Effect of Employees Perceptions of Procedural Justice on Employee Commitment in Health Sector Non- Governmental Organizations in Kenya Patrick M. Gichira, Dr Susan M. Were, Dr George O. Orwa European Journal of Human Resource ISSN 2520-4697 (Online) Vol.1, Issue 1 No.1, pp26-50, 2017 www.ajpojournals.org 27 Effect of Employees Perceptions of Procedural Justice on Employee Commitment in Health Sector Non-Governmental Organizations in Kenya 1*Patrick M. Gichira Post Graduate Student: School of Human Resources Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture & Technology 2Dr Susan M. Were Lecturer, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture & Technology 2Dr George O. Orwa Lecturer, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture & Technology Abstract Purpose: The purpose of the study was to establish the effect of employees‟ perceptions of procedural justice on employee commitment in health sector non-governmental organizations in Kenya. Methodology: The study adopted descriptive and correlational research designs with a statistical sample of 195 employees responsible for key result areas in 17 health sector Non- Governmental Organizations. Justice perceptions were measured using Colquitt‟s four construct model comprising of distributive, procedural, interpersonal and informational justice while organizational commitment was measured through Meyer‟s three component model comprising of affective, continuance and normative commitment. Inferential statistics comprising of correlation, multiple linear regression models and ANOVA analysis were applied `to establish the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. Qualitative data was analyzed through the use of questionnaires. Results: Based on the findings, the study concluded that procedural justice perceptions have a positive influence on affective commitment and normative commitment. Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: Managers and other leaders should be aware that the fairness of procedures used in allocating rewards and the voice afforded employees in the allocation process are as important as the fairness of the allocation of rewards in improving level of employees‟ commitment in an organization. For organizational procedures to be perceived as fair, they should be applied consistently. Keywords: employees’ perceptions, procedural justice, employee commitment, health sector non-governmental organizations http://www.ajpojournals.org/ European Journal of Human Resource ISSN 2520-4697 (Online) Vol.1, Issue 1 No.1, pp26-50, 2017 www.ajpojournals.org 28 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the Study Many contemporary writings on organizations emphasize the importance of core values to the organization (Collins & Porras, 1997). Justice in terms of fair treatment of employees is identified as one of those values and fairness as one of the fundamental bases of cooperative action in organizations (Cropanzo et al, 2007). Truth telling, promise keeping, fairness, and respect for the individual are some of the key guiding principles of effective people management in organizations (Russell, 2001). Justice perceptions can influence employees‟ attitudes and behaviour for good or ill, in turn having a positive or negative impact on their performance and the organization‟s success (Baldwin, 2006). Justice is therefore a basic requirement for the effective functioning of organizations and the personal commitment of the individuals they employ (McFarlin & Sweeney, 1992). Employee perceptions of organizational justice in terms of fair formal deci- sion-making procedures (procedural justice), fair decision outcomes (distributive justice), fair interpersonal treatment (interpersonal justice) and information sharing (informational justice) by decision makers have been found to be related to a variety of work-related attitudes and behaviors including commitment (Colquitt, et al, 2001, Al-Zu‟bi, 2010; Yucel, 2013; Akanbi & Ofoegbu, 2013). Organisational commitment is the bond employees experience with their organization (Folger & Cropanzano, 1998). Employees who are committed to their organisation generally feel a connection with their organization, feel that they fit in and, feel they understand the goals of the organisation (Cohen et al., 2001). The added value of such employees is that they tend to be more determined in their work, show relatively high productivity and are more proactive in offering their support (Konovsky, et al, 2000). Meyer & Allen (1997) conceptualized organizational commitment in three dimensions namely affective, continuance and normative commitments. Justice perceptions can influence employee attitudes and behaviour for good or ill, in turn having a positive or negative impact on individual, group and the entire organization‟s performance and success (Baldwin, 2006). Empirical evidence supports the notion that an employee‟s perception of organizational justice affects their attitude toward the organization (Konovsky, et al, 2000). If the perception of organizational justice is positive, individuals tend to be more satisfied and committed to their job (McFarlin & Sweeney, 1992). Organizational justice impacts on employees in organizations since they are the subject of work place decisions virtually every day of their organizational lives (Cohen et al., 2001). Some of these decisions deal with the salaries individuals earn, the projects or