Purpose - To understand how identification and commitment can be sustained among members of a development organization where high performance is of paramount importance and success has important human consequences. This study examined members' identification and commitment within a development organization patterned after the Grameen model. This organization is based on a set of values by which the members can work hard to overcome their situation caused by poverty. Design/methodology/approach - Members of Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM) were interviewed to analyze the characteristics that make AIM special, to gain a deeper understanding of the dynamics of members' interactions, and to explore how members influence and control one another. Findings - The approach used in the study yields interesting insights into members' identification and commitment in a human development organization; and how this identification and commitment are linked to the members' success as well as the organization's success. Practical implications - The insights to organizational identification and commitment should assist the field of management development to sustain and improve identification and commitment towards the organization and towards other organizational members. Female organizational members can also achieve economic success when they are given an opportunity in their rural villages. Originality/value - This study applies western theories in a non-western environment. The findings contribute to the conceptual understanding of the subject. Areas for future research were also suggested. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.