University Teachers Affectively Commited Totheir Institutions: The “Commitment to Work”Rooted in the Sense of Fairness

208 teachers from two Portuguese Universities and two Polytechnicshave described their perceptions of fairness as well as their levels ofaffective commitment to the institutions where they work. The resultssuggest that the teachers with a greater sense of “commitment to work”are the ones who believe that: a) the decision-making and promotionprocedures are impartial and fair; b) they are treated with dignity andrespect by their superiors. The fairness as regards the distribution of tasksand rewards doesn’t influence that sense of emotional identification withthe organization. This evidence shows the need of changing theprocedures of decision-making and relationship between the differenthierarchical ranks in order for the teachers to achieve higher levels ofaffective commitment to their institutions. This subject needs specialattention since industrial/organizational psychology has been highlightingthe effect of that commitment on a wide variety of attitudes andbehaviours, which are relevant from an organizational point of view. Whoknows if the pathway that was suggested here will not represent an usefulway (another one) towards the improvements in the so “strategically”disseminated quality in higher education?!