programmes they implement while others deal with work place interactions. The importance of those consequences causes individuals to judge the decision making they experience from a justice perspective (Colquitt, 2001). According to Baldwin (2006) the term organizational justice refers to the extent to which employees perceive workplace procedures, interactions, and outcomes to be fair in nature. He concluded that these perceptions can influence attitudes and http://www.ajpojournals.org/ European Journal of Human Resource ISSN 2520-4697 (Online) Vol.1, Issue 1 No.1, pp26-50, 2017 www.ajpojournals.org 29 behaviours of the employees. Cropanzano, Bowen and Gilliland (2007) defined it as a personal evaluation about the ethical and moral standing of managerial conduct. Current literature on organizational justice identifies four different constructs; distributive justice, procedural justice, interpersonal justice and informational justice (Colquitt, Greenberg, & Zapata- Phelan, 2005). Distributive justice is the justice of an employee which he perceives as a result of comparing the commitments he makes to his work and the outcomes of these such as rewards, duties and responsibilities, compared to the commitments the other employees make and the outcomes of them (Colquitt,2001). Procedural justice implies that, while evaluating the fairness of the organizational decisions, employees are not only interested in what these decisions are but also with the processes which determine these decisions (Folger & Cropanzano, 1998). Interpersonal justice refers to people‟s perceptions of the fairness of the manner in which they are treated by those in authority during the enactment of organizational procedures (Lind & Bos, 2002) while informational justice refers to people‟s perceptions of the fairness of the information used as the basis for making a decision (Gurbuz & Mert, 2009). Each of these forms of justice has been found to have different effects on employee commitment (Colquitt, et al., 2005). 1.2 Problem Statement Employees are the subject of decisions virtually every day of their organizational lives (Colquitt, 2001). In organizational settings, justice is not always administered through fair allocation of employment resources, provision of clear and adequate explanations for decisions made and employees are not always treated with dignity and respect during the implementation of policies and procedures (Cohen-Charash & Spector, 2001; Frontela, 2007). Adoption of effective human resource management (HRM) practices in many Non- Governmental organizations (NGOs) is often low in the list of management priority (Batti, 2014) because NGO organizations discourages investment in human resource capacities and staff retention measures due to the short term nature of the projects, funding constraints and subsequent short term employment practices. This in turn leads to negative justice perceptions and commitment. (Padaki, 2007). In a study carried out by Frontela (2007) in Kenya and other developing countries, the researchers found that irrespective of the affiliation, mission, size and extent of operations, problems of low morale and low motivation of staff were prevalent in NGOs. These are all indicators of antecedents and outcomes of commitment (Wright, & Kehoe, 2008). They point to a possible absence of organizational justice and low employee commitment. Organizational justice research has predominately involved employees from Western countries, particularly the U.S. (McFarlin & Sweeney, 2001). As such, the current thinking regarding reactions to organizational justice may not generalize to employees from societies that have cultural and economic characteristics which differ significantly from those commonly found in North American and Western European societies. In addition, in their meta-analytical review of literature on commitment in organizations in the period 1988 to http://www.ajpojournals.org/ European Journal of Human Resource ISSN 2520-4697 (Online) Vol.1, Issue 1 No.1, pp26-50, 2017 www.ajpojournals.org 30 2011, Iqbal et al (2012) found out that most of the research studies published was conducted at the industry or firm level as the unit of analysis. Furthermore, the organization and management of NGO sector has received relatively little attention from researchers (Lewis, 2005). There is therefore a paucity of information regarding the importance of fairness and employee reactions to organizational justice from different contexts especially Africa and particularly the Health sector NGOs in Kenya. Given this lack of information, the study sought to establish the effect of employees‟ perceptions of procedural justice on employee commitment in health sector non-governmental organizations in Kenya. 1.3 Research Objectives To establish the effect of employees perceptions of procedural justice on employee commitment in health sector non-governmental organizations in Kenya. 