AbstractMatched data collected from 143 employees and their immediate supervisors of a private sector organization indicated that employee perceptions of procedural justice were only related to supervisor‐rated affective commitment among employees with a strong exchange ideology. That is, individuals motivated by a fair exchange exhibited fewer affective commitment behaviors when they viewed the environment as unfair than when they perceived it to be fair. Individuals comparatively indifferent to a fair exchange did not alter their affective commitment behaviors regardless of the level of perceived environmental fairness. These results illustrate the importance of considering individual differences in exchange ideology when attempting to alter the work environment for the purpose of increasing commitment. Implications for research and management practice are presented. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.