Commitment as an Antidote to the Tension and Turnover Consequences of Organizational Politics

Abstract

Organizational commitment was conceptualized and tested as a moderator of the relationship between perceived politics and the outcomes of intent to turnover and job tension in two studies seeking convergence of results. Study 1 sampled middle and upper level managers in the hotel industry. Study 2 sampled university employees using different measures of the similar constructs in an effort to constructively replicate (Lykken, 1984) Study 1 results. Both studies demonstrated that the positive relationship between organizational politics and job tension decreased as organizational commitment increased. Furthermore, the positive relationship between organizational politics and intent to turnover decreased as organizational commitment increased in Study 1 but not in Study 2. Implications of these findings are discussed, and directions for future research are provided.