LOYALTY AS THE BRIDGE: EXAMINING THE MEDIATING ROLE OF EMPLOYEE LOYALTY IN THE COMMITMENT-PERFORMANCE RELATIONSHIP IN NIGERIAN FAST-FOOD OUTLETS

This study examines the mediating role of employee loyalty in the relationship between organizational commitment (affective, normative, and continuance) and task performance in Nigerian fast-food outlets. It seeks to determine whether commitment alone drives performance or whether loyalty serves as the critical psychological mechanism that translates commitment into improved employee outcomes. A quantitative research design was adopted using a census survey of 138 employees from selected fast-food outlets in Bida, Niger State, Nigeria. Data were collected through structured questionnaires measured on a 5-point Likert scale. The constructs of affective, normative, and continuance commitment, employee loyalty, and task performance were operationalized using validated scales. Data analysis was conducted using Variance-Based Structural Equation Modelling (VB-SEM) with SmartPLS 4.0, including measurement model validation, structural path analysis, and bootstrapping (5,000 resamples) to test mediation effects. The results reveal that affective commitment has the strongest positive effect on task performance, followed by normative commitment, while continuance commitment shows a weak and statistically insignificant direct effect. Employee loyalty exhibits the strongest direct influence on performance and significantly mediates the relationship between commitment dimensions and task performance. The findings confirm that commitment influences performance both directly and indirectly through loyalty, with affective commitment demonstrating the strongest mediated effect. The study is limited to a single geographic location (Bida, Niger State), which may affect generalizability. The cross-sectional design restricts causal inference, and reliance on self-reported data may introduce response bias. Future research should consider longitudinal designs, multi-sector analysis, and cross-country comparisons to enhance robustness and external validity. This study contributes to the literature by repositioning employee loyalty as a critical mediating mechanism that transforms organizational commitment into measurable performance outcomes. It provides empirical evidence from Nigeria’s under-researched fast-food sector and extends existing commitment-performance frameworks by integrating loyalty as a behavioural transmission channel.