Analyzing The Role Of Perceived Organizational Justice In Strengthening Organizational Commitment Among Employees Of Small And Medium-Sized Enterprises In Iran

In small enterprises, organizational commitment holds substantial significance, since these businesses tend to depend more on the loyalty, responsibility, and motivation of employees due to constraints in human and financial resources, unlike larger organizations. Employees who exhibit strong commitment contribute significantly to productivity by demonstrating increased effort, enhanced flexibility, and a reduced desire to leave the organization. This commitment also fosters cooperation among staff, diminishes conflicts within the organization, and cultivates workforce stability, all of which are vital for the sustainability, growth, and competitive edge of small enterprises. This study focused on examining how perceived organizational justice influences organizational commitment among employees working in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Iran. The research employed a descriptive–correlational design and was applied in purpose. The target population included all employees within Iranian SMEs, with a sample of 189 individuals chosen through simple random sampling from an accessible sampling frame. Data was gathered by utilizing the Organizational Justice Questionnaire created by Cohen-Charash and Spector (2001) and the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire formulated by Allen and Meyer (1991). The reliability of these questionnaires was confirmed with satisfactory Cronbach’s alpha coefficients. The Kolmogorov–Smirnov test was used to assess and confirm the normality of the data. Results from multiple regression analysis revealed a positive and statistically significant correlation between organizational justice and organizational commitment at the 0.05 significance level (r = 0.687 for interactional justice, r = 0.604 for informational justice, r = 0.312 for procedural justice, and r = 0.315 for distributive justice). Notably, interactional justice yielded the highest impact (β = 0.593), while distributive justice produced the lowest effect (β = −0.186). These results imply that bolstering organizational justice—especially interactional justice—has the potential to improve organizational commitment among SME employees, aligning with the conclusions drawn by Colquitt (2001).