The role of perceived social support, perceived supervisor support, and public service motivation on affective organizational commitment in high-reliability organizations: An empirical study of gender differences in a military context. Navn: Marius

Abstract

How does perceived social support, perceived supervisor support, and public service motivation impact the affective organizational commitment among males and females in high-reliability organizations? Questionnaire data from 181 respondents from the Norwegian Army were gathered then analyzed through linear regression analysis. Gender differences were discovered for the impact of perceived social support, perceived supervisor support, and public service motivation on affective organizational commitment. Results show that perceived supervisor support was found to be of statistical significance for both male and female respondents. No effects on the construct level were revealed for perceived social support or public service motivation, although effects on the dimension level of both constructs were observed for both constructs. These effects were observed for the perceived social support dimensions of ‘Attachment’ and ‘Social Integration’, and the public service motivation dimensions of ‘Self-Sacrifice’ and ‘Commitment to Public Interest’. The effect of construct dimensions varied by gender, indicating that males and females have different support needs and motivations that increase their affective organizational commitment. A discussion of the results ensues, with implications for how leaders and managers should cater to employees to increase employee retainment.