Structural determinants of job satisfaction and organizational commitment in turnover models

Using Meta-Analytical Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), the relationships between structural determinants of job satisfaction and organizational commitment were investigated in the context of contemporary turnover models. Data for this study were obtained from nine empirical studies conducted under the direction of James L. Price and Charles W. Mueller at the University of Iowa. The results suggest that only three structural determinants (distributive justice, promotional chances, and supervisory support) are directly related to organizational commitment over and above their impact on job satisfaction. The effect size of these direct links, however, is small in that they are not detectable in smaller samples (e.g., n = 244). On the other hand, most structural determinants are directly related to job satisfaction. The notable exception is the amount of pay employees received which is not related to either job satisfaction or organizational commitment. These findings and implications for future turnover research are discussed.