The Influence of Target Specific Collectivism on Organizational Commitment, and Extra-role Behavior: In Case of Emerging Markets

This study investigated the effect of target specific collectivism on organizational outcomes of Korean, Thailand, and Malaysian samples. We measured an individual’s collectivism in relation to two target groups of supervisor and colleague. The relationship between target specific collectivism and organizational outcomes varied among three emerging nations. Supervisor and colleague collectivism had a positive association with organizational commitment in Korea, but not in Malaysia and Thailand. Colleaguecollectivism was more important predictor of extra-role behavior in Korea and Malaysia than in Thailand. Despite some limitations, this paper shows that the target group collectivism is an important dimension to explain and predict organizational outcomes. Some implications and future studies were suggested.