| Abstract
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The non-NGO literature provides evidence that employees' perceptions about their organization's support of them influences their commitment to their organization. NGOs, which have an increasing presence in the developing countries, have not been a target for this type of organizational research. As NGOs generally depend on international aid agencies for financial resources and local communities for carrying out program interventions, their work culture is different from other sectors. Therefore, research was needed to understand this important issue in the NGO sector. This cross-sectional study was based in the Aga Khan Health Service Pakistan, Northern Areas (a health NGO) in Pakistan to examine the relationship between employees' perceived organizational support (POS) and their organizational commitment. It also examined the effects of their perceptions about organizational fairness, supervisor support and job conditions (both intrinsically satisfying and extrinsically satisfying) on POS. The current organizational commitment literature guided the design of the survey tool. Focus group discussions were carried out at the Health And Nutrition Development Society, another health NGO in Pakistan, to identify NGO and developing country specific items for inclusion in the survey tool. A total of 249 employees participated in the study, yielding a response rate of 96%. Factor analysis of the survey items indicated that the current scales used for measuring the study variables in the non-NGO sector were valid for the NGO sector as well. In addition, three new variables, namely female supportiveness, personal supportiveness and favourableness of work conditions were identified and included in the analysis. Consistent with the literature, findings revealed that POS was significantly related with organizational commitment. Also, organizational fairness, supervisor support, extrinsically satisfying job conditions, female and personal supportiveness were significantly related with POS. The study indicated that the organizational actions which affected employees' POS in the non-NGO sector were important for the NGO sector employees as well. Some job conditions, such as female supportiveness and personal supportiveness, which are generally ignored in the developing countries on the pre-text of limited resources and lack of organizational capacity to address them, were also found to be important in influencing NGO employees' POS.
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