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Theoretical Review 2.1.1 Organizational Commitment Theories Scholars have offered many differing views and theories regarding employee commitment towards the employer organization. The key emerging themes indicate that in general, commitment is made up of investments, reciprocity, social identity, and lack of alternatives (Brum, 2007). The investment approach states that it is an employee‟s investment and anticipation of a future pay off that serves to tie them closer to the organization. Reciprocity, in contrast, indicates that it is the employee‟s obligation to pay off their debt to the organization that will lead to greater commitment (Barrett & O‟Connell, 2001). The identification argument specifies that commitment can grow as a result of an employee‟s social identity becoming increasingly embedded in their employment (Blau & Boal, 1987). Lastly, the lack of alternatives element states that the more specific an employee‟s skills become to a particular organization the less likely they will leave (Scholl, 1981). The main theories on organizational commitment relevant to the study are Side Bet theory, Theory of Reciprocity and Meyer & Allen‟s Three-Component Model of Organizational Commitment. Side- Bet Theory According to Becker‟s side bet theory, the relationship between an employee and the organization is founded on behaviours bounded by a contract of economic gains. Employees are committed to the organization because they have some hidden vested investments or side- bets. These side-bets are valued by the individual because of the accrual of certain costs that render disengagement difficult. Becker argued that over a period of time certain costs accrue that make it more difficult for the person to disengage from a consistent pattern of activity, namely, maintaining membership in the organization. Accordingly, the threat of losing these investments, along with a perceived lack of alternatives to replace or make up for their loss, commits the person to the organization (Griffin & Hepburn, 2005). http://www.ajpojournals.org/ European Journal of Human Resource ISSN 2520-4697 (Online) Vol.1, Issue 1 No.1, pp26-50, 2017 www.ajpojournals.org 31 Becker went on to clarify that side bets can be centred on time, effort, pay, benefits, and so on. The greater the investment in any of these “side bets”, the more likely the employee will remain with an organization. Due to the perceived cost of leaving being too high, side bets can serve to actually increase the employee‟s intent to remain in an organization (Liou & Nyhan, 1994). Several elements must exist in order for commitment to be achieved through a “side bet”. One such element is that the individual is aware that a “side bet” was made. Another is that the choices that were made regarding a particular decision have an effect on other potential decisions. The “side bet” philosophy states that an investment is made today with the expectation that the benefit will be achieved at some future point (Scholl, 1981). Theory of Reciprocity Employees have specific desires and expectations. When an organization seeks to meet and exceed these desires and expectations through reciprocity, then the likelihood of improving commitment is enhanced. The premise behind reciprocity is that an employee will help the organization because the organization helped them. Under the norm of reciprocity, employees with strong perceptions of organizational support would therefore feel obligated to repay the organization in terms of organizational commitment (Steers, 1977). Brum (2007) argues that employees may view some human resource outcomes as a “gift”. Training is one such practice that employees may view as a “gift”. The result of this “gift” is that employees exert more effort, become more productive, and have a greater sense of debt to the organization. The “gift” also has the potential to make employees feel like “insiders” into the organization. An “insider” is likely to be more committed and devoted to the organization and the idea of “gift” and “insider” parallels closely to the concept of reciprocity (Brum, 2007). Meyer & Allen Multi-dimension Theory This theory proposes that organizational commitment is experienced by an employee as three simultaneous mind-sets encompassing affective, normative, and continuance organizational commitment (Meyer & Allen, 1990). The three forms of organizational commitment are characterized by three different mindsets – desire, obligation, and cost. According to the model, employees with a strong affective commitment stay because they want to, those with strong normative commitment stay because they feel they ought to, and those with strong continuance commitment stay because they have to do so (Jaros, 1997). The three-component conceptualization of organizational commitment is currently regarded as the dominant model in organizational commitment research (Solinger, 2008). 2.2 Empirical Review Leventhal (1980) proposed six criteria for a procedure to be perceived as fair. These include consistency, bias suppression, and accuracy of information in decision making, correctability, representativeness and ethicality based on conformity to personal ethical or moral values. Wiesenfeld et al., (2007), added bias suppression, accuracy and overall fairness as the defining criteria for procedural justice.Procedural justice may foster commitment because people infer that it is an antecedent of fair outcomes. According to Thibaut and Walker http://www.ajpojournals.org/ European Journal of Human Resource ISSN 2520-4697 (Online) Vol.1, Issue 1 No.1, pp26-50, 2017 www.ajpojournals.org 32 Employee Commitment  Affective  Continuance  Normative Procedural Justice  Voice  Consistency  Ethics (1975) procedural justice theory, the amount of control people have over decisions and processes influences their perceptions of fairness. According to Thibaut and Walker (1975) fair procedures