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Perceived organizational support and extra-role performance: which leads to which?
Zhixia Chen1, Robert Eisenberger, Kelly M Johnson
1Department of Sociology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China.
The Journal of Social Psychology
|February 28, 2009
Summary
Perceived organizational support (POS) positively influences employee extra-role performance. This study provides evidence that feeling supported by your organization leads to better performance beyond your job description.
Area of Science:
- Organizational Psychology
- Human Resource Management
Background:
- Prior research established a link between perceived organizational support (POS) and performance.
- The direction of this relationship remained unclear due to methodological limitations in previous studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the causal direction between perceived organizational support (POS) and extra-role performance.
- To address the ambiguity in the POS-performance relationship.
Main Methods:
- A longitudinal study was conducted with 199 employees in an electronics and appliance sales organization.
- Perceived organizational support (POS) and extra-role performance were measured at two time points, three years apart.
- A cross-lagged panel design was employed to analyze the temporal relationship between the variables.
Main Results:
- Perceived organizational support (POS) at the first time point was significantly associated with an increase in extra-role performance at the second time point.
- Extra-role performance at the first time point did not show a significant association with changes in perceived organizational support (POS) at the second time point.
Conclusions:
- The findings support a causal link where perceived organizational support (POS) leads to enhanced extra-role performance.
- This research clarifies the directionality of the POS-performance relationship, indicating support drives performance.
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