a social influence analysis of perceived organizational support
a social influence analysis of perceived organizational support
a social influence analysis of perceived organizational support
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models, such as what outcomes are associated with having role models, what characteristics or<br />
attributes are related to an employee being <strong>perceived</strong> as a role model, how many role models do<br />
employees have, whether or not role models are influential with respect to certain outcomes, etc.<br />
Finally, this research has important implications for reciprocity and <strong>social</strong> exchange in<br />
organizations. The norm <strong>of</strong> reciprocity (Gouldner, 1960) provides the basis for many<br />
conceptualizations <strong>of</strong> <strong>social</strong> exchange. When a person does a favor for another person, it is<br />
expected that the person receiving the favor will help the person who helped them. Gouldner<br />
argues that reciprocity, the belief that people should help (and not injure) those who help them, is<br />
a generalized moral norm. Further, Gouldner makes predictions as to what conditions make it<br />
more or less likely that the favor will be reciprocated. He argues that repayment <strong>of</strong> a favor is<br />
contingent upon the <strong>perceived</strong> value <strong>of</strong> the benefit received, the intensity <strong>of</strong> the recipient’s need,<br />
the motive attributed to the donor, and the nature <strong>of</strong> the constraints that are <strong>perceived</strong> to exist.<br />
When a favor provided by another is believed to be valuable, discretionary, and provided despite<br />
constraints, that favor is more likely to be repaid.<br />
The results <strong>of</strong> this research suggest that <strong>social</strong> <strong>influence</strong> can have an important effect on<br />
beliefs about reciprocity, particularly concerning beliefs about obligations <strong>of</strong> repayment as<br />
specified by Gouldner (1960). Employees’ <strong>social</strong> ties may <strong>influence</strong> employees’ beliefs<br />
regarding whether or not the treatment provided by the organization is positive or negative.<br />
Objective information regarding the value <strong>of</strong> treatment provided by the organization is generally,<br />
if not always, unavailable. Employees turn to <strong>social</strong> relationships in order to determine whether<br />
or not the treatment that they receive from the organization is favorable or unfavorable.<br />
Further, the fact that <strong>social</strong> relationships characterized by mutual information exchange<br />
were most strongly associated with similarity in POS may not be surprising given that the<br />
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