Perceived supervisor support climate, perceived investment in employee development climate, and business‐unit performance

Abstract

AbstractPerceived supervisor support (PSS) has been found to predict employee in‐role and extra‐role performance at the individual level of analysis. With respect to the unit level of analysis, the research on the predictive role of PSS remains limited. In particular, calls have been made for research on the role of leadership in facilitating perceived HR practices at the business‐unit level and on the role of line managers as implementers of such systems. In response to such calls, this study investigated the associations between PSS climate, perceived investment in employee development (PIED) climate, and business‐unit performance among 75 gas stations located in Norway. The results showed that the PSS climate was positively related to both the PIED climate and the business‐unit performance. This study contributes to research on PSS by extending the prior findings at the individual level to the unit level of analysis. Also, the study contributes to the research on perceived HR practices by demonstrating the facilitative role of the PSS climate. Finally, the study contributes to the research on shared perceptions of HR practices generally and the concept of the “strength” of the HRM system in particular. Implications for practice and future research are discussed. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.