PurposeDrawing from tripartite theory of attitude, this study examined whether interaction effect of psychological ownership (cognitive component) changes the nature of the relationship between job satisfaction (affect component) and job performance (behavioral component) toward a higher or weaker relationship. Furthermore, the study draws from psychological ownership theory to find support whether job satisfaction is nurtured by the feeling of psychological ownership.Design/methodology/approachLongitudinal data from 211 academic and non-academic employees was randomly collected and partial least square-structural equation model (PLS-SEM) was used for data analysis through SmartPLS version 3.3.2.FindingsThe study found a positive interaction effect of psychological ownership on the relationship between job satisfaction and job performance. Furthermore, the study found that feeling of psychological ownership nurtures employees' satisfaction with their job.Practical implicationsThe findings of the study explicate to human resource managers and practitioners the mechanism through which job satisfaction affects job performance and how feelings of psychological ownership nurtures employees' satisfaction with their job.Originality/valueThe study provides new insight into the relationship between job satisfaction and job performance by drawing on the tripartite theory of attitude perspective, and concluded that job performance as overall employee attitude toward the organization is predicted by the interaction and interplay of job satisfaction, psychological ownership and job performance as components of attitude. To the authors’ best knowledge, none of the previous literatures on job satisfaction–job performance relationship draws its conclusions from the perspective of tripartite theory of attitude. Furthermore, the study found empirical evidences that psychological ownership nurtures employees' job satisfaction.