A Social Exchange Model of Psychological Contract Fulfillment: Where Do Promises, Expectations, LMX, and POS Fit In?

We investigated psychological contract (PC) fulfillment using the three building blocks of the social exchange theory: content of the exchange, parties to the exchange, and the process of the exchange. Results from two studies demonstrate that PC fulfillment is related to different outcomes depending on fulfillment conceptualized in terms of promises as opposed to expectations. Expectations fulfillment is a stronger predictor of affective commitment, whereas promises fulfillment is a stronger predictor of turnover. Additionally, we tested hypotheses to examine the multisource effects of PC fulfillment. PC fulfillment by the supervisor and by the organization highlighted the relationship between PC fulfillment, leader–member exchange (LMX), and perceived organizational support (POS). Findings suggest that expectations fulfillment results in higher LMX when the source of fulfillment is perceived to be the manager and expectations fulfillment is related to higher POS when the organization is deemed as the source of PC fulfillment. The results were not significant for promises fulfillment

A Model of Idiosyncratic Deal-Making and Attitudinal Outcomes

Purpose: We disentangle the relationship between the request of idiosyncratic deals (i-deals) and the receipt of such deals, and investigate the moderating roles of human capital (gender and industry experience) and social capital (LMX) in this relationship. Attitudinal outcomes of i-deals receipt are also examined. Design: Data were collected from 244 alumni of a Midwestern public university. Findings: The positive relationship between i-deals request and receipt was stronger at higher than at lower levels of LMX. Receiving i-deals was related positively to job satisfaction and affective commitment, and negatively to turnover intention. Research implications: We provide a nuanced perspective of i-deals by separating employees’ request from their receipt of i-deals, and identifying contingent factors that determine whether i-deal requests are successful. Practical implications: For employees, cultivating a strong relationship with one’s supervisor can yield benefits that extend to i-deals negotiation. Providing i-deals to deserving workers can boost employees’ work attitudes. Originality/value: Previous studies have operationalized the i-deals construct as requesting and receiving the deal, thereby excluding the possibility that employees may have requested but did not receive the i-deal. This is one of the first studies to disentangle these two concepts, thereby providing a more balanced and representative view of i-deal-making in organizations

Social exchange: Empirical examination of form and focus

We investigate similarities and differences among prominent types of social exchange (psychological contract fulfillment, perceived organizational support, trust in the organization, leader-member exchange, and trust in the supervisor) and propose that two higher-order factors represent social exchanges with the organization and with the supervisor. We investigate their prediction of important employee work attitudes, citizenship behaviors, and performance. Based on data from 448 employees, empirical tests support the existence of organization- and supervisor-directed social exchanges. Tests using structural equation modeling support unique predictions of attitudinal and behavioral work outcomes.Social exchanges POS LMX Psychological contracts Trust Employee attitudes and behaviors

Multilevel perspectives on leadership in the African context

Despite the depth of research on leaders and leadership in the Western and Asian contexts, the study of leadership in the African context remains at a nascent stage. In this special issue, we take a multilevel perspective to review and synthesize current research on leadership in Africa in three distinct scholarly domains (Organizational Behavior & Human Resources (OB/HR), Strategy and Entrepreneurship). Based on this review, we offer specific recommendations to advance leadership research and improve the scope and rigor of theoretical and methodological approaches. Finally, we present three scholarly works that highlight the distinctive nature of leadership in Africa, including the perspectives of followership, emergence of entrepreneurial leadership in the informal sector, and a leadership style based on an African principle

Contextualizing psychological contracts research: a multi-sample study of shared individual psychological contract fulfilment

Research on psychological contracts has made significant contributions to theoretically advancing our understanding of the employee-employer exchange relationship and its implications for organizational practice. However, the predominant emphasis of this empirical research has been on the individual level of analysis and in the process does not give sufficient attention to contextual influences. Teams have become a common feature in organizations today and provide a proximal context through which to understand how teams affect individuals’ evaluation of their psychological contract. Based on the macrosociological perspective of social exchange theory as well as theories on the role of social influence in psychological contract evaluations, we examine how shared individual psychological contract fulfilment (PCF) shapes the relationship between individual PCF and outcomes (employee’s own contributions and contextual performance) at the individual level as well as the predictors (group POS) and consequences (average employee contributions and average contextual performance) of shared individual PCF at the team level. Our findings from three studies, representing a total sample of 995 employees and 170 teams, provide support for the study hypotheses. This paper contributes to the psychological contract literature by conceptually and empirically addressing the role of a team context (shared individual PCF) and its impact on individual- and team-level relationships