are valuable because they allow individuals‟ control over outcomes. The most widely accepted attitudinal conceptualisation of organizational commitment is that by (Mowday et al., 1979). They define organizational commitment as the relative strength of an individuals‟ identification with, and involvement in a particular organization and identify three characteristics of organizational commitment: (i) a strong belief in and acceptance of the organization‟s goals and values, (ii) a willingness to exert a considerable effort on behalf of the organization and (ii) a strong intent or desire to remain with the organization. This multi-dimensional approach suggests that organizational commitment develops because of the interaction of all these three components. The approach is supported by several studies (O‟Reilly & Chatman (1986). The present study is based on Meyer and Allen‟s multidimensional construct with its three dimensions of organizational commitment. Affective commitment is linked to a favourable working environment and relationships (Bayer, 2009). Antecedents of affective commitment .include job characteristics such as task significance, autonomy, identity, skills variety and feedback concerning employee job performance, perceived organizational support or dependence (the feeling that the organization considers what is in the best interest of employees when making decisions that affect employment conditions and work environment), and the degree to which employees are involved in the goal-setting and decision-making processes (Prabhakart & Ram, 2011). Meyer & Allen (1997) correlates affective commitment with work experiences where employees experience psychologically comfortable feelings, (such as approachable managers) and increasing their sense of competence (such as feedback). According to Beck and Wilson (2000), the development of affective commitment involves recognizing the organization‟s worth and internalising its principles and standards. In a study conducted in 2013 to examine the relationship between organizational justice and affective commitment on health employees in Turkey, the researchers found that justice perceptions play an imperative and antecedent role in the formation of affective commitment (Akpmar & Tas, 2013). 2.3 Conceptual Framework Figure 1: Conceptual Framework http://www.ajpojournals.org/ European Journal of Human Resource ISSN 2520-4697 (Online) Vol.1, Issue 1 No.1, pp26-50, 2017 www.ajpojournals.org 33 3.0 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The study adopted descriptive and correlation research design. The study population was 17 Nairobi based health sector NGOs registered with HENNET while the target population was 497 employees with supervisory responsibilities. The sampling frame for this study comprised of 85 health sector non-governmental organizations based within Nairobi County and its environs. The register of Health Sector NGOs maintained by Health NGOs Network Secretariat (HENNET) was used to randomly generate the study sample. The study adopted stratified sampling technique due to homogeneity of the population. Based on the nature of the study population, proportionate stratified sampling was used to establish the number of respondents from each of the 17 HENNET member NGOs headquartered in Nairobi. The study sought to measure employee perceptions using a five point multiple choice ordinal Likert rating scale measurement. Primary data was collected using self-administered questionnaires. The raw data collected using questionnaires were edited and coded for analysis using IBM Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 20.0. The study‟s likert-type data was described and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics comprising of correlation and linear regression. Findings on quantitative data were presented using statistical techniques such as tables, pie charts and bar graphs. Qualitative data was presented descriptively. 4.0 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS 4.1 Response Rate The study conducted a survey using a self-administrated questionnaire which was administered to 195 sampled respondents. 131 valid questionnaires were returned representing a response rate of 67 percent. A response rate of above 50% is considered adequate in social science research (Mugenda & Mugenda, 2008; Babbie, 2002). The study‟s response rate of 67% was therefore considered adequate for analysis and conclusion. Table 2: Response Rate Total number of questionnaires distributed Total number of valid questionnaires returned Response rate (%) 195 131 67 4.2 Demographic Characteristics 4.2.1 Gender of Respondents The gender of the respondents is presented in figure 2 of the 131 valid responses, 53 percent of the respondents were male while 47 percent were female. This suggests that the study solicited information from a gender balanced perspective. According to Kothari (2008) a ratio of at least 1:2 in either gender representation in a study is representative enough. http://www.ajpojournals.org/ European Journal of Human Resource ISSN 2520-4697 (Online) Vol.1, Issue 1 No.1, pp26-50, 2017 www.ajpojournals.org 34 Figure 2: Gender of Respondents 4.2.2 Response by Job Category The study targeted various categories of employees as shown on table 3. From the demographic data, 14% were administrative staff, 29% programme staff, 22% adviser/professional staff, 29% manager level, and 5% director