soma fine Pasi? coi 0 MRS BS ia si toe Reciprocation of Perceived Organizational Support Robert Eisenberger, Stephen Armeli, Barbara Rexwinkel, Patrick D. Lynch, and Linda Rhoades University of Delaware oar hundred thirteen postal employees were surveyed to investigate reciprocation roe in the rel tionships of perceived organizational support (POS) with employees” affective organizational commit ment and job performance. The authors found that (a) POS was positively elated to employees” felt obi tion to cre about the organizations welfare and to hep the organization reach its objectives: () fel obligation mediated the associations of POS wit affective commitment, organizational sponta, and inrle performance: and (c) the felationship between POS and fh obligation increased with employees” acceptance ofthe reciprocity norm as applied to work organizations. Positive mood also ‘mediated the relationships of POS with fective commitment and orgaizational spontaneity. The pater ‘of findings is consistent with organizational suppot shears assumetion tht POS strengthens affective ‘commitment and perfonmance by a reiprocation proces ‘When one person treats another well, the norm of reciprocity ‘obliges the return of favorable teatment (Gouldner, 1960), The ‘benefits exchanged may involve such impersonal resources as ‘money, services, and information or such socioemotional re- sources as approval, respect, and liking (e.,, Altman & Taylor, 1973; Batson, 1993; Blau, 1964; Foa & Foa, 1974). An increase in the help delivered toa recipient has been found to increase the aid returned and the liking for the donor (e.g, Berkowitz & Friedman, 1967; DePaulo, Britingham, & Kaiser, 1983; Eisenberger, Cot terell, & Marvel, 1987; Greenberg & Bar-Tal, 1976). Thus, the obligation to repay benefis, based on the eciprecity norm, helps strengthen interpersonal relationships. ‘The reciprocity norm may also apply to employee-employer ‘lationships, obliging, employees 10 recompense advantageous ‘weatment they receive from their work organization (e.g, Mow- day, Porter, & Steers, 1982; Rousseau, 1989, 1990; Wayne, Shore, ‘& Liden, 1997), Meeting obligations helps employees maintain the positive selfmage of those who repay debis, avoid the social stigma associated withthe reciprocity norm’s violation, and obtain, favorable treatment from the organization. Accordingly, workers are motivated to compensate beneficial treatment by acting in ‘ways valued by the organization. Organizational support theory (Eisenberger, Cummings, Anmeli, & Lynch, 1997; Eisenberger, Huntington, Hutchison, & Sowa, 1986; Shore & Shore, 1995) assumes employees form general beliefs concerning how much the organization values their contributions and cares about their well-being. Based on the ec ipocity norm, such perceived organizational support (POS) would licit employees" felt obligation to care about the organization's Rober Eienberger, Stephen Anmeli, Barbera Rexwinkel, Pack D. Loch, and Linda Rhoades, Department of Psychology, University of Delaware, Barbara Rexwinkel died in August 1995, CComespondence concerning ths article should be adresed to Robert Eiseaberger, Department of Psychology, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, Electronic mail may be sent to eseaber@ del ec, 2 ‘welfare and to help the organization reach its objectives. Employ- ees could satisfy this indebtedness through greater affective com- mitment to the organization and greater effors to help the ‘organization. Positive relationships that have repeatedly been found between POS and affective commitment and performance have been as cried to felt obligation owing tothe reciprocity norm. However, the supposed mediating role of felt obligation has not been as- sessed. We, therefore, investigated felt obligation’s contribution to the relationships of POS with affective organizational comm , in-role job performance, and | behavior. We also examined positive mood as an ‘mediator of POS-outcome relationships. POS as an Antecedent to Felt Obligation We asume that POS and fl obligation ae causally related yet conceptually distinct. POS isan experience-based aribution con- emi the benevolent or malevolent intent ofthe organizations policies, norms, procedures, and actions as they affect employees. Fel obligation is « prescriptive belief regarding whether one should care abou the organization's wellbeing and should help ‘he organization reach its goals. According to organizational sup ort theory, POS mest scsiocmotonal neds, provides assurance that aid wil be avalable when needed, and indicts the organ zaton’s readiness to recompense efforts made on its behalf George, Reed, Ballard, Colin Fielding, 1993). Because ofthe reciprocity orm, POS word ead oa fl obligation to care about and aid the organization (see Figure 1) Hypotheris I> POS will be positively