Reciprocal and non-reciprocal employee–organization relationship: The mediating roles of felt obligation and workplace familism among collegiate coaches

Abstract

This study examined coaches’ perceived organizational support (POS) on their affective commitment and turnover intention and the role played by felt obligation (a reciprocal exchange) and workplace familism (a non-reciprocal exchange) on these work-related outcomes. Based on the stratified random sampling, a total of 333 full-time head coaches employed in athletic departments affiliated with the NCAA responded to a web-based survey. Results indicated that POS was positively associated with workplace familism and felt obligation, but it did not directly predict affective commitment. POS, felt obligation, and workplace familism collectively predicted 78.1% of the variances in affective commitment. Workplace familism and affective commitment were negatively associated with turnover intention, while felt obligation was not directly associated with turnover intention. The mediated effect of felt obligation and workplace familism reveals that both types of reciprocal and non-reciprocal exchanges matter for coaches. Although, when compared, the influence of workplace familism was stronger than felt obligation. The findings of this study provide a better understanding of how POS affects positive work-related outcomes in the context of collegiate athletics and offer practical implications for athletic programs to develop the senses of felt-obligation and work familism, which lead to better employee-organization relationship.