Matching Commitment to Supervisors and Organizations to In-Role and Extra-Role Performance

Abstract

There are mixed findings regarding the relations between affective and continuance commitment and job performance. However, past research has largely disregarded the concept of commitment foci and overlooked the importance of matching commitment foci to the target of performance-related behavior. In this study, supervisors rated 189 employees on 2 types of performance hypothesized to be directed more toward supervisors than organizations: in-role performance and courtesy. They also rated 2 types hypothesized to be directed more toward organizations than supervisors: civic virtue and loyal boosterism. After controlling for other forms of commitment, affective commitment to supervisors explained unique variance in in-role performance and courtesy. Affective commitment to organizations did not. After controlling for other forms of commitment, affective commitment to organizations explained unique variance in loyal boosterism. Affective commitment to supervisors did not. Continuance commitment to supervisors and organizations was unrelated to performance. Implications for research and practice are discussed.