cclated to employees fle obligation to care about the organization's welfare and to belp the forgaizaion reach ie objective, Exchange Ideology as a Moderator of the POS-Felt ‘Obligation Relationship Exchange ideology refers to employees’ belit that i is appro priate and useful to base their concem with the organization'sRECIPROCATION OF PERCEIVED ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT E © E) Figure a SN © ‘Theorecal model ofthe relationships among perceived organizational support (POS), exchange ideology fl obtigntion, positive mood, affective erganiztionalcommiment organizational (Or. spontaneity inole performance (Perform). and withdrawal betavior welfare and their work effort on how favorably they have been treated by the organization, In interpersonal relationships, part- nets’ readiness to return favorable treatment is influenced by thei acceptance ofthe reciprocity norm. Employee exchange ideology cconcems employees’ application of the reciprocity norm to the! ‘relationship with the work organization. A. strong employee ex- change ideology would result from a personal history of direct, ‘experience, observation, and persuasion by others conceming the value of reciprocity in the employee—employer relationship. Be~ ‘cause POS indicates a postive valuation of employees and concern ‘with their welfare, and most employees accept exchange ideology to some degree, POS should increase felt obligation to the orga~ nization. Employees witha strong exchange ideology should show an increased willingness to base affective commitment and work effort on the favorableness of treatment received from the organi- zation, These employees would show a moce positive relationship, beween POS and felt obligation than would employees with a ‘weak exchange ideology (see Figure 1) EEisenberger et al. (1986) found that the association between POS and job attendance was greater among teachers having a strong exchange ideology, and Witt (1991) found a similar result for the association between POS and manufacturing employees" extra-role performance. However, exchange ideology's modera- ‘ion of the POS-flt obligation association was not assessed. We, therefore, examined the moderating role of exchange ideology on the POS-felt obligation relationship. On an exploratory basis, we investigated whether high exchangers would show greater felt ‘obligation than low exchangers when POS was high and/or show lesser felt obligation than low exchangers at low POS. Hypothesis 2: The elationship between POS and ft obligation will increase with he strength of employee exchange ideology. Felt Obligation as a Mediator of POS-Outcome Relationships Meyer and Allen (1991, p. 67) viewed @ positive emotional astachment by employees 10 their work organization a a distint ‘ype of organizational commitment. Tsui, Pearce, Porter, and Te- poli (1997) suggested that actions by the organization indicating Caring and postive regard for employess act to enhance affective commitment via the reciprocity norm. As shown in Figure 1, ‘rganizational support theory supposes that POS contributes to affective commitment and job performance by creating a felt obligation to care about the organization and meet the organiza- tion's objectives. Consequently, POS was found tobe positively related to affective commitment (isenberger, Faso, & Davis- {LaMasteo, 1990 Guzzo, Noonan, & Elon, 1994; Hutchison, 1997; Hutchison & Garstka, 1996; Jones, Flyan, & Kelloway, 1995; Setoon, Bennet, & Liden, 1996, Shore & Tec, 1991: Shore & Wayne, 1993; Wayne eal, 1997), However, these studies did not vamine fet obligation’s role inthe POS-affective commitment relationship On the basis of felt obligation, POS should also inerease per- formance of standard jo activities and action favorable to the nganizaton that go beyond assigned responsibilities. According to George and Brie (1992), such exraole activities (organica- tional spontanei include ang fellow employees, taking actions that protect the organization fom risk, offering constructive sug- gestions, and gaining knowledge and skills beneficial tothe orgs- ization. Felt obligation would slso lessen employee withdrawal Tehuvirs such a tardiness and absenteeism POS was found positively related 1 evaluative and objecive reasuresof performance in standard job activites (Armeli,Eisen- berger, Fasol, & Lynch, 1998: Fisenberger eta, 1986, 1950), extafole performance such as help for coworkers and creative44 FEISENBERGER, ARMELL, REXWINKEL, LYNCH, AND RHOADES suggestions for the organization's operations (Eisenberger et al, 1990; Lynch, Eisenberger, & Armeli, 1999; Moorman, Blakely, & Niehoff, 1998; Shore & Wayne, 1993; Wayne et al., 1997; Wit, 1901), and influence tactics designed by employees to make su- pervisors aware of their dedication and accomplishments (Shore & Wayne, 1993). POS was found