Why interpersonal bonds may supersede organisational commitment on performance: an integrative motivational view

Decades of research have demonstrated that employees may experience multiple commitments on the job including the interpersonal bonds to the supervisor and the work team which are predictive of performance. Limited research has integrated the interpersonal and the organisation (global) commitments in examining outcomes of commitment, and a cursory view of the research suggests that the interpersonal bonds may have an incremental predictive effect on performance over the global commitment. However, commitment research is yet to explicitly articulate a theory that explains how and why the interpersonal bonds may supersede the global organisational commitment when predicting performance. Adopting Klein and colleagues' conception of commitment as a volitional psychological bond of dedication, and integrating prior research, we put forth a theory of the psychological processes of the commitment-performance link that explains the incremental predictive effect of the interpersonal bonds. Implications of our postulation for commitment theory, research and practice are discussed.