COMMITMENT SHIFT DURING ORGANIZATIONAL UPHEAVAL: PHYSICIANS' TRANSITIONS FROM PRIVATE PRACTITIONER TO EMPLOYEE.

This longitudinal study examines the individual transition journeys of physicians as their private medical practices are acquired by a large integrated health care system. I test the proposition that transition patterns (trends in an individual's commitments to organization and profession overtime) are a function of individual differences in professional tenure, and perceived organizational enabling characteristics (change involvement, openness to ideas and work discretion). Three yearly panels of survey data were obtained from 48 physicians who transitioned through the organizational change process. The results indicate that perceptions of organizational enablement are critical to the development of physicians' commitments to their organization and profession.