negatively related 10 absenteeism (Gisenberger er al, 1986, 1990) and tumover intentions (D. 6G. Alen, Shore, & Griffith, 1999; Guzzo et al, 1994; Wayne et al. 1997). However, felt obligation’s presumed mediational role inthe relationship between POS and various kinds of performance was rot assessed, Hypothesis 3: Employees’ fle obligation 1 cae about and id the organization will meste the relationship of POS with effective ‘organizational commitment, ergnizanonal spoataety, ole pe formance, and withdrawal behave, Positive Mood as an Alternative Mediator of POS- ‘Outcome Relationships Positive mood as well as felt obligation may mediate the POS ‘organizational spontaneity relationship. Watson, Clark, an Telle ‘gen (1988) described positive mood as involving feelings of en thusiasm, excitement, and alertness, Positive mood has been found to be related to various favorable experiences (George. 1991; Watson et al., 1988). George and Brief (1992, p. 320) proposed that events at work signifying an employee's competence, worth, or achievement would enhance postive mood. POS may contrit- ute to positive mood by conveying the organization's positive valuation of an employee's work and care for the employee's well-being, Positive mood has been found to be positively related to helping others and thinking creatively, both of which are included in ‘George and Briet's concept of organizational spontaneity. George (1991) reported that positive mood was associated with heightened. organizational spontaneity, and George and Brief (1992) noted that positive mood may prime employees to think about favorable ‘characteristics of coworkers, leading 10 helping behavior. George and Brief also noted that positive mood appears to increase ete ative thinking, which would influence employee innovation. We, therefore, distinguished positive mood and felt obligation as pos- sible mediators of the POS- organizational spontaneity relation- ship (see Figure 1) Positive mood might also mediate the POS-afective commit ‘ment relationship. Meyer and Allen (1991) suggested that work ‘experiences contributing to employee comfort and perceived com: petence should enhance emotional attachment. POS might contib- lute to such experiences, fostering positive mood that, in turn, would increase affective commitment. The associative theory of attude formation holds that persons or objects paired with posi tive affect become classically conditioned elicitors of positive affect (Worchel, Cooper, & Goethals, 1988; Zimbardo & Leippe, 1991), Repeated experiences of positive mood in the organization, resulting from POS, might associate the organization with positive ‘mood and thereby’ increase affective commitment. Hence, we Lfel» personal obligation todo whatever I canto help the _achieve its gous 82 8 Lowe tothe to give IODS of my energy to's goals while I arn at Work 1 5 [have an obligation to the to ensure that | produce high-quality work. 16 10. Lowe it to thet do shat canto ensure that customers are well-served and sts. 35 11 {would felon obligation fo take tie fom my’ personal schedule to help the It needed tay bel. 6 12S would fel guilty if T id not meet the —"s prformance standart, 3 13 Heel thatthe ony obligation I ave wo he i fal he minimum requirements of my fb. (R) ‘1 Employes chang oy '. Employees should not care about the orgenization that employs them unless that organization shows that it ates about its employees a8 15, Employees should only go ott oftheir way to belp their organization if goes out of is way to belp them. 6 1, An-employee should work as hard as posible no matr what the organization thinks of bis or her effos. (R) 68 17, an organization does noc appreciate an employee's effons, tbe employee shoud still work as hard ashe or o she ean 18, An employee whois weated tail by a company should work less had 6s 19, An employee's work effort should depend partly oa how well he organization dels with his or her desires nd concerns 56 20, An employee should only work hard if bis or ber efforts will lead to a pay increase, promotion, or eee tenes. 8 21, Am employee's work effort should aot depend on the faimess of his or he pay. (R) 0 Allecive Organizational Commitment 12. Working atthe has a great deal of personal meaning 19 me. 88 23, [feel a stong sense of belonging to the 1 28, Lam prod (0 tll thers T work atthe 70 25, Lfel emotionally stached tthe 7 26. would be bappy fo work a the ni rele. 36 27, Lenjoy discssing the with people who do not wor hee. a Positive Mood "2. Energetic ra 29, Cheertl st Insole Performance 30, Meets formal performance requirements ofthe job % 31, Pulfils responsibilities specified in Job descipaon. 9 32, Performs tasks that are expected of hi OF he. 7m 32, Adoquately completes assigned duties. 30 ‘Organizational Spontanety ‘Sk. Makes constuesive suggestions to improve the overall functioning of his or her work group. 