Social Exchange Relationships Research Articles

The Auditor-Audit Firm Relationship and Its Effect on Burnout and Turnover Intention

SYNOPSIS: Auditor burnout is an important issue in public accounting, as burnout has negative consequences for both the auditor and the audit firm. We examine how social-exchange relationships between auditors and their firm affect auditor burnout and turnover intention. Using a sample of 204 auditors at two accounting firms, we find that perceived fair treatment by the firm predicts perceived support from the firm, and perceived support predicts auditor commitment to the firm. We find that commitment is negatively related to auditor burnout and turnover intention and burnout is positively related to turnover intention. We also find that perceived firm fairness is directly associated with reduced levels of auditor burnout and turnover intention. The results underscore the important role that organizational fairness plays in engendering a social-exchange relationship between auditors and their firm, leading to reduced levels of burnout and turnover intention, benefitting both the auditor and the firm. Data Availability: Please contact the first author.

‘No strings attached?’: How attribution of disinterested support affects employee retention

Appearance of disinterestedness is a social norm that has long been recognised by social scientists as essential to the development of social exchange relationships. Despite the predominance of social exchange theory within the field of management, management scholars have so far largely overlooked the role of this norm in their models. This study aims to fill this gap by investigating how employees' attribution of disinterested organisational support (i.e. support perceived by employees as not resulting from an underlying calculation) is related to employee retention. The hypotheses were tested in a longitudinal study of 151 management‐level employees. Results showed that perceptions of disinterested support decrease employee voluntary turnover through enhancing perceptions of organisational support and organisational commitment, and lessening turnover intention.

The Action Mechanism of Social Exchange Relationship Perception on Organizational Citizenship Behavior: An Empirical Study in China

Starting from the exchange relationship and according to the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) model in dynamic psychology, this paper builds an action mechanism model of social exchange relationship and organizational citizenship behavior, taking the staff as the carrier, from the perspective of individual perception. Empirical studies show that affective job satisfaction has a steady and strong intermediary effect. Accordingly, the author proposes relevant suggestions for business management and practice.

Training of temporary workers and the social exchange process

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze the role of training to explain affective commitment and exhaustion of temporary agency workers (TAW). There is a general assumption that training relates with a social exchange relationship where employees exchange positive outcomes, not only with inducements received by training but also with the expectation of prospective inducements that will emerge from the fulfilment of promises made by the organization.Design/methodology/approachThe hypotheses were tested on a sample of 393 Portuguese blue‐collar TAW using structural equation modeling.FindingsThe hypotheses were supported. Training was positively related to workers' affective commitment and negatively to workers' exhaustion. Psychological contract fulfilment partially mediated these relationships.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is limited due to the nature of the sample (TAW in industrial sector with similar training opportunities as permanent workers) and the lack of longitudinal design. Neither does it provide implications for other types of commitment that may be relevant for TAW (continuance commitment, for example).Practical implicationsAn important implication of this research is that employers should not assume that training is an investment without return from TAW. Developmental opportunities, while important to all employees, were positively related to TAW' affective commitment towards the organization and negatively to TAW' exhaustion.Originality/valueThe findings highlighted the importance of training in developing positive employment relationships with TAW and the role of psychological contract fulfilment as a mechanism that contributes to explain such relationship.

Economic and social leader–member exchange relationships and follower performance

This exploratory study investigated the link between economic and social leader–member exchange relationships and follower work performance and organizational citizenship behavior. Instead of viewing exchange relationships between leaders and subordinates on a continuum from low to high quality, we conceptualize social and economic exchange relationships as relationships with different qualities, rather than different levels of quality. Data from 552 followers and 78 leaders supported our two-dimensional model of leader–member exchange relationships. Furthermore, an economic leader–member exchange relationship was negatively related to both work performance and organizational citizenship behavior. As expected, positive relationships were obtained for a social leader–member exchange relationship and work performance and organizational citizenship behavior. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Not all aggressions are created equal: A multifoci approach to workplace aggression.

