Justice, support, commitment, and time are intertwined: A social exchange perspective

Abstract

Integrating commitment theories with social exchange theory, a three-wave longitudinal study (N = 534) was conducted to explore the dynamic relationships among organizational justice, perceived organizational support (POS), and commitment profiles [i.e., profiles of affective commitment (AC), normative commitment (NC), high sacrifice (HS) and low alternative (LA) subcomponents of continuance commitment (CC)]. The results of 3-step latent transition analysis indicated that a meaningful proportion of employees switched commitment profiles over time, suggesting that the configurations of commitment within individuals are not stable over time. Consistent with theorizing, positive changes in distributive justice and POS predicted the shift to AC/NC-dominant profile and AC/NC/HS-dominant profile. Further, positive changes in distributive justice and POS contributed to the development of HS, manifested by the shift from AC/NC-dominant profile to AC/NC/HS-dominant profile. Finally, the effect of changes in procedural justice on the change in commitment profiles was completely mediated by changes in POS, whereas the effect of changes in distributive justice was partially mediated by changes in POS. These findings provide a unique glimpse into the evolving exchange relationships between employees and the employer wherein we discuss critical theoretical and practical implications.