89 35, Continues to lok for new ways to improve the effectiveness of his or her Work. 58 36, Assists supervisor widh his or her wok es 37. Helps coworkers who hive been shel, 7 Withdewal Behavior 538. Exhibits puncualty in aiving at wosk ston on time after breaks. (R) 86 38! Begins work on ime. (R) 4 40. Attendance at work is above the no. (R) n 441 Gives advance noice when unable to come 19 work. (R) 8 Mote. N= 413. Allloadings ar standardinod. Peformance measures were adapted from the following scales. ems 30-33, 36,7, and39 ar from “Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment as Predictors of Organizational Ciizeoship and I-Role Behaviors.” by LJ. Wiliams and S. F. Anderson, 1991, Journal of Management, 17, p. 608. Copyright 1991 by Sage. Reprinted with permission. ums 34, 38, and 41 ae fom “The Role of Disposisonsl nd Sinational Antecedents in Prosecal Organizational Behavior: An Examination ofthe Intended Beneficiaries of Prosocial Behavior,” by BL. MeNeely nd B.M. Meglio, 1994, Jounal of Applied Psychology. 79, p. 840. Copyright 1984 by the American Prychological Association. Repined with Permission of te authors. fem 35 is rom “Orgaizational Citizenship Behavior: Consnsct Redefintion, Messarement, and Validation,” byt. Van Dye TIW, Graham, and RM. Diensch, 1994, Academy of Management loural. 57, 781. Copyright 1934 bythe Academy of Management Reprinted eth permission, Re 40s from “Organizational Cirenship Behavior Is Natae and Antecedents," by C. A. Smith, D. W. Organ an P. Near, 1983, Journ 2f hoped Psychology, 6% 9. 651- Copyright 1983 bythe ArmericanPsychlogial Assocation, Reprinted with permission ofthe author (R) ite reverse scored46 EISENBERGER, ARMELI, REXWINKEL, LYNCH, AND RHOADES. of postive mood is primary © state of high activation with pleasant hedonic tone. Oc two mood tems were selected to encompass the ae vation and plessantness components of positive mood. To asess the convergent ality ofthe positive rood measure, we asked 615 employees, ofa cain of discount elecuonies and appliance stores to rae their postive mood oa a typical day at school using these mood items withthe six positive mood terms wed by Burk, Brit, George, Roberson, and Webster (1989). principal components analysis on the combined item set pro ced a single fect, wich loadings ranging from 88 to 82, and with, Energetic loading 86 and Cheerful lading 4, Performance measures. Sypevsors evaluated workers on 4 S-point scale (I = extremely characters, § = extremely uncharacteisi) ft four i-ole job behaviors, four organizational spontaneous behaviors, and four withdrawal behaviors (ee Table 1). Results Discriminant Validity of the Constructs We first examined the distinctiveness of POS, felt obligation, ‘exchange ideology, positive mood, affective organizational com: ‘mitment, organizational spontaneity, in-role performance, and ‘withdrawal behavior. We compared the fit of five nested models ranging from a single-factor model to the hypothesized eight- factor model (see Table 2). We used AMOS software (Arbuckle, 1997) with maximum-kelihood estimation. Based on chi-square difference tess (ames, Musik, & Brett, 1982), each more atic- ulated model fit the data beter. The eight-factor model was the only model having nonsignificant root-mean-square error of ap- proximation (RMSEA) values and having comparative fit index (CF) and Tucker-Lewis index (TLD values above the recom- mended cutoffs of 90. Table | shows standardized item loadings. Items loaded significantly on their predicted factors at 47 or above, Factor Correlations Relationships among the measures are given in Table 3. As predicted, latent variable correlations indicated that POS was as sociated with felt obligation (Hypothesis 1) and positive mood at work. POS and felt obligation were both related to affective ‘commitment and the thee performance dimensions, and positive ‘mood at work was associated with affective commitment and ‘organizational spontaneity. This pattern of relationships satisfies Kenny, Kashy, and Bolger’s (1998) first three conditions for ‘mediation stating thatthe inital variable (ie., POS) should be related to the criterion variable, the initial variable should be related to the mediators (ie, felt obligation and positive mood), and the mediators should be related to the outcome variables. To. fully demonstrate mediation, we need to show also thatthe asso- ciations between POS and the outcome variables are reduced when ‘the mediators are included in the predictive model and that the mediators predict performance (Kenny et al., 1998, p. 260) Mediating Role of Felt Obligation Major variables, We conducted structural equation modeling to test the mediating roles of fet obligation and positive mood in, the relationships of POS with affective commitment and