Affective and continuance commitment in public private partnership

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of the “transfer” process on relationships between employees' perceived organisational support and affective and continuance commitment within the context of the move to a new employment relationship as part of a public private partnership. Design/methodology/approach – Eight semi‐structured interviews informed the design of a questionnaire, which was distributed to facilities management employees of a UK NHS hospital who had been seconded to a private‐sector management company. This resulted in 101 effective responses (33 per cent). Findings – In new forms of employment relationship, employees' perceptions of the “transfer” process influence significantly their perceptions of the management company and their commitment to it. Positively perceived organisational support from the management company significantly increases affective and continuance commitment to the management company, particularly amongst those who feel positive about the transfer process. Research limitations/implications – This research focuses upon employee commitment to the management company. Further research is proposed to investigate different foci of commitment as well as the influence of the psychological contract. Practical implications – The effect of fairness in the “transfer” process is far reaching, lasting beyond the initial transfer. Both parties should work together to enable a smooth employee “transfer” process, supervisors particularly having a strong influence on employees' attitudes and behaviour. Originality/value – There is a lack of research regarding the antecedents and consequences of commitment of employees, who are managed by one but employed by a different organisation. This study begins to address this gap.