Does Organizational Justice Matter? Implications for Construction Workers’ Organizational Commitment

Abstract

Despite the empirical linkage between employees’ organizational commitment and their positive work outcomes (e.g., reduced turnover and enhanced productivity), very little is known in the construction literature and practice about the antecedents of construction workers’ organizational commitment. Thus, this research extends employee commitment scholarship to the construction context to investigate the interactive effects of workers’ perceived organizational injustice and tenure on their subsequent organizational commitment, via the mediating role of psychological strain. Longitudinal data from 179 construction workers revealed that worker’s perceived organizational injustice increased their psychological strain, which, in turn, reduced their organizational commitment. This indirect negative effect of organizational injustice on organizational commitment via psychological strain was found to be stronger for less-tenured workers. Thus, to promote and maintain a committed workforce, construction organizations should ensure their organizational routines, procedures, and supervisory practices enhance workers’ perceptions of fairness. This research contributes to the body of knowledge by identifying processes through which workers’ organizational commitment can be eroded (or strengthened), enriching the understanding of the social-psychological aspects of performance management.