perfor- ‘mance, Individual scale items were used as separate indicators of Table 2 Confirmatory Factor Analyses Model Fit Indices Model CHL TL GH AGRI Chisquare df Difference RMSEA ‘One-factor model 29 As 37 saan 79 a3 “Three-factr mode! 2 5853406102 TT 768.7 10" Fivefator model T3663 1699675" owe ‘Sixfactor model 8584 7774 2069.18" 764106509" 07 ight-fsctor model 4 94 87 8S 126601" 751 RITE ot ‘Note. N= 413. ne-Tator model incorporates al eight conics tre: factor model combines POS and Exchange lcology (Factor 1), Felt Obligation and Mood (Factor 2), and Affective Organizational Commit ‘ment and the thee performance measures (Factor 3) five factor mosel incindes POS, Exchange Ideology, Felt Obligation, and Mood a separate ‘actors, and a Global Oucome factor (AHetive Organizational Commit ment combined with the three performance dimensions) st-facoe model comprises POS, Exchange Ideology Flt Obligation, Mood and Affective Organizational Commizent as separate factors, andthe tree performance mensions a oe factor, an the hypothesize eight factor model ncades ll constuctsindvidaly Difference ~ te difference in chirequae from the previous (tore parsimonious) model. CFI = comparative Mt index: TTLI= Tucke-Lewis index: GH = goodnes-of ft index; AGFI = a usted goodness of fitndex: RMSEA root mean-square eo of ¢7pr0% pets, the latent variables. To set the metric ofthe latent variables, we used each scale's highest loading item based on the confirmatory factor analysis (CPA) results; these indicators" loadings were set 10 a value of one (Kline, 1998) In Tine with Anderson and Gesbing’s (1988) nested model approach, we tested two competing models: a fully mediated model and a partially mediated model. For the fully mediated ‘model, we specified paths from POS to flt obligation and postive ‘mood, from felt obligation to affective commitment and the three ‘behavioral measures, and from positive mood to affective com= ‘mitment and organizational spontaneity see Figure 1). The par- tially mediated model had additional direct paths from POS to affective organizational commitment and the three performance ‘measures. Estimation of the direct associations between POS and. the dependent measures inthe partially mediated model allowed us toexamine Kenny eta,’ (1998) fourth criterion for demonstrating ‘mediation, which is whether the relationship of POS with the dependent measures is reduced when controlling forthe mediators. Control variables. Because we made no predictions concem- ing the main effects of exchange ideology on the mediators or the ‘outcome variables, we did not include it inthe theoretical model. However, we did control forthe effects of exchange ideology byRECIPROCATION OF PERCEIVED ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT. 9 Table 3 Descriptive Statistics and Correlations Factor Mos it 2 3 4 $S 6 7 8 9 1, Tenure ws 76 — Is T a er 2 Perceived Organizational Suppor 262-133 IS 7D 3% on ine 3: ffeive Commitment 37 Vat 20 0a)“ re St 4 Fok Obligation oe te ee ie le 22 5. Exchange leology 353 125 0-33-48 9 -2 -@ -o lia 6, Positive Mood at Work 30 ost 230 (186 1. Organizational Spontnety 290 poke ts re il (S58 Ine Performance 385082) S 2) 9. Withdreval Behavios 250 108-29 28s <0 -3-eay, Note 1N = 413, Scale sore comelations are given above the diagoal (Fo 10 or above, significant at alpha lve) Internal ribs (coefficient lps) ae given in preneses onthe diagonal. Latent factor oration ae given below the diagonal (rof 2 or above, significant at 8 alps). including it as an exogenous variable predicting all the endogenous variables (see Marke] & Frone, 1998). Similarly, we wished to rule ‘out the possibilty that relationships between POS and the medi- ators and between the mediators and performance might be an artifact of tenure, Thus, we included tenure as an exogenous variable predicting the endogenous variables. Finally, because no causal paths were hypothesized among affective commitment and the three performance indices (organizational spontaneity, in-ole performance, and withdrawal behaviors) the covariances between the disturbance terms of these latent variables were lft fee to vary. ‘Comparison of models. The partially mediated model, x7(787, N = 413) = 1,366.22, p < .05; RMSEA = 04, p= 99: ‘goodness-of fit index (GF) = £87; adjusted goodness-of-fit index (AGF) = .85; CFI = 93; TLI = 93, ft better chan the fully mediated model, according to the change in chi-square, x7(4, N 413) = 28.77, p <.05. Examination of POS's direct relationships ‘withthe outcome variables indicated significant paths from POS to Nr stfectve organizational commitment and withdrawal behaviors, but ot from POS to organizational spontaneity or ino perfor~ ‘mance. Thus, we Gxed POS's direct associations with the later ‘wo outcomes to zero, Similarly, supplemental analyses freeing the pats from mood to in-tle