Antecedents and Consequences of Satisfaction and Commitment in Turnover Models. A Reanalysis Using Latent Variable Structural Equation Methods

Recent models of organizational commitment (e.g., Morris & Sherman, 1981; Steers, 1977; Stevens, Beyer, & Trice, 1978) and turnover (e.g., Mobley, Griffeth, Hand, & Meglino, 1979; Steers & Mowday, 1981) were reviewed. This review indicated that the causal relation between job satisfaction and organizational commitment had been overlooked and that attempts to identify the antecedents of these variables had suffered from conceptual and methodological limitations. To examine these two issues, structural equation methodology was used to reanalyze data from Michaels and Spector (1982) and Bluedorn (1982). Four causal models were examined. Across both samples, support was obtained for relations between personal/organizational characteristics and job satisfaction, and between satisfaction and commitment. Commitment was also an important determinant of turnover intentions. The implications of the findings and methodology are considered.