Types of perpetrators of workplace aggression can vary considerably, and recent research has demonstrated that aggression from different perpetrator categories has different implications for victims. We extended research on multifoci aggression and explored affective and cognitive pathways linking verbal aggression from four perpetrator types--supervisors, coworkers, customers, and significant others--and employee morale and turnover intention. Data from a sample of 446 working adults indicated that both emotional strain and employees' corresponding judgments of their social exchange relationships with these perpetrators served as the mechanisms for the association between aggression from supervisors, coworkers, and customers and morale and turnover intention. Coworker aggression had a direct association with turnover intention and significant other aggression was related to turnover intention only through emotional strain. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

組織内自尊感情と従業員Well-Beingとの関連

This study aimed to investigate the influence of organization-based self-esteem (OBSE) on employee well-being in the macro context of the social exchange relationship between employee and organization. We recruited participants by using an Internet research company with a research panel of approximately one million members nationwide. A web-based questionnaire survey was conducted, and 1,127 responses were collected [employees from a variety of organizations, 49.1% female, mean age 39.58 (SD=10.4, range 20-60), mean tenure 10.96 years (SD=9.75, range 0-41), 65.3% non-managers]. OBSE, perceived organizational support (POS), perceived supervisor support (PSS), and employee well-being, consisting of work engagement (WE), depressive symptoms (DE), and somatic complaints (SO) were measured. Structural equation modeling (SEM) demonstrated that POS was positively related to OBSE, and in turn OBSE was positively related to WE and negatively related to DE and SO. In addition, POS was directly related to WE. SEM also indicated that POS fully mediated the relationship between PSS and OBSE. This study constitutes preliminary work demonstrating a positive effect of OBSE on employee well-being in the context of social exchange in the employee-organization relationship. Longitudinal studies are required in order to gain better knowledge of the causal relationships among the variables in this study.

The moderating impact of Hofstede's cultural dimensions on the relationship between organisational justice and organisational citizenship behaviours: a study in Pakistani work context

The relationships among employee’s work related variables, cultural variables and OCBs are investigated in Pakistani work setting. The study sought to extend the literature by investigating whether individual differences in employees’ cultural value orientations effect the organisational justice-OCB relationships. Based on Hofstede’s (1980) cultural values framework the dimensions of individualism/collectivism and power distance were hypothesised as moderators of social exchange relationship between employee’s perception of organisational justice and OCB. Results demonstrate that organisational justice (distributive and interactional) is strongly related to citizenship behaviour for employees who endorse individualistic orientations. The moderating influence of power distance orientation was not found for the relationship between justice and citizenship behaviour. Findings of the study are discussed in terms of generalisability of citizenship behaviour and its relation to organisational justice and cultural context.

호텔컨벤션 직원의 조직후원인식이 임파워먼트 및 조직몰입에 미치는 영향

본 연구는 사회적 교환 관계의 관점에서 호텔컨벤션 직원이 인지하는 조직후원인식이 임파워먼트 및 조직몰입에 미치는 영향에 대해 실증적으로 분석하였다. 본 연구의 결과를 요약하면 다음과 같다. 먼저, 호텔컨벤션 직원이 인식하는 조직후원인식이 임파워먼트에 미치는 영향에서 가설1-1과 가설1-2를 검증한 결과, 수단적 후원은 의미감 및 역량에 유의한 영향을 미치지 않는 것으로 나타났고, 수단적 후원은 영향력에 유의한 정(+)의 영향을 미치는 것으로 분석되었다. 한편 가설1-3과 가설1-4를 검증한 결과, 정서적 후원은 의미감 및 역량 요인과 영향력 요인 모두에 유의한 정(+)의 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 다음으로 임파워먼트가 조직몰입에 미치는 영향에서 가설2를 검증한 결과, 임파워먼트의 하위개념인 의미감 및 역량 요인과 영향력 요인이 조직몰입에 유의한 정(+)의 영향을 미치는 것으로 분석되었다. 마지막으로 가설3을 검증한 결과, 수단적 후원은 조직몰입에 유의한 정(+)의 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타난 반면, 정서적 후원은 조직몰입에 유의한 영향을 미치지 않는 것으로 나타났다. This study investigates effect of perceived organizational support which recognized by hotel convention employee on empowerment and organizational commitment from a social exchange relationship point of view. The major findings of this study were follows. First, the result of verification, effect of perceived organizational support which recognized by hotel convention employee, the hypothesis 1-1 and the hypothesis 1-2, operational support, the operational support had no significant effect on meaning, competence factor and effective factor. on the other hand the result of verification the hypothesis 1-3 and the hypothesis 1-4, the emotional support was found to have significantly positive effect on meaning, competence factor and effective factor. furthermore, by analysing the hypothesis 2, which states that the impact of empowerment on organizational commitment, the meaning, competence factor and effective factor as subset of empowerment had significantly positive effect on organizational commitment. finally by analysing the hypothesis 3, the operational support was found to have positive effect on organizational commitment, but emotional support had no significant effect on organizational commitment.

How Do Chinese Firms Deal with Inter-Organizational Conflict?