performance and withdrawal behavior Showed no significant associations. The final model showed an anlequate fit © the data, 70189, N = 413) = 1.36667, p < 05; RMSEA = 04, p = 99; GFT = 87; AGFI = 85; TL = 93; CH= 93. “Te final model canbe seen in Figure 2. For presentation ease, we do not present the modes measurement portion or residual covariances, and we give covariate relationships separately (see Table 4). Examination of the path coefficients revealed that POS was uniguely relate to the mediators in the postive diction and hd significant direct associations with affective commitment and withdrawal behavior. Conceming the mediators, felt obligation was posvely related to affective commitment, organizational spontaneity, and insole performance: futher, postive mood Te Figure 2. Stvctrl equation mode! of the relationships beween postal employees’ perceived organizational suppor (POS) and their affective organizational commitment, organizational (Ore) spotanety, i-toe perfor ‘matce (Peeform), and withdeawal Behaviors a8 mediated by felt oblignion and posve mood. * p =< 05.48 [BISENBERGER, ARMELI, REXWINKEL, LYNCH, AND RHOADES. Table 4 Model Covariates’ Relationships With Endogenous Factors Endogenous factor ‘Tenure Exchange Ideology Felt Obligation 6 sr Positive Mood 1 a3 Affective Organizational Commitment 02 ‘as ‘Organizational Spentanety o1 rd Ingole Perfomnatce is 1 Withdrawal Benaviors me ‘at Note. Values represent standardized path coefficients. op 08 uniquely predicted affective commitment and organizational spon- ‘ancity. The final model explained 36.6% and 59.2% of the vati- ance in positive mood and felt obligation, respectively, and 68.6%, 52%, 8.5%, and 12.5% of the variance in affective commitment, organizational spontaneity, in-role performance, and ‘withdrawal behavior, respectively. Next, we tested the significance ofthe specific indirect relation ships between POS and performance. We calculated indiect effect path coefficients by multiplying the unstandardized path coeff cients for POS's relationship with the mediators times the unstand- ardized path coefficients for the mediators’ relationship with the performance variables (Kenny et al, 1998). We calculated a stan- dard error for these coefficients using the formula provided by Kenny et al. (1998, p. 260); the indinect effect path coefficient divided by the standard error yields a test statistic approximately distributed us Z Consistent with Hypothesis 3, POS had significant indirect associations via felt obligation with affective commitment = 20,2 = 437, < 05), organizational spontaneity (B = 07, Z= 231, p < 08), and in-ole performance (B = 08, Z = 2.05, p< .05). Consistent with Hypothesis 4, POS had a significant indirect association via positive mood with affective commitment (B = 14,2 = 2.78, p < 05) and a marginally significant indirect relationship with organizational spontaneity (B = .06, Z = 1.94, p< 06), Moderating Effects of Employee Exchange Ideology To assess employee exchange ideology's moderation of the POS- lt obligation relationship (Hypothesis 2), we used standard hierarchical moderated regression analysis. Each scale’s items were averaged to create scale scores. We centered the predictor variables (POS and felt obligation) before creating the product term interaction. To assess the interaction, we entered the product, term (je. POS times exchange ideology) into the equation after partaling out the main effects of POS and employee exchange ideology on felt obligation, We also controlled for tenure, Tenure and the main effects of POS and employee exchange ideology accounted for 46.5% of the variance in felt obligation, and both POS (8 = 34, p< 01) and employee exchange ideology (B =.49, p <.01) were significant unique predictors. The addition of, the POS X Employee Exchange Ideology interaction had the predicted reliable effect (B = .12, p < .O1). Consistent with Hypothesis 2, Figure 3 shows that the relationship between POS and felt obligation was greater for high-exchange ideology em ployees compared to those low in exchange ideology. We con- ‘ducted simple effects tests (Aiken & West, 1991) to examine the data furter, Reliable postive relationships were found between, POS and felt obligation at both 1 SD above, B= 55, 11409) = 8.62, p < 05, and 1 SD below, B = .29, 1409) = 6.00, P< 0S, the mean exchange ideology score. Additional simple effects tests were carried out at low and high levels of POS (1 and 7, respectively). At low POS, low exchangers experienced greater felt obligation than did high exchangers, B= ~.64, 1409) = ~136, p < Ol; at high POS, the difference in felt obligation by low and high exchangers was no reliable, B = ~02, 1408) = ~0.09, p = 93, i g [ats] EB jo sesh \ o 2? 