The Moderating role of Socioemotional Needs in the Relationship between Perceived Support and Organizational Commitment

This paper examines the role of employees’ socioemotional needs in the relationship of perceived organizational support and perceived supervisor support to affective organizational commitment. Based on a sample of 209 employees affiliated with a variety of organizations, analyses indicate that perceived organizational support and perceived supervisor support are more strongly related to organizational commitment when the need for emotional support is high but is less strongly related to organizational commitment when the need for affiliation is high. In contrast, the need for esteem and the need for approval have no moderating effects. These results offer new research perspectives on the role of individual characteristics in regard to the impact of perceived support on employees’ attitudes toward the organization.