Employees’ need for independence, organizational commitment, and turnover intentions: The moderating role of justice perceptions about performance appraisals

Abstract

This empirical research attempts to find out whether it is possible to retain employees who possess strong need for independence and to make them committed by using fair performance appraisal systems. One hundred five white-collar employees working in three high-tech companies were participated in this study. Results showed that both perceived procedural justice and perceived distributive justice of the performance appraisals moderated the relationship between need for independence and affective commitment, as well as the relationship between need for independence and turnover intentions. As a result, the high levels of justice perceptions will lessen the strength of negative relationship between need for independence and organizational commitment and the high levels of justice perceptions will lessen the strength of positive relationship between need for independence and turnover intentions. These findings underlined the importance of justice perceptions, since they not only lead to positive attitudes and behaviors, but also mitigate the effects of the individual attitudes such as need for independence.