Based on social exchange and customer relationship marketing theory, this study examines how ethical leadership contributes to inter-organizational conflict management (task conflict (TC) and relationship conflict), and the moderating role of task interdependence in these relationships. Data was collected from 81 suppliers and 45 corresponding managers of a large group company in China. Results show that ethical leadership is negatively associated with the levels of inter-organizational conflict, whether task or relationship. Task interdependence significantly moderates the relationship between ethical leadership and TC. Managerial implication in terms of creating sound buyer–supplier relationship through an ethical perspective is discussed.

Linking work–family conflict to job attitudes: the mediating role of social exchange relationships

This study uses social exchange theory to develop a model of the processes linking work–family conflict to job attitudes. This model was tested on a sample of 236 employees in Taiwan's high-technology industry. The regression results revealed that perceived organizational support and leader–member exchange fully mediated the influence of work–family conflict on intentions to quit and affective organizational commitment, and partially mediated work–family conflict's influence on job satisfaction. The implications are discussed in this article.

How Does Supervisory Family Support Influence Employees’ Attitudes and Behaviors? A Social Exchange Perspective

In this two-study article, the authors investigate the mechanism through which supervisory family support is linked to outcome variables and examine the moderating effect of family-friendly benefits on this relationship. Drawing on social exchange theory, they propose and find that the quality of leader–member exchange, a form of social exchange relationships, mediated the relationship between supervisory family support and work-related outcomes in Study 1 ( N = 82). Furthermore, in Study 2 ( N = 225), the model linking supervisory family support to outcome variables through social exchange relationships was moderated by the level of family-friendly benefits offered by the organization. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Mentoring and Psychological Contract Breach

Mentoring and psychological contracts are related and important organizationally based social exchange relationships. Research indicates that social support from internal mentors might buffer the negative effects of psychological contract breach (PCB), but less is known about the possible negative influence that mentors might have on psychological contracts. This study investigates proteges' perceptions of their mentors’ failure to fulfill mentoring obligations and proteges’ perceptions of PCB. Because either the formality of the mentoring relationship or the supervisory status of the mentor might serve as additional signals of the mentor’s status as an organizational agent, and, therefore, exacerbate the negative association between mentoring breach and PCB, both are investigated as potential moderating variables. A sample of 144 proteges from various occupations completed a questionnaire assessing mentoring breach, PCB, job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Results indicate the relations between mentoring breach and the outcome variables of interest were mediated by PCB, and that the relation between mentoring breach and PCB is stronger in supervisory mentoring relationships. A similar result was expected, but not confirmed, for formal mentoring relationships. The current study provides evidence that the actions (or inactions) of mentors contribute to PCB and related negative outcomes. Such knowledge might encourage organizations to provide training to potential mentors in managing the mentoring relationship to minimize the probability of mentoring breach. The current study is the first to examine the potential negative effect that mentoring relationships might have on protege psychological contracts.

When Employees Do Bad Things for Good Reasons: Examining Unethical Pro-Organizational Behaviors

We propose that employees sometimes engage in unethical acts with the intent to benefit their organization, its members, or both—a construct we term unethical pro-organizational behavior. We suggest that positive social exchange relationships and organizational identification may lead to unethical pro-organizational behavior indirectly via neutralization, the process by which the moral content of unethical actions is overlooked. We incorporate situational and individual-level constructs as moderators of these relationships and consider managerial implications and future research.

Training is an investment with return in temporary workers

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyse whether a social exchange relationship between temporary workers and organizations is possible. The authors aim to consider whether, when training is perceived by an employee as an organizational practice that promotes his or her employability, this entails a social exchange relationship.Design/methodology/approachSurveys from 240 call centre workers were analyzed using correlation and multiple regression to explore relationships between training to promote employability, perceived organizational support (POS) and affective commitment.FindingsThe data support the idea that social exchange theories are useful frameworks in explaining temporary workers' affective commitment towards organisations. Organisational investment in training was positively related to the affective commitment of these temporary workers. However, employees attributed greater importance to the fact that training increased their employability than to the number of training hours received. The relationship between this human resource management practice and affective commitment partly occurred through the perceived organisational support. Such perception partially mediates the relationship between training as a promoter of employability and this positive attitude.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is limited due to sample nature and the lack of longitudinal design. It does not provide implications for other types of commitment that may be relevant for temporary workers (continuance commitment, for example).Practical implicationsAn important implication from this research is that employers should not assume that training is an investment without return from temporary workers. Developmental opportunities, while important to all employees, did make temporary workers more committed to organizations.Originality/valueThe paper is the first, to the authors' knowledge, to assess training as promoting employability with a specific measure. While the results are simple, they refute many stereotypes of temporary workers and add an important perspective to the human resource management literature.

