A Social Identity Perspective on the Relationship Between Perceived Organizational Support and Organizational Commitment

RESEARCHERS HAVE CONSISTENTLY FOUND perceived organizational support (POS) to be positively related to organizational commitment ( e g , Settoon, Bennett, & Liden, 1996). POS is defined as people’s “global beliefs about the extent to which the organization cares about their well-being and values their contributions” (Eisenberger, Huntington, Hutchinson, & Sowa, 1986, p. 501). The relationship between POS and organizational commitment is based on social exchange theory and the norm of reciprocity (Gouldner, 1960). That is, because commitment can be an exchange commodity, people are likely to become committed to an organization when they feel that the organization is committed to them. Because no research had explored other theoretical explanations for the relationship between POS and organizational commitment, the present study was designed to examine that relationship from a perspective of social identity theory. Social identity theory suggests that people “remain loyal when they feel that their organizations . . . value and appreciate them” (Tyler, 1999, p. 235). However, social identity theory maintains that when people feel that their organization values and appreciates them, it is a sign of organizational respect for them or of