Am I in control?

: How are psychological ownership and organizational commitment affected by the perception of control in multi-office companies

Abstract

This dissertation investigates the relationship between employees' perception of control, psychological ownership, and organizational commitment within multi-office companies, focusing on differences across local, regional, and headquarters office settings. Drawing on theories of psychological ownership and organizational commitment, the study hypothesizes that employees at headquarters will experience a higher degree of control, leading to stronger psychological ownership and, subsequently, greater affective organizational commitment. Additionally, psychological ownership is proposed to mediate the relationship between perceived control and commitment, with its impact varying across office locations. A quantitative study was conducted with 97 employees from multinational companies, distributed across local, regional, and headquarters offices. Participants completed validated surveys measuring their perceptions of control, psychological ownership, and organizational commitment. The findings suggest that employees at headquarters report significantly higher perceptions of control compared to their counterparts in regional and local offices. Furthermore, psychological ownership was found to mediate the relationship between perceived control and affective organizational commitment, highlighting the critical role that control and psychological ownership play in fostering employee engagement and commitment. These results have important implications for organizational leaders, particularly in managing multi-office structures.

Date of Award	17 Jan 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Ana Paula Giordano Silva Gonçalves (Supervisor)