Perceived organizational support and work outcomes

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper was to examine the mediating role of psychological contract (PC) violation on the relationship between perceived organizational support (POS) and a set of work-related affects (trust), attitudes (job satisfaction, commitment to the organization and intention to leave) and individual effectiveness (civic virtue). Design/methodology/approach – Two independent studies were conducted (N = 162 and N = 242). To test the mediating effect, the procedure of Baron and Kenny (1986) was used in both studies. Findings – Overall, in both studies, data reported the same pattern. While PC violation played a partial mediating role between POS and affect (i.e. trust in organization) and attitudes (i.e. commitment, satisfaction and intention to leave), PC violation failed to mediate the relationship between POS and individual effectiveness (i.e. civic virtue). Practical implications – The results suggest that the implementation of supportive actions may help employees overcome frustrations tied to their perception that the PC has been broken. Originality/value – This study contributes to PC literature. Given that violation was less examined than breach, this paper contributes to greater understanding by addressing the relationship between violation, POS and a set of work outcomes.