Unraveling the Nexus Between Organizational Culture and Teachers’ Organizational Commitment in Private Tertiary Institutions

In this quantitative study, a descriptive-correlational research design was employed to assess the levels of organizational culture and organizational commitment among 100 teachers in private tertiary institutions in Tagum City, Philippines. The study aimed to determine if a significant relationship existed between these variables. Data collection involved the utilization of two survey questionnaires, with analysis conducted through frequency counts, percentages, means, and Pearson correlation coefficient (r). Findings indicated a high level of both organizational culture and organizational commitment, with a positively moderate relationship between them. The relationship between respondents' organizational culture knowledge and organizational commitment was particularly significant. These results underscored the importance of organizational culture in shaping teacher commitment in educational settings.

In this quantitative study, a descriptivecorrelational research design was employed to assess the levels of organizational culture and organizational commitment among 100 teachers in private tertiary institutions in Tagum City, Philippines.The study aimed to determine if a significant relationship existed between these variables.Data collection involved the utilization of two survey questionnaires, with analysis conducted through frequency counts, percentages, means, and Pearson correlation coefficient (r).Findings indicated a high level of both organizational culture and organizational commitment, with a positively moderate relationship between them.The relationship between respondents' organizational culture knowledge and organizational commitment was particularly significant.These results underscored the importance of organizational culture in shaping teacher commitment in educational settings.

INTRODUCTION
Organizational commitment of employees is a crucial issue for all organizations, as employees who lack commitment tend to leave their organization at any time.Additionally, it is essential to judge whether an employee will put up a sincere effort in pursuing the organizational goal (Kasimoglu, 2021).Yet, committed employees tend to put more effort into their organizations (Akin, 2021).Similarly, Habib (2022) asserted that teachers who have a high level of organizational commitment are more invested in their work to increase their sense of pride and ownership.As a result of organizational commitment's link to productivity, organizations need to improve it.In Turkey, the study by Yalcin et al., (2021) revealed that teachers possess only a moderate level of dedication and attachment to their organization.Employees with organizational commitment tend to behave in a way that identifies with their organizations, and those who lack organizational commitment do not perform in line with the organization's objectives.In addition, the study by Muda and Fook, (2020) in Malaysia also indicated that teachers only have a moderate level of organizational commitment.The majority of the teachers, though they are not showing signs of significant dissatisfaction or intention to leave the organization, also do not express extremely high levels of dedication.Moreover, In Ethiopia, the organizational commitment of the academic staff is only manifested in an average level concerning the three commitment dimensions.Most academic staff did not perform their task to the required level of expertise by putting in extra effort due to different factors (Kassaw & Golga, 2019).
Meanwhile, in the Philippines, a study conducted specifically in Western Visayas revealed that the state university faculty have very weak organizational commitment in general.Specifically, the faculty had very weak affective commitment and weak normative and continuance commitment.Too much work results in pressure and stress, which can decrease dedication to work and, ultimately, decrease organizational commitment (Blanza, 2019).Besides, Tugade and Arcinas (2023) revealed that the level of organizational commitment of 76 employees in their study is only at moderate level in general.Employees' organizational commitment usually decreases when employees' happiness at work is not evident.
Moreover, a critical factor in determining whether an employee will stick with a company longer and work diligently to meet its objectives is organizational commitment (Kasimoglu, 2021).Organizational commitment can be described as an employee's involvement to work together and not leave the organization.Organizational commitment can also increase the performance of employees in carrying out their responsibility to reach the organization's goal (Bano et al., 2019).Organizational culture was found to be significantly associated with organizational commitment (Sarhan et al. 2020;Ridwan & Anik, 2020;Kayani, 2023).Likewise, teachers' organizational commitment is positively influenced by organizational culture.The ability of the leader to set appropriate work-life habits, values, norms, and beliefs to support teachers' dedication and raise the standard of instruction with learning is essential to the success of the organization's culture creation (Sutiyatno et al., 2022).
By investigating the relationship between organizational culture and organizational commitment specifically among teachers in private tertiary institutions, this study would provide empirical data to enhance understanding in this area.This would add depth to the literature by offering insights into the unique dynamics of organizational culture and commitment within this context.Furthermore, the findings of this study may offer practical implications for educational institutions and policymakers.Understanding the relationship between organizational culture and commitment can inform strategies aimed at fostering a positive work environment, enhancing teacher satisfaction, and ultimately improving organizational effectiveness.In general, this study sought to ascertain whether a significant correlation exists between the organizational culture and the level of commitment among teachers in private tertiary institutions.Specifically, it aimed to achieve the following objectives: assess the organizational culture's extent among teachers, evaluate their level of commitment, and examine whether a significant relationship exists between organizational culture and teachers' organizational commitment.The research was conducted within private tertiary institutions situated in Tagum City, Philippines.

