he human component of an organ ization's resource base. Intensive strategic planning and management were reserved for financial, physical, and technolog ical resources. In the late 1970s, however, a widening recog nition of the significance of human resources to an organiza tion began to develop (Cherrington, 1983).
One effective solution to the problem of developing organizational commitment among managerial personnel is the management of the central life interests (CLIs) of employees. A CLI is defined as an expressed preference by an individual for a specific locale or situation in which activities will be conducted (Dubin, 1956).
Several studies have found a positive relationship between high levels of organizational commitment and individual CLIs
3centered in the work organization (Angle, & Perry, 1984; Martin, 1981; Dubin, Champoux, & Porter, 1975). Studies in organizational research conducted in the 1970s emphasized the transfer to or retention in organizational environments of the CLIs of individual organizational members, as a means of enhancing the levels of organizational commitment (Dubin, Champoux, & Porter, 1975; Dubin, & Goldman, 1972; Meissner, 1971; Porter, Crampon, & Smith, 1972). Some research performed in the 1980s indicate, however, that efforts to cause the transfer to or retention in organizational environments of the CLIs of individual organizational members may not always be the most effective means of enhancing the levels of organizational commitment on the part of individuals (Angle, & Perry, 1983; Martin, Mageneau, & Peterson, 1982; Mowday, Steers, & Porter, 1982; Spicer, 1985).
Once management has developed the necessary information with respect to employee CLIs, it may then develop effective strategies for CLI management intervention. The more recent studies reported in the literature indicate that the most effective intervention is often o
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