Organizational support theory supposes that employees personify
the organization, infer the extent to which the organization
values their contributions and cares about their well-being, and
reciprocate such perceived support with increased commitment,
loyalty, and performance. On the basis of these assumptions,
organizational support theory provides a general approach to the
role of the reciprocity norm in employee–employer relationships.
Most studies of POS have been devoted to amplifying its antecedents
and consequences. Our review of over 70 studies suggests that
basic antecedents of POS include fair organizational procedures,
supervisor support, and favorable rewards and job conditions and
that consequences include increased affective commitment to the
organization, increased performance, and reduced withdrawal
behaviors.
More recent studies have examined (a) the mediating role of
POS in the relationship between various types of favorable treatment
and outcomes that are beneficial to employees and the
organization, (b) the direction of causality in the relationship of
POS with antecedents and consequences, and (c) the processes
presumed to underlie such associations. These studies are supportive
of organizational support theory. The distinctive, clearly specified
processes supposed by organizational support theory provide
the basis for future evaluation and elaboration of this basic approach
to employee–employer relationships