THEORETICAL REVIEW Organizational Culture
Organizational culture is a set of values, assumptions, understandings, and norms that is shared by organizational members (Daft and Lane, 2005).Every organization must carry out five vital functions to survive for a substantial time.The five functions include managing change, achieving goals, coordinating teamwork, customer orientation, and building a solid culture.The organization's members' shared values and beliefs support each function."Managing Change" focuses on how well an organization can adjust to and handle changes in its surroundings."Achieving Goals" is defined by a clear focus on specific objectives that every organization must fulfil for clients."Coordinated teamwork," which is necessary for an organization to survive over the long run, is the ability of individuals to work collaboratively and put forth efforts that complement one another well."Customer orientation" describes the significance of setting clear objectives that align with or complement what customers desire from the organization."Cultural Strength" is characterized when most or all of an organization's members firmly commit to the same values and ideas (Sashkin & Rosenbach, 2013).

Organizational Commitment
Organizational commitment is a psychological state that indicates the relationship between the employee and the organization that influences the employee's decision to continue or discontinue their membership with the organization (Meyer and Allen, 1997).Organizational commitment includes the following dimensions: normative commitment, continuance commitment and affective commitment (Meyer & Allen, 1991).Affective commitment refers to an employee's emotional attachment to, identification with, and involvement in the organization, whereas normative commitment is defined as a feeling of obligation to continue employment.Continuance commitment is defined as an employee's understanding of the risks of leaving the organization (Meyer & Allen, 1997;Al Jabri & Ghazzawi, 2019).

Figure 1. Conceptual Framework METHODOLOGY
This study utilized a descriptive-correlational research design in its attempt to describe and determine the relationship between the organizational culture and organizational commitment of teachers in private tertiary institutions.A descriptive correlational research design describes the variables and measures the extent of the relationships between and among the variables.In this study, the organizational culture and organizational commitment of teachers in private tertiary institutions were described, and their relationship was assessed.One hundred teachers were the respondents of this study.Teacher who have worked for at least five (5) months in Private Tertiary Institution in Tagum City were considered as respondents.They were either male or female, 25 to 50 years old, and had at least a bachelor's degree related to the job.Newly hired teachers with fewer than five months of service and who are non-teaching faculties were excluded.Respondents also have the option to withdraw at any moment they feel uncomfortable or intimidated, or there is an actual or perceived physical, psychological, or emotional harm.The statistical analysis employed in this study involved utilizing descriptive statistics, including mean, standard deviation, frequency, and percentage, to characterize the organizational culture and organizational commitment of the participants.Furthermore, Pearson correlation coefficient (r) was utilized to elucidate the significant association between the organizational culture and organizational commitment among the respondents.

RESEARCH RESULTS
Table 1 shows the level of organizational culture of private tertiary institutions teachers in Tagum City with an overall mean of 3.86, described as a High with a standard deviation of 0.29.This means that the organizational culture of teachers in private tertiary institutions is highly evident in terms of each indicator.Table 2 shows the level of organizational commitment of teachers in private tertiary institutions in Tagum City, with an overall mean of 3.50, which is described as a high with a standard deviation of 0.41.This means that the organizational commitment of teachers is highly evident specifically in each indicator.

High
Table 3 presents the relationship between organizational culture and organizational commitment of teachers.Based on the results, there is a significant positive correlation between Organizational Culture and Organizational Commitment, with an R-value of 0.491 and a corresponding R-squared value of 0.241.Furthermore, the calculated p-value of 0.013 indicates that this correlation is statistically significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed), implying that it is unlikely to have occurred by chance.Thus, it reveals sufficient evidence to reject the null hypothesis (p-value<0.001), as it indicates a highly significant relationship between organizational culture and organizational commitment.

