Social and economic exchanges with the organization and employee work outcomes: a study in Turkish work context

Abstract

Purpose - Social Exchange Theory is one of the most influential concepts in organizational behavior literature. It provides a wide comprehension upon exchange dynamics both at an interpersonal and organizational level. This study presents and tests a framework that links the two different forms of employee–organization exchange, namely social exchange and economic exchange with important employee outcomes– affective commitment, in-role behavior, extra-role behavior and turnover intention. Methodology – The study was conducted in the province of Istanbul/Turkey, based on convenient sample of 195 participants from private organizations. Participants were contacted through snowball sampling technique via the researcher’s personal and professional contacts. For testing the hypotheses of the present study, simple regression and multiple regression analyses were utilized. Data obtained from the participants were analyzed through SPSS 22. Findings- . Results indicated that social exchange is positively related with affective commitment, in-role behavior, extra-role behavior and negatively related with turnover intention. On the other hand, economic exchange was found to be negatively related with affective commitment and turnover intention while positively related with in-role behavior. Economic exchange did not significantly predict extra-role behavior. This study has provided partly inconsistent results found in similar studies conducted in the Western work settings. Conclusion- The findings of the present research in the Turkish work settings seems to draw the attention to a need for further detailed studies on the specific relationships between social and economic exchange and important employee work outcomes. Theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.