level staff. Table 3: Response by Job Category Employee Category Frequency Percentage (%) Administrative Assistant 18 14 Programme staff 37 29 Adviser/Professional 29 22 Manager 37 29 Director 6 5 Total 127 100 4.2.3 Response by Number of Staff Supervised During the study, it was found out that staffs responsible for key performance results in this sector do not necessarily have other employees reporting to them due to the nature of the organization structures applied or the way work arrangements are designed with outsourcing being a key element. Those without internal supervisory responsibilities but responsible for key result areas were reported to have quality assurance, oversight or technical backstopping responsibilities over outsourced activities. As shown on figure 3, 33% of the respondents reported that they had no direct supervisory responsibilities, 21% supervised more than five employees while another 23% supervised three to five employees and another 5% more than 5 employees. Female 47% Male 53% http://www.ajpojournals.org/ European Journal of Human Resource ISSN 2520-4697 (Online) Vol.1, Issue 1 No.1, pp26-50, 2017 www.ajpojournals.org 35 Figure 3 Number of Staff Supervise 4.2.4 Response by Period Worked with Current Employer In terms of length of service (table 4), 37% of the respondents indicated that they have worked for the current organization for a period not exceeding two years, 28% for up to four years, 22% for up to 6 years while only 12% had worked with the same organization for a period in excess of six years. This finding is in line with the project based nature of employment in the NGO sector where employment duration is tied to project or funding cycles (NGO Bureau, 1999). Table 0: Response by Period Worked With Current Employer Period worked Frequency Percentage (%) 0-2 years 49 37 3-4 years 36 28 5-6 years 29 22 7-8 years 4 3 9-10 years 5 4 10 or more years 8 6 Total 131 100 4.2.5 Response by Age Figure 4 shows the age distribution in the sample size. Five percent of the respondents were aged 25 years or less, 29% were aged between 26-30 years, 40% between 31-40 years, 19% between 41-50 and 7 percentages between 51-60 years. 5 and above 23% None or indirect 33% 3-5 employees 23% 1-3 employess 21% http://www.ajpojournals.org/ European Journal of Human Resource ISSN 2520-4697 (Online) Vol.1, Issue 1 No.1, pp26-50, 2017 www.ajpojournals.org 36 Figure 4: Response by Age 4.2.6 Response by Level of Education Majority of the respondents (46 %) were either first degree holders or hold professional qualifications; 34% hold a post graduate degree; 18% are diploma holders and two percent were of secondary education level. Figure 5: Response by Level of Education 4.2.7 Response by Type of Employment As shown in figure 5 majority of the respondents (83%) were employed on term contract basis while 17% had open ended contracts. This employment practice would appear to be in line with the project nature of work in the development sector (Lewis & Kanji, 2009). 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 25 or less years 26-30 years 31-40 years 41-50 years 51-60 years YEARS Secondary school Diploma Post graduate (Masters) 34% 2% 18% Degree/Professional qualification 46% Fr eq u en cy ( % ) http://www.ajpojournals.org/ European Journal of Human Resource ISSN 2520-4697 (Online) Vol.1, Issue 1 No.1, pp26-50, 2017 www.ajpojournals.org 37 Figure 6: Response by Type of Employment Results shows that project and management level staff (25.4% and 24.6% respectively comprised of the highest number of employees employed on contract terms. 4.3 Descriptive Statistics Procedural justice refers to employees‟ perceptions of fairness in the means and processes used to determine the amount and distribution of resources (Saks, 2006). Higher perceptions of procedural justice by employees are more likely to reciprocate with greater organizational commitment and an employees‟ positive evaluation of their supervisor (McFarlin & Sweeney, 1992). Table 5: Perceptions on Procedural Justice Procedural Justice Very little extent (%) Little extent (%) Some extent (%) Great extent (%) Very great extent (%) Total (%) Able to express views and feelings during decision implementation 9 14 32 35 10 100 Able to influence decision outcomes 15 20 37 18 10 100 Procedures applied consistently 9 19 41 26 5 100 Procedures been free of bias 12 12 44 26 6 100 Procedures based on accurate information 10 14 43 28 5 100 Able to appeal the outcome arrived 30 23 25 20 2 100 Procedures uphold 10 12 35 31 12 100 Average % 14 16 37 26 7 100 Majority of the respondents perceptions on procedural justice fall under the “to some extent” level of agreement. As shown on table 4.13, 32% indicated that they have been able to contribute in the decision implementation, 37% have been able to influence decision outcomes, 41% of the respondents agreed that to some extent, procedures are applied consistently; procedures are free of bias (44%), procedures are based on accurate information Open ended contract 17% Fixed contract 83% http://www.ajpojournals.org/ European Journal of Human Resource ISSN 2520-4697 (Online) Vol.1, Issue 1 No.1, pp26-50, 2017 www.ajpojournals.org 38 (43%) and the procedures upheld work place ethical and moral standards (35%). However, majority of respondents (30%) reported that they are only able to appeal the outcome arrived at by those procedures to a very little extent. These findings show that employee justice perceptions also depend on the organization‟s adherence to procedural justice rules (Leventhal, 1980; Thibaut & Walker, 1978). 