ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Health Policy
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1685420
The impact of organizational commitment on job performance in primary healthcare: A motivation internalization perspective
Provisionally accepted
- 1Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China
- 2Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China
- 3Shandong University, Jinan, China
- 4Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
- 5Shandong First Medical University, Tai'an, China
- 6University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
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Primary healthcare workers (PHCWs) are crucial to the healthcare system, as they directly impact the delivery of essential health services. Their job performance is influenced by various types of organizational commitment, but the effects of these commitments are not fully understood. This study aims to explore how four types of organizational commitment (affective, normative, economic, and opportunity) affect job performance among PHCWs, using Self-Determination Theory to examine motivation internalization as a mediating factor. A cross-sectional survey of 870 PHCWs from 38 primary healthcare institutions was conducted. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to explore the relationships between commitment types, motivation internalization, and job performance. Affective and normative commitments positively predicted job performance, with motivation This is a provisional file, not the final typeset article internalization partially mediating this relationship. Opportunity commitment negatively predicted job performance, mediated by reduced motivation internalization. Economic commitment showed no significant effect on either motivation internalization or job performance. The impact of organizational commitment on job performance is shaped by its motivational quality. Strengthening affective and normative commitments through supportive incentive strategies can enhance PHCWs' performance in primary healthcare settings.
Keywords: organizational commitment, job performance, motivation internalization, primaryhealthcare workers, self-determination theory
Received: 13 Aug 2025; Accepted: 18 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhao, Wang, Luo, Mi, Wang, Ma and Wei. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Ying Wang, yingwang_2016@163.com
Huifen Ma, mahuifen21@126.com
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