How Organizational Climate Shapes Job Satisfaction: The Mediating Role of Organizational Commitment in the Public Sector

Employee attitudes in public organizations are shaped not only by formal structures but also by how employees perceive their work environment and attachment to the institution. This study examines whether organizational commitment transmits the association between organizational climate and job satisfaction among employees of the Plantation and Horticulture Office of Southeast Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. A quantitative cross-sectional census survey involved all 61 employees, and the proposed mediation model was analyzed using SmartPLS 4. Organizational climate was positively associated with job satisfaction (β = 0.395, t = 4.696, p < 0.001) and organizational commitment (β = 0.890, t = 26.402, p < 0.001). Organizational commitment was positively associated with job satisfaction (β = 0.567, t = 6.691, p < 0.001). The indirect effect of organizational climate on job satisfaction through organizational commitment was also significant (β = 0.504, t = 6.226, p < 0.001), indicating complementary partial mediation. The study contributes by positioning organizational commitment as an attitudinal transmission mechanism linking perceived organizational climate to job satisfaction in a local-government setting. The findings suggest that supportive leadership, trust, participative decision making, honest interaction, and communication should be managed together with initiatives that strengthen employees’ institutional attachment.