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Previous research demonstrates the link between corporate culture and organizational commitment. Given the potential differences in espoused corporate culture and its perception by employees, the purpose of this paper is to find an answer to the following question: how does employees' perception of company values affect their own commitment to that organization?

The authors conducted a survey to 216 business leaders, using three types of questionnaires to collect data: values, HR practices and commitment. They designed ad hoc the questionnaires on values and HR practices, and the last one follows Allen and Meyer's model. Hypotheses were tested by using correlations, regression analysis, structural equation modeling and comparisons of averages.

The results confirm the authors' hypothesis: a better adjustment between the perceived and the stated values has a positive relation with commitment. Particularly, people‐oriented values and ethical behavior are the ones that best predict affective commitment. The study verifies, also, that appropriate human resources practices greatly affect the perception of values.

The greater importance of affective dimension in organizational commitment, reinforced by ethical and people‐oriented values, makes clear the need for companies to pay real attention to this set of values beyond the simple formulation in the corporate culture. Therefore, companies should ensure there is congruence between human resources practices and values statements.

There are many previous research studies analyzing the link between corporate culture and commitment. This paper focuses on the existing gap between the espoused and the perceived values, finding that a better adjustment has a positive relation with organizational commitment.