DISCUSSION
In the organizational culture level test, it was found that the respondents' organizational culture is highly evident.The results suggested that the organization of teachers has a strong and positive organizational culture characterized by effective change management, goal achievement, coordinated teamwork, customer orientation, and overall cultural strength.The low to moderate standard deviations across indicators indicate a consensus among respondents regarding these positive cultural attributes.The result of this study was supported by the study of Yusuf (2020) who emphasized that the faculty within the organization collectively strive toward a unified vision that centered on fostering a familial culture.This culture prioritizes mentorship, nurturing, caring for individuals, and attentiveness to others' needs.In fact, according to Winarno et al. (2021), an organization with a strong organizational culture will maintain its employees' strong commitment.Employees may, therefore, be more eager to demonstrate their organizational loyalty as a result of corporate culture.The organization's culture ought to nurture and develop their spirit, motivation, loyalty, and way of operation.Furthermore, according to Adam et al. (2020), the organizational culture should always be preserved so that the staff's job satisfaction and commitment will increase and become stronger.In terms of organizational commitment, all three types of organizational commitment (Affective, Continuance, and Normative) have high mean scores, indicating that, on average, employees in the organization are strongly committed.The low standard deviations for Affective and Continuance Commitment suggest consistency in the levels of emotional attachment and perceived costs of leaving across employees.The moderate standard deviation for Normative Commitment indicates some variability in the perceived sense of obligation among employees.
This result is corroborated with the study's findings of Batugal (2019) which revealed that teachers exhibit a profound sense of commitment to their institution and feel a necessity to uphold their affiliation with it.Their inclination to stay within the organization is also driven by their perception of contributing to the institution's productivity and achievements, thereby solidifying their sense of belonging and investment in its success.Moreover, this result is also supported by Bano et al., (2019) who states that organizational commitment can increase the performance of employees in carrying out their responsibility to reach the organization's goal.Consequently, Selvi and Maheswari (2020) cited that developing organizational commitment among employees is one of the key components to ensuring organizational efficiency.Hence, loyal employees contribute to the company's success (Mahmoud et al., 2020).Meanwhile, the result of the study highlighted the significant relationship between the organizational culture and commitment of teachers.It can be inferred that as Organizational Culture improves, Organizational Commitment also tends to increase, highlighting the importance of cultivating a positive organizational culture to enhance employee commitment.
This result is parallel to the study finding conducted by Yusuf (2020), wherein the findings revealed that within the university environment, organizational culture positively influences not only organizational commitment but also job satisfaction and lecturer trust.This suggests that a favorable and supportive organizational culture within tertiary institutions facilitates the development of integrity, competence, consistency, and commitment among organizational members.This phenomenon arises from the presence of a conducive organizational culture, which motivates members to embody positive values within the organization, including trust-related values such as integrity, competence, consistency, and loyalty.The results are also supported by Sutiyatno et al. (2022), who emphasized that teachers' organizational commitment is positively influenced by organizational culture.The ability of the leader to set appropriate work-life habits, values, norms, and beliefs to support teachers' dedication and raise the standard of instruction with learning is essential to the success of organization's culture creation.In the same way, Paais and Pattiruhu (2020) revealed that organizational culture significantly impacts employees' organizational commitment.It aids in bringing employees' attitudes and actions into line with the aims and objectives of companies, raising employee job satisfaction, which improves organizational commitment and increases organizational performance.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The study on the influence of organizational culture on teachers' commitment levels underscores the significant role that cultural factors play in shaping educators' dedication to their profession.A positive and supportive organizational culture is closely linked to increased organizational commitment among teachers.When teachers identify with and appreciate the organization's values, norms, and practices, they are more likely to stay in their positions.This, in turn, contributes to higher retention rates and overall stability within the teaching staff.Moreover, teachers who strongly connect to the organizational culture are more motivated and engaged in their roles.A positive culture provides a sense of purpose and direction, motivating teachers to invest more effort in their teaching responsibilities.
While the research reveals an overall high level of commitment among teachers in private tertiary institutions, it also highlights the complexity of this relationship, emphasizing the need for continual assessment and refinement of organizational culture to optimize commitment levels.Organizational leaders can tailor interventions to better align with teachers' expectations and foster a sense of belonging within the educational community by identifying specific aspects of culture that impact commitment, such as values, norms, and support mechanisms.Moreover, the findings suggest that a positive and supportive organizational culture not only enhances teacher retention and engagement but also has the potential to impact student outcomes positively.By prioritizing initiatives aimed at cultivating a conducive environment for teachers, educational institutions can create a ripple effect that extends to enriching students' overall learning experiences and achievements.Moving forward, organizations must prioritize ongoing evaluation and adaptation of cultural practices to ensure they remain relevant and effective in promoting commitment among educators, ultimately contributing to the success and resilience of the educational community.
The researcher suggests the subsequent recommendations derived from the descriptive-correlational research results: 1. Teachers should actively engage in initiatives to foster a positive organizational culture within their institutions.This

FURTHER STUDY
This study focuses only on teachers in private tertiary institutions in Tagum City, Philippines which prevented the researchers to gain probable comprehensive insights from teachers who came from other educational institutions and even those who come from other municipalities in the province.Also, future researchers should explore the dynamics of organizational culture and commitment within higher education institutions, focusing on identifying effective interventions and best practices.Research in this area can inform evidence-based strategies for enhancing faculty commitment and improving organizational outcomes.Additionally, future studies should consider longitudinal approaches to understand how organizational culture evolves and its impact on faculty retention, job satisfaction, and student success.By advancing our understanding of these complex relationships, future researchers can contribute to the ongoing improvement and innovation of tertiary institution environments.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
I extend my heartfelt gratitude to all those who have contributed to the completion of this study.I am deeply thankful to my advisor for her invaluable guidance and unwavering support throughout the research journey.My sincere appreciation also goes to the participants for their generous contribution of time and cooperation.I am immensely grateful to my co-faculty for their insightful feedback and assistance.Above all, I acknowledge the grace of God, whose blessings and guidance have been pivotal in every step of this endeavor.Lastly, I express my profound gratitude to my family-Janno, Audrie, Grey, and Juliafor their constant encouragement and understanding."