Preferential Treatment Impacts Organizational Commitment: Evidence from Public Universities of Pakistan

Preferential treatment is detrimental. Keeping in view this important perspective, this study intends to capture the impact of preferential treatment via favoritism, nepotism, and cronyism on employee commitment in Public Universities of Pakistan. To seek the objectives of the study 400 questionnaires were distributed to employees of different Public Universities. The findings of the study revealed the negative impact of favoritism, nepotism, and cronyism on employees’ commitment. The results of the study confirmed the moderating role of LMX in the relation between favoritism-organizational commitment as well between nepotism-organizational commitment relation whereas, contrary to expectations LMX did not moderate the relation between cronyism and organizational commitment. Practical implications, limitations as well future directions are discussed