3 4 5 6 9 Peredved Organzations Support Fee 3, Tee any btven pried esictot sopr FOS ae gon fton of tmployee exchange ioology. The xin ues the empirical sale limits of POS (Le. | and 7). High- and Toweenchange ideology ar, respectively, 1 SD above and 1 SD below the mess,RECIPROCATION OF PERCEIVED ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT 49 Discussion Reciprocation's contribution to POS-outcome relationships is indicated by the present study's findings that (a) POS was pos tively related to employees’ felt obligation to care about the organization's welfare and to help the organization reach its ob jectives;(b) felt obligation mediated the associations of POS with affective commitment, organizational spontaneity, and in-role per- formance; and (c) the telationship between POS and felt obligation increased with employees’ acceptance of the reciprocity norm 3s, applied to work organizations. The patern of findings is consistent ‘with organizational support theory's view that POS strengthens affective organizational commitment and performance via the re iprocity norm (Biseaberger et al, 1986; Shore & Shore, 1995). Positive mood, an alternative possible mediator of POS- outcome associations, independently contributed to the relationships of POS with affective commitment and organizational spontaneity ‘These findings support social exchange interpretations of em- ployes-emplayer relationships that emphasize reciprocity-based obligations, POS, Felt Obligation, and Positive Mood POS was positively elated to posal employees’ ft obligation to care about anda their organization, The resus ado previous results concemng the relationship between employses percep tions of favorble tesment and thei felt obligation to aid the organization. Meyer and Allen (1991) suggested that favorable treatment by the organization increases employees’ judged duty to remain employed with the organization. Ko, Price, and Moelle (0997) found that workers" perceptions of having been well eted by thei organization were positively related to the experienced sigaon to remain with the organization. Employees” perce tions ofa psychological contract with their employer iaveving ‘mutual obligations to lookout forthe welfare of the other, were ‘mantsned by organizational actions that met employees’ needs nd created employees” trst inthe organization to fll spat of| the bargsin (Robinson & Wolfe Morison, 1995; Rousseau & McLean Paks, 1993) These previous resis suggested that peated favorsle teatment received from the organization in {reas employees” felt obligation to continue their employment ‘Meyer & Allen, 1991 and to help the organization achieve its soils (Rouseas, 1995). The resent results indicate that employ "perception of the organization's commitment them (POS) ontbies to «general obligation, based onthe reciprocity norm, to-care about thei organization and ocontbute to organizational objectives. POS, Exchange Ideology, and Felt Obligation (ur findings of a positive relationship between POS and felt ‘obligation among employees with a weak exchange ideology and ‘those with a strong exchange ideology agree with the view that most employees accept the reciprocity norm to some degree Eisenberger etal, 1986). As predicted, the relationship between POS and felt obligation was greater for employees with a strong, exchange ideology. This moderation of the POS-felt obligation relationship by exchange ideology is consistent with organiza- tional support theory's assumption that POS influences affective commitment and performance via the process of reciprocation ‘We found that when POS was low, posal workers with a strong. exchange ideology expressed much less obligation than workers with a weak exchange ideology. That is, employees with a strong exchange ideology expressed litle obligation when they believed their organization showed litle commitment to them. In contrast, ‘when POS was high, employees with a strong exchange ideology expressed approximately the same level of felt obligation as em- ployees witha weak exchange ideology. This patter of findings is consistent with Eisenberger et als (1986) results that at low POS, high-exchange teachers were absent more often than low-exchange teachers: whereas at high POS, high-exchange teachers did not difer reliably from low exchangers. Evidently, employees with a ‘weak exchange ideology have other work values that bolster their felt obligation tothe organization, Because exchange ideology might be related to other work values that may produce felt obligation to the organization, per- ceived support theory makes no assumption about whether em- ployees with a strong exchange ideology will, on the average, ‘experience greater felt obligation or ess fet obligation than other ‘employees. For example, the Protestant work ethic has been de- fined as a commitment “tothe values of hard work, to work itself as an objective, and the work organization as an inevitable