Answer the question by constructing an academically informed essay.

COMPONENTS OF THE EMPLOYEE COMMITMENT MODEL & THE IMPORTANCE OF A HIGHLY COMMITTED WORKFORCE.
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Introduction:
According to Michael Armstrong (2009), employee commitment, also called organizational commitment, refers to the worker’s identification with the goals, values, principles; desire for sense of belonging and long-term engagement with the organization. This concept has played a major role over the years in Human Resource Management Philosophy development because it is believed to enhance loyalty and performance for the organization while, at the same time, giving the individual employee dignity, identity; psychological involvement and self-worth.
Armstrong & Brown, (2006) say that when organizational commitment reaches a climax, an employee feels proud to be counted as part of an organization by absolutely embracing the firm’s objectives and putting in significant efforts to achieve them.
Employee commitment is multi-dimensional and is characterized by three major attributes (Meyer & Allen, 1997). These include:
1 Strong aspiration to continue being an employee of the organization
This means that the employee has no intention to seek alternative employers or quit the job for self-employment.
2 Strong credence in and abiding in the values and objectives of the organization.
The employee puts the objectives of the company before his and strives to avoid conflict of interest.
3 Readiness to exert significant levels of effort for the sake of the organization.
They are geared up to expend energy, both mental and physical, in giving service to the firm.
Types of Commitment and the Employee Commitment Model (TCM)
Employee commitment is multi-pronged and combines attitude, behavior and psychological state of the members of the workforce, forming the three-component model of employee commitment. This is according to Meyer & Allen’s study in 1997.
It is an undeniable fact that committed employees have a higher probability of remaining in the company, identify with its objectives and work towards achieving them. However, it is prudent to note that the commitment being talked about in the various definitions of “Employee Commitment” is psychological and its nature differs from one definition to another. Also, none of the different definitions of commitment is more universally acceptable than the rest. These differences in definition are what led Meyer and Allen to come up with the three components of commitment.
The three components that make up the Three Component Model are:
* Affective Commitment
* Continuance Commitment
* Normative Commitment
Affective Commitment
This is the kind of commitment which entails an employee’s strong positive emotional attachment to, identification with and involvement in the organization (Meyer & Allen, 1997). Such employees display affection for their jobs, stay and continue to serve an organization because they are willing and able to do so. The employees portray emotional affinity and assimilation of organizational goals into their personal lives. This type ...