Affective commitment to the employer brand: development and validation of a scale

Abstract

In recent years employer branding has become increasingly important as a source of sustainable competitive advantage. Companies are trying to engender affective commitment in the best employees in a global labor market. We develop and validate a multidimensional scale to measure the strength of an employee´s affective commitment to the employer brand in five separate studies. In Study 1 and 2 the Affective Commitment to the Employer Brand (ACEB) scale was developed and tested for its factor structure, reliability and convergent validity. Study 3 examines additional reliability and discriminant validity, showing that the scale is differentiated from measures of satisfaction and motivation. Study 4 provides evidence of external validity. Lastly, Study 5 examines the scale´s nomological validity by investigating three experiential dimensions within a nomological network and showing that a positive experience with the employer brand is important in making the employee develop an affective commitment towards it. The limitations of the scale and the boundary conditions of its applicability are also discussed.