Willingness: A Reflection on Commitment, Organization Citizenship and Engagement from the Perspective of Albert O. Hirschman's Concept of Exit, Voice, And Loyalty‪.‬

Executive Summary No business organization can be assured of long-term strategic vitality without the continuing willingness of employees to act in the interest of the organization's goals and wellbeing. The economist Albert O. Hirschman addresses the issue of the decay of organizations from the point of view of employees' abandonment of the organization and its interests (e.g., to exit the company) when it fails to provide promised security; when it is disloyal to the employee's sense of justice, and when it fails to provide the employees with the means to express their concerns (to have voice). Organizations' past promise of lifetime security and full employment are long gone, as is the assurance of equitable treatment. At no time in the history of American business has the willingness of managers to engage their subordinates been so vital to the organization's success. By responding to their employees' concerns by listening, the manager gives them a voice and thereby lessens their inclination to leave or take up a disengaged residence on the organization's payroll.