Career stage as a moderator of the relationships between organizational commitment and its outcomes: A meta‐analysis

The existing career development and organizational commitment development theory suggests that career stage may moderate the relationship between organizational commitment and outcomes. However, the study of organizational commitment‐outcomes linkages across career stages has been a neglected area of research. In light of this insufficiency, a meta‐analysis review of 41 samples dealing with the relationships between organizational commitment and outcomes was conducted. The total sample was divided into different time frames according to two indicators of career stage: age and tenure. The findings support the proposition that career stage moderates the relationships between organizational commitment and outcomes. The relationship between commitment and turnover (actual and intended) is stronger in the early career stage than in the mid and late‐career stages. The relationships of commitment with performance and absenteeism are strongest in the late‐career stage. The findings are discussed in terms of the need for more research that examines organizational commitment‐outcomes relationships across career stages as well as across other potential moderators. 1991 The British Psychological Society