternatives to replace or make up for th... ...onship is essential in undertaking project tasks to attain the goals. To the QS, goal attainment within the work group creates a positive influence to be a member of the group. Hence, QS is likely to gain or maintain their membership in the group (Chiu & Ng, 2013). In order to achieve the desired attitude and behavioural changes among employees, it is essential to understand the objectives, expectations and goals of the organization and the employees (Mohyin, Dainty, & Carrillo, 2009). Failing in understanding what employees require and expect from the employment relationship will often lead to the deterioration in commitment and loyalty and thus increase employee turnover (Loosemore et al., 2003). This reflects a need in studying the antecedents of OC among QS, by looking at QS who work in different consultant and construction firms to fill the gaps in knowledge.