Career opportunity and organizational attachment in a blue-collar unionized environment

Organizations and the larger socio-economic environment have always presented the context in which careers unfold and evolve over time. One notable change is that promotion opportunities have been drastically reduced as organizations flatten their hierarchies and restructure. Reduced commitment by both organizations and their members are increasingly characteristic of the emerging employment relationship. This study investigated an alternative to mobility opportunity in a blue-collar unionized sample and finds that perceived role enhancement opportunity (i.e., expanding task complexity and more autonomy in the near future) related positively to attitudinal outcomes historically associated with promotion opportunity (i.e., organizational commitment, work involvement, and career opportunity satisfaction) and, in fact, explained more criterion variance. This was especially true of incumbents with two or less years of position tenure.