4.4 Inferential Statistics 4.4.1 Influence of Procedural Justice Perceptions on Affective Commitment The study assessed the influence of procedural justice perception on affective commitment. The study employed the use of linear regression model to ascertain this relationship. The findings are given below. Table 6: Model Summary-Procedural Justice on Affective Commitment Model R R Square Adjusted R Square Std. Error of the Estimate 1 .339 .115 .106 .927 a. Predictors: (Constant), b. Dependent Variable: Affective commitment Index The statistic, F = 2.185, p< 0.05 indicates that procedural justice perceptions is a good predictor of variations in affective commitment. The coefficient of determination explains the percentage of variation in the dependent variable that is explained by unit change in the dependent variable. The linear regression model result showed indicated that that 11.5% % change of affective commitment is explained procedural justice perceptions. Table 7: ANOVA- Procedural Justice on Affective Commitment http://www.ajpojournals.org/ European Journal of Human Resource ISSN 2520-4697 (Online) Vol.1, Issue 1 No.1, pp26-50, 2017 www.ajpojournals.org 39 Model Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig. Regression 13.147 7 1.878 2.185 .040 Residual 101.410 118 .859 Total 114.557 125 a. Dependent Variable: Affective Commitment Index b. Predictors: (Constant), ethical and moral standards, influence outcome, procedures consistency, outcome arrived, express views and feelings, procedures accuracy, procedures free of bias, Table 8: Coefficient- Procedural Justice Affective Commitment Model Unstandardized Coefficients Standardized Coefficients t Sig. Collinearity Statistics B Std. Error Beta Tolerance VIF (Constant) 1.381 .302 4.570 .000 Express .121 feelings .127 .138 .949 .034 .356 2.807 Outcome -.016 arrived .118 -.020 -.138 .891 .367 2.728 Procedures .136 consistency .131 .143 1.039 .030 .394 2.537 Procedures -.009 free of bias .159 -.010 -.055 .956 .249 4.024 Procedures -.078 accuracy .164 -.083 -.477 .634 .250 3.997 Outcome .040 arrived .081 .049 .493 .623 .763 1.311 Ethical and .159 .121 .184 1.317 .019 .384 moral standards a. Dependent Variable: Affective Commitment Index 2.605 http://www.ajpojournals.org/ European Journal of Human Resource ISSN 2520-4697 (Online) Vol.1, Issue 1 No.1, pp26-50, 2017 www.ajpojournals.org 40 The results of the regression model revealed that, express feelings, procedures, consistency and ethical and moral standards had a significant relationship with affective commitment. This can be shown by the p<0.05. the remaining constructs had an insignificant relationship with affective commitment since their p-value was >0.05. The findings of this study are consistent with those of Leventhal (1980) who proposed six criteria for a procedure to be perceived as fair. These include consistency, bias suppression, and accuracy of information in decision making, correctability, representativeness and ethicality based on conformity to personal ethical or moral values. Wiesenfeld et al., (2007), also added bias suppression, accuracy and overall fairness as the defining criteria for procedural justice. According to Thibaut and Walker (1975) procedural justice theory, the amount of control people influenced over decisions and processes their perceptions of fairness. According to Thibaut and Walker (1975) fair procedures are valuable because they allow individuals‟ control over outcomes. 4.4.2 Influence of Procedural Justice Perceptions on Continuance Commitment The study further assessed the relationship between procedural justice perception and continuance commitment. The results for regressions model used are given below. Table 9: Model Summary-Procedural Justice on Continuance Commitment Model R R Square Adjusted R Square Std. Error of the Estimate 1 .238a .057 .001 1.016 a. Predictors: (Constant), ethical and moral standards, influence outcome, procedures consistency, outcome arrived, express views and feelings, procedures accuracy, procedures free of bias, b. Dependent Variable: Continuance Commitment Index The statistic, F = 2.185, p> 0.427 indicates that procedural justice perceptions is not a good predictor of variations in continuance commitment. The coefficient of determination explains the percentage of variation in the dependent variable that is explained by unit change in the dependent variable. The model summary results revealed that procedural justice perceptions account for 5.7% of the variations in continuance commitment. http://www.ajpojournals.org/ European Journal of Human Resource ISSN 2520-4697 (Online) Vol.1, Issue 1 No.1, pp26-50, 2017 www.ajpojournals.org 41 Table 10: ANOVA- Procedural Justice on Continuance Commitment Model Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig. 1 Regression 7.297 7 1.042 1.011 .427b Residual 121.697 118 1.031 Total 128.994 125 a. Dependent Variable: : Continuance Commitment Index b. Predictors: (Constant), ethical and moral standards, influence outcome, procedures consistency, outcome arrived, express views and feelings, Procedures accuracy, procedures free of bias, http://www.ajpojournals.org/ European Journal of Human Resource ISSN 2520-4697 (Online) Vol.1, Issue 1 No.1, pp26-50, 2017 www.ajpojournals.org 42 Table 11: Coefficients-Procedural Justice on Continuance Commitment Model Unstandardized Coefficients Standardized Coefficients t Sig. Collinearity Statistics B Std. Error Beta Tolerance VIF (Constant) 1.732 .331 5.232 .000 Express views and feelings, -.154 .139 -.166 - 1.106 .271 .356 2.807 Influence outcome .021 .129 .024 .165 .869 .367 2.728 Procedures consistency -.052 .144 -.052 -.363 .717 .394 2.537 Procedures free of bias, .149 .175 .153 .854 .395 .249 4.024 Procedures accuracy, -.037 .180 -.037 -.204 .839 .250 3.997 Outcome arrived .117 .088 .136 1.326 .187 .763 1.311 Ethical and moral standards, .142 .132 .155 1.071 .287 .384 2.605 a. Dependent Variable: Continuance Index The findings showed that all the variables under procedural justice perception had insignificant relationship with continuance commitment. The findings of this study contradict those of Leventhal (1980) who proposed six criteria for a procedure to be perceived as fair. These include consistency, bias suppression, and accuracy of information in decision making, correctability, representativeness and ethicality based on conformity to personal ethical or moral values. Wiesenfeld et al., (2007), also added bias suppression, accuracy and overall fairness as the defining criteria for procedural justice. http://www.ajpojournals.org/ European Journal of Human Resource ISSN 2520-4697 (Online) Vol.1, Issue 1 No.1, pp26-50, 2017 www.ajpojournals.org 43 4.4.3 Influence of Procedural Justice Perceptions on Normative Commitment Finally, the study sought to find the relationship between procedural justice perception and normative commitment. The study sought to find out whether the variables under procedural independently influenced normative commitment. Table 12: Model Summary-Procedural Justice on Normative Commitment Model R R Square Adjusted R Square Std. Error of the Estimate 1 .540a .292 .249 .708 a. Predictors: (Constant), ethical and moral standards, influence outcome, procedures consistency, outcome arrived, express views and feelings, procedures accuracy, procedures free of bias, b. Dependent Variable: Normative Commitment Index The findings in the model summary revealed that procedural justice perception constructs accounted for 29.2% of the variation in normative commitment. The results of F-statistics given in Table 13 further indicate that procedural justice perception constructs are good predictors of normative commitment given of p<0.05. Table 13: ANOVA- Procedural Justice on Normative Commitment Model Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig. 1 Regression 23.995 7 3.428 6.830 .000b Residual 58.220 116 .502 Total 82.215 123 a. Dependent Variable: Normative Commitment Index b. Predictors: (Constant), ethical and moral standards, influence outcome, procedures consistency, outcome arrived, express views and feelings, Procedures accuracy, procedures free of bias, http://www.ajpojournals.org/ European Journal of Human Resource ISSN 2520-4697 (Online) Vol.1, Issue 1 No.1, pp26-50, 2017 www.ajpojournals.org 44 Table 14: Coefficients-Procedural Justice on Normative Commitment Model Unstandardized Coefficients Standardized Coefficients t Sig. Collinearity Statistics B Std. Error Beta Tolerance VIF (Constant) 1.669 .233 7.173 .000 Express views and feelings -.198 .100 -.262 - 1.985 .050 .351 2.847 Influence outcome .210 .091 .297 2.309 .023 .369 2.709 Procedures consistency .319 .102 .397 3.126 .002 .379 2.637 Procedures free of bias -.204 .122 -.260 - 1.668 .098 .251 3.988 Procedures accuracy -.050 .126 -.062 -.398 .691 .253 3.951 Outcome arrived .090 .063 .129 1.444 .152 .759 1.318 Ethical and moral standards .252 .093 .344 2.700 .008 .377 2.652 The findings of the regression model above indicate that Express views and feelings, Influence outcome, Ethical and moral and Procedures consistency were found to have a positive and significant relationship with normative commitment. These constructs had a p- value of less than 0.05. The finding further revealed that Procedures accuracy, Outcome arrived and Procedures free of bias were found to have an insignificant relationship with normative commitment. The findings of this study concur with those of Leventhal (1980) who proposed six criteria for a procedure to be perceived as fair. These include consistency, bias suppression, and accuracy of information in decision making, correctability, representativeness and ethicality based on conformity to personal ethical or moral values. Wiesenfeld et al., (2007), also added bias suppression, accuracy and overall fairness as the defining criteria for procedural justice. http://www.ajpojournals.org/ European Journal of Human Resource ISSN 2520-4697 (Online) Vol.1, Issue 1 No.1, pp26-50, 2017 www.ajpojournals.org 45 4.4.4 Overall Influence of Procedural Justice Perception on Organisational Commitment The overall regression model was conducted to test the overall influence of procedural justice perception on organisational commitment. The results of the overall model are presented and discussed below. Table 15: Overall Model Summary Model Summary R .366a R Square 0.134 Adjusted R Square 0.127 Std. Error of the Estimate 0.56506 F-Statistics 19.692 (p=0.000) The model summary result indicates that procedural justice perception accounted for 12.7% of the variation in organisational commitment. The findings of ANOVA further revealed that the model adapted to link procedural justice perception and organisational commitment