struc- ture within which chose internalized values can be satisfied” (Kidron, 1978, p.240). The work ethic was found to be positively related to affective organizational commitment (Mathieu & Zajac, 1990). Employees having a strong work ethic may feel highly ‘obligated to be loyal to their work organization and to work hard and may be less inclined than other employees to lower affective ‘commitment and work effort on the basis of unfavorable treatment received from the organization, ‘Mediation of POS-Outcome Relationships (Our results indicate that POS is positively associated with felt ‘obligation to aid the organization and care about its well-being. Felt obligation, in turn is positively related to affective organiza- tional commitment, organizational spontaneity, and into perfor- ‘mance. This result favors organizational suppor theory's emphasis ‘on felt obligation in POS-outcome relationships. Positive mood 10 mediated POS's relationships with affective organizational commitment and organizational spontaneity ‘The POS-positive mood relationship is compatible with the view that organizational experiences conveying competence, worth, and achievement increase postive mood (George & Brief, 1992), Positive mood, resulting from POS, could become associ ated with the organization (ef. Stats & Staats, 1958; Worchel et al., 1988; Zimbardo & Leippe, 1991) and lead to greater affective commitment, Positive mood may also increase organizational spontaneity by such means as enhancing attention to others’ fa- vorable characteristics and encouraging flexible, creative thinking (George & Brief, 1992) ‘Beyond POS's relationships withthe outcome variables via felt bligation and positive mood, we found that POS was directly associated with affective commitment and withdrawal behavior ‘The direct POS-affective commitment relationship might be due to social identification withthe organization. In addition to creat30 [BISENBERGER, ARMELI, REXWINKEL, LYNCH, AND RHOADES {ng flt obligation and enhancing positive mood, POS's fulfilment of estcem and affiliation needs (Armeli et al. 1998) may increase ‘employees’ incorporation of organizational membership and role status into their social identity. Social identification has been considered an important part of affective commitment (e.,N. J. Allen & Meyer, 1996; Mowday, Steers, & Porter, 1979) or a istinct but closely related construct (Ashforth & Mael, 1989; Macl & Tetrick, 1992). Thus, future research might examine the role of social identification in the associations of POS with affec- tive commitment and withdrawal behavier ‘We did not find a reliable relationship between felt obligation ‘and withdrawal behavior. Perhaps employees concentrate their efforts to fulfill felt obligation with the kinds of performance favored explicitly or implicitly by the organization (Fisenberger et al, 1986). Employees who feel a strong obligation to the organi- zation might be especially attentive to communications from su- pervisors and upper management conceming the organization's objectives Limitations of the Study Although we included only wo moderately correlated items assessing positive mood, the measure captured mood’s fundamen- tal features of positive hedonic tone and activation (Larsen & Diener, 1992) and mediated POS's associations with affective ‘commitment and organizational spontaneity. Our spontaneity mea- ‘sure incorporated innovative suggestions and help to others, both ‘of which loaded onthe sume factor inthe present sample. Findings, that flt obligation and postive mood were associated with spon- tanety might be amplified by distinguishing different kinds of spontaneity across more diverse samples. Another limitation con- ‘ems cross-sectional studies" inability to offer conclusions con~ ceming the causal direction of the observed relationships. As an, altemative to the present interpretation, rewards for superior per- formance might lead workers to feel greater obligation; based oa. feeling obligated to the organization, workers may conclude that the organization values their contributions and holds them in high regard (POS). Nevertheless, the pattern of findings, inluding the ‘moderating role of exchange ideology, agrees with the view that ‘the reciprocity norm is responsible for the positive relationships of POS with affective commitment and performance. Conclusion ‘The present findings support social exchange interpretations that stress reciprocation’s role in employee-employer relationships. Employees” responsiveness to the reciprocity norm provides & basis for understanding how the favorableness and perceived in- tentionality of treatment received from the organization influence affective commitment and performance and why employees differ in their reciprocation of favorable treatment. 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