The reciprocal relationship between psychological contract fulfilment and employee performance and the moderating role of perceived organizational support and tenure

This study investigated the reciprocal relationship between perceptions of psychological contract fulfilment and employee performance (sales made and sales targets), and whether this was moderated by the quality and length of the social exchange relationship captured, respectively, through perceived organizational support (POS) and organizational tenure. We used a sample of 146 sales advisors and a four‐point longitudinal design and found support for reciprocal links where performance predicted subsequent psychological contract fulfilment and vice versa. The strength of the relationship between performance and psychological contract fulfilment increased over time. The quality of the social exchange relationship (i.e., POS) moderated reciprocal links between sales made and sales targets met and perceptions of psychological contract fulfilment at earlier, but not later, time points. One way to interpret the findings is the changing nature of the unfolding relationship between support, psychological contract fulfilment, and performance, where a supportive relationship buffers failing to deliver at earlier time points, but at later time points employee performance and psychological contract fulfilment associate more strongly as both parties prioritize delivery.

In‐group preference as opportunism governance in a collectivist culture: evidence from Korean retail buyer‐supplier relationships

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine whether preference toward in‐group members can serve as opportunism governance in channel relationships in a collectivist culture. This study proposes a model of opportunism incorporating in‐group preference and trust as antecedents of opportunism. Based on Transaction Cost Economics and Social Exchange Theory, transaction‐specific investment and relationship length are employed in the model as confounding variables of in‐group preference for opportunism and trust.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 109 Korean department store buyers and analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (EQS 6.0).FindingsThe results showed that buyers' in‐group preference increased buyers' trust toward suppliers and decreased suppliers' opportunistic behavior. Buyers' increased trust toward suppliers was found to reduce suppliers' opportunistic behavior. Further, Trust was significantly influenced by supplier TSI, but not by length of relationship. On the other hand, opportunism was significantly influenced by length of relationship, but not by supplier TSI.Research limitations/implicationsThis study examined only the positive side of in‐group membership. Some criticisms of in‐group preference are favoritism, interference with fair competition, and collective blindness, any of which might decrease the efficiency of business operations. These impacts should be examined to gain a balanced view of the implications of in‐group preference in business settings.Practical implicationsMultinational companies should understand that in‐group membership is an important source of building trust and oppressing opportunism in the Korean market. Multinational companies can strategically approach in‐group members of business partners to become members of those in‐groups.Originality/valueThis is the first empirical study to examine collectivists' tendencies toward in‐group preference as opportunism governance.

The effects of downsizing on labor productivity: The value of showing consideration for employees' morale and welfare in high‐performance work systems

AbstractAlthough downsizing remains a topic of great interest to scholars and practitioners, little research has examined the link between the process and organizational performance. The current study examines whether organizations showing greater consideration for employees' morale and welfare in the downsizing process experience increased labor productivity. Further, because downsizing diminishes human capital and interferes with an organization's social exchange relationships, we posit that attention to employees' morale and welfare will be particularly important for high‐performance work systems (HPWS) that rely on human capital for competitive advantage. We tested our hypothesis with a sample of organizations that had downsized using survey data matched with secondary data. Results support our prediction that organizations with more extensive HPWS can reduce productivity losses from downsizing by heightening their consideration for employees' morale and welfare. We discuss the implications of these findings. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Working here makes me sick! The consequences of sick building syndrome

This study investigates the consequences of sick building syndrome (SBS) by extending previous research on its impact on employee behaviours and attitudes. The article examines the effect of working in sick buildings on employees' organisational citizenship behaviours, absence, stress, burnout and job satisfaction. We report the findings from a survey of police officers working in air-conditioned buildings in the Caribbean region. The study draws on social exchange and social relations theories to develop hypotheses on the impact of SBS on employee well-being and extra-role behaviours. The findings provide partial support for the hypotheses with SBS associated with reduced employee well-being and absence but not with organisational citizenship behaviour. The implications of these findings, limitations of the study and further research considerations are discussed.

Who and what is fair matters: A multi‐foci social exchange model of creativity

AbstractTo better understand the role of fairness in creativity, we developed and tested a multi‐foci social exchange model of creativity. Specifically, we examined the effect of both the organization and supervisor as distinct sources of interpersonal and informational justice types on creativity through the mediating mechanisms of trust and social exchange relationships. The data were collected from 205 employees and their supervisors at a large chemical engineering plant in India. Structural equation modeling was used to test the model. Results show that both interpersonal and informational justice types influence creativity via different mechanisms but both justice types were not equally important for employee creativity. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.