Relationship of liking and social exchange to supervisor-directed organizational citizenship behavior in the Arabian Gulf

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper was to explore the relationship among liking, social exchange and supervisor-directed organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Design/methodology/approach Employees and their supervisors were surveyed to obtain data from 202 subordinates and 33 supervisors. Findings Results indicated that liking is positively related to social exchange and supervisor-directed OCB. Contrary to expectations, social exchange did not partially mediate the relationship between liking and citizenship. Research limitations/implications A limitation of the study is that it was correlational. The lack of support for mediating effect of social exchange suggests the need for further research with data collected from different sources. Practical implications Liking has positive effects on both social exchange relationship and supervisor-directed OCB. Trust is an important element of social exchange. Liking may be an independent source of influence on supervisor-directed OCB. Social implications Liking, an affective variable, may be an important influence in organizational behavior. It represents positive organizational behavior which is currently generating significant scholarly attention. Originality/value This study was conducted in the Sultanate of Oman, an Arabian Gulf country. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first such study done in the region. In this study, the authors include trust as a representative of the quality of relationship between supervisor and subordinates. Unlike leader–member exchange (LMX), trust has rarely been related to liking in previous studies. Study tests for social exchange (including supervisory trust) as a mediator of the relationship between liking and supervisor-directed OCB.