Get compassionate: How compassion powers employee commitment

Abstract

Objectives. Compassion plays a crucial role in shaping productive workplace dynamics and strengthening employees’ affective commitment to their organizations. This study explores how employees’ experiences of compassion relate to their affective commitment, with a focus on the mediating roles of positive psychological capital and job crafting.
Sample and settings. Data were collected from 485 employees in mid-sized to large-sized companies in South Korea.
Statistical analyses. Structural equation modeling and the PROCESS macro were used to test the hypotheses.
Results. The findings indicate that compassion is positively associated with positive psychological capital, which, in turn, enhances job crafting. Furthermore, job crafting is positively related to affective commitment. Most importantly, beyond the direct positive relationship between compassion and affective commitment, this study demonstrates that positive psychological capital and job crafting function as serial mediators in this relationship. In addition, gratitude strengthens the positive relationship between compassion and affective commitment.
Limitations. Cross-sectional research design; self-reported survey data.