Applying Partial Least Squares Approach to investigate the Moderating effect of Peer Support on Employee Commitment

In order to understand the challenges faced by higher education institute (HEI's) in Pakistan, the HEI's attempts to determine factors that impact on the commitment of employees. The objectives of this research, based on the Social Exchange Theory (SET), is to enrich this understanding by analyzing the buffering effect of peer support in the link between training and development (T&D), Working Climate (WC), and employee commitment (EC) in Pakistan's public sector higher education institutions. Using a proportionate-stratified random sampling process, a quantitative approach was advocated, with a survey as the strategy of inquiry from 385 respondents. The study shows that T&D and WC have a substantial association with EC in government sector universities, both theoretically and empirically. Furthermore, the findings support the hypothesis that peer support buffers the link between T&D, WC, and EC. The introduction of peer support as a moderator between the T&D, WC, and employee commitment relationships is the key contribution. The research also helps to better understand the dynamics of work engagement in higher education institutions, with a focus on the buffering function of peer support (PS) in the Pakistani setting. Keywords: Training and Development, Working Climate, Peer support, employee Commitment, Social Exchange Theory.