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Article
Commitment, Procedural Fairness, and Organizational Citizenship Behavior: A Multifoci Analysis
Faculty and Research Publications
  • James J. Lavelle, University of Texas at Arlington
  • Joel Brockner, Columbia University
  • Mary A. Konovsky, Tulane University of Louisiana
  • Kenneth H. Price, University of Texas at Arlington
  • Amy B. Henley, Kennesaw State University
  • Aakash Taneja, Richard Stockton College of New Jersey
  • Vishnu Vinekar, Fairfield University
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-1-2009
Abstract

Research on commitment, procedural fairness, and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) suggests that employees maintain distinct beliefs about, and direct behaviors towards, multiple targets in the workplace (e.g., the organization as a whole, their supervisor, and fellow workgroup members). The present studies were designed to test for “target similarity effects,” in which the relationships between commitment, procedural fairness, and OCB were expected to be stronger when they referred to the same target than when they referred to different targets. As predicted, we found that: (1) the positive relationship between commitment and OCB, and (2) the mediating effect of commitment on the positive relationship between procedural fairness and OCB, was particularly likely to emerge when the constructs were in reference to the same target. Support for these target similarity effects was found among layoff survivors (Study 1) and student project teams (Study 2). Theoretical and practical implications are discussed, as are limitations of the studies and suggestions for future research.

Citation Information
Lavelle, James J., et al. "Commitment, Procedural Fairness, and Organizational Citizenship Behavior: A Multifoci Analysis." Journal of Organizational Behavior 30.3 (2009): 337-57.