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The constructive comments of W. Gary Wagner, Barry M. Staw, and anonymous ASO reviewers are gratefully acknowledged. The effects of postdecisional justifications on the job satisfaction and commitment of new employees were investigated. One hundred and eight M.B.A.'s were questioned about their job choice immediately after making the decision and then again six months later. Turnover data were collected after 24 months. Results showed that individuals who had made the original decision volitionally, that is, from among a number of offers and free from external constraints, and who had perceived the choice to be irrevocable were more satisfied and committed six months later than others. The perceived irrevocability of the choice and behavioral commitment were also negatively related to turnover after two years. Interaction effects between the sufficiency of the original justification and job alternatives was associated with diminished job satisfaction and commitmentfor insufficiently justified respondents. Overall, the results of this investigation are interpreted as consistent with the view that attitudes and commitment may be created retrospectively through processes of rationalization and justification.

The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Blake Frank for his help in obtaining the turnover data for this study and the University of California Institute of Industrial Relations for research support. Using 20 actual work units with 79 respondents, this study explores the relationships among group demography, social integration of the group, and individual turnover. Results suggest that heterogeneity in group tenure is associated with lower levels of group social integration which, in turn, is negatively associated with individual turnover. Models of these effects using individual-level integration measures are not significant. Further, the results suggest that it is the more distant group members who are more likely to leave. Both individual-level and group-level age demography directly affect turnover and are not moderated by social integration. The findings suggest a process by which group demography affects outcomes and support the usefulness of organizational demography for understanding group and individual functioning.'