Sistemas de comprometimento: estudo comparativo entre servidores públicos em diferentes estágios da carreira

Abstract

Commitment is a dynamic phenomenon that undergoes changes over time, in line with other sectors of life. However, this phenomenon tends to be fragmented for analysis purposes. Alternatively, Commitment System Theory covers multiple commitments and provides tools for understanding how they interact systemically. In this interaction, external factors can generate changes in commitment systems. Career is a process inherent to the life cycle and subject to transformations throughout development. While the gender difference is relevant in the formation of systems due to sociocultural influence in assigning social roles to men and women. In this sense, understanding what professionals are committed to at work and in other spheres of life other than work, in different career gains, is consolidated as an issue to be explored. The present research aims to compare the commitment systems in different spheres of the work and life (work and non-work), identifying possible effects of the gender variable and career meanings. Two quantitative and cross-sectional studies were carried out: the first assessed the benefit of applying network analysis as a method for analyzing commitment systems; and the second, described the commitment system to different focuses of work and other spheres of life other than work, comparing the variables of gender and career incidence of civil servants. For data collection, a structured questionnaire with three sections was used: Focus of commitment at work and in other spheres of life; Career Concerns Inventory and; Sociodemographic and professional data. The research sample consisted of 137 professionals with an average age of 46.7 years and, most of them female (58.4%), married (44.5%), with children (57.8%) and with a monthly income greater than five minimum wages (43.8%). As a result of the first study, it was observed that the relationships between foci can be analyzed by different quantitative methods, such as correlation, cluster and network analyses. However, each method focuses on different aspects, with network analysis being considered the most recommendable method for understanding the commitment system, as it evaluates the role of actors, the structure and properties of the network. In the second study, it was found that work tasks are the central focus of the workers, with those working in the management stage showing greater interaction with the focuses of the work’s sphere, while professionals in the disengagement stage express a greater balance of commitments with the two spheres. Female workers show greater commitments between the work and family, while male workers express a balance of commitments between the work and non-work domains.