was statistically significant (F=19.692, p=0.000). The findings imply that procedural justice perceptions are good predictors of organisational commitment. Table 16: Overall Regression Coefficient B Std. Error Beta t Sig. (Constant) 2.037 0.173 11.789 0 Procedural Justice Percpetion 0.248 0.056 0.366 4.438 0 a Dependent Variable: overall Commitment The regression results show that, procedural justice perception had Beta value of 0.248 and p- value of 0.000. This value is less than the conventional value of 0.05 adopted in this study. Therefore, these results imply that procedural justice perception had a significant relationship with organisational commitment. The findings of this study concur with those of Leventhal (1980) who proposed six criteria for a procedure to be perceived as fair. These include consistency, bias suppression, and accuracy of information in decision making, correctability, representativeness and ethicality based on conformity to personal ethical or moral values. Wiesenfeld et al., (2007), also added bias suppression, accuracy and overall fairness as the defining criteria for procedural justice. 4.3.6 Hypothesis testing The null hypothesis being tested in this study was; H0: Perceptions of procedural justice have no statistically significant effect on employee commitment in health sector non-governmental organizations in Kenya. This hypothesis was rejected at level of significance of 0.05, which, http://www.ajpojournals.org/ European Journal of Human Resource ISSN 2520-4697 (Online) Vol.1, Issue 1 No.1, pp26-50, 2017 www.ajpojournals.org 46 therefore, imply that Perceptions of procedural justice have a statistically significant effect on employee commitment in health sector non-governmental organizations in Kenya. Therefore, the optimal model was; Organisational Commitment =2.037+0.248 (procedural justice perceptions) + ℮ 5.0 DISCUSSION CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 5.1 Discussion Procedural justice refers to an employee‟ perceptions of fairness in the means and processes used to determine the amount and distribution of resources (Saks, 2006). Higher perceptions of procedural justice by employees are more likely to reciprocate with greater organizational engagement and an employees‟ positive evaluation of their supervisor (McFarlin & Sweeney, 1992). The basic tenet of procedural justice – a voice in the development of an outcome - enhances the perceived fairness in the workplace independent of the effects of its implementation (Greenberg, 2002). An organization that provides knowledge to employees about procedures demonstrates regard for employees concerns. Decision-making processes that are unclear to employees violate procedural fairness and trust thereby damaging the employer-employee relationship. The study findings show that perceptions of procedural justice are more important than perceived distributive justice when explaining employees‟ organizational commitment. Procedural justice perceptions were shown to positively influence affective commitment and normative commitment. 5.2 Conclusions Based on the findings, the study concluded that procedural justice perceptions have a positive influence on affective commitment and normative commitment. 5.3 Recommendations The findings from the study showed that though positive, procedural justice has a low explanatory power on affective and normative commitment and none on continuance commitment. Procedural fairness perceptions were rated by respondents as average. The findings suggest that employees‟ commitment with an organization could be significantly increased by enhancing organizational fairness, particularly procedural justice. Managers and other leaders should therefore be aware that the fairness of procedures used in allocating rewards and the voice afforded employees in the allocation process are as important as the fairness of the allocation of rewards in improving level of employees‟ commitment in an organization. For organizational procedures to be perceived as fair, they should be applied consistently. Fair procedures should guarantee that like cases are treated alike. Secondly, those carrying out the procedures must be seen to be impartial and neutral. Unbiased decision-making should lead to a fair and accurate conclusion. Decision makers http://www.ajpojournals.org/ European Journal of Human Resource ISSN 2520-4697 (Online) Vol.1, Issue 1 No.1, pp26-50, 2017 www.ajpojournals.org 47 should be seen to want to treat people fairly and take the viewpoint and needs of interested parties into account. If employees trust the decision makers, they are more likely to view the decision-making process as fair. Thirdly, those directly affected by the decisions should have a voice and representation in the process. Having representation affirms the status of group members and inspires trust in the decision- making system. This is especially important for operational staff whose voices often go unheard. Finally, the processes that are implemented should be transparent. Decisions should be reached through open procedures, without secrecy or deception. Therefore, to increase employees‟ organizational commitment, NGO leaders and managers should first improve the procedural justice and hence increase overall levels of perceived justice by involving employees in the procedures used in making decisions and allocating rewards. 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