High-Commitment HRM, Organizational Engagement and Deviant Workplace Behaviors: The Moderating Role of Person-Organization Fit

This study examines the relationship between perceptions of high-commitment HRM, person-organization (P-O) fit, organizational engagement, and deviant workplace behaviors. Drawing on social exchange theory (SET) and P-O fit theory, a mediated moderation model is proposed in which P-O fit moderates the relationship between high-commitment HRM and organizational engagement, which, in turn, relates to deviant behaviors. Using two multilevel multisource datasets, from a shipping management company (Study 1) and an international seaport (Study 2), the results of generalized multilevel structural equation modeling (GSEM) revealed that the relationship between high-commitment HRM and deviant behaviors was mediated by organizational engagement. Furthermore, a significant indirect relationship was found from high-commitment HRM perceptions to deviant behaviors through organizational engagement for low, but not for high, P-O fit. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.