Perceived organizational support and outcomes: A view through the lens of the group engagement model, the role of identification, pride and respect

Abstract

According to the group engagement model, identity is a multidimensional concept, which incorporates not only the cognitive component of organizational identification but also the evaluative component of pride and respect (Blader & Tyler, 2009). In this study, we adopt the perspective of the group engagement model and the multidimensional conceptualization of social identity in order to examine the effects of perceived organizational support (POS) and two key employee outcomes, willingness to support the organization and intent to quit. More specifically, we examine whether the three aspects of social identity (identification, pride, and respect) can explain the relationship between POS and its outcomes. By doing so, we gain insight into the unique power of these components to explain the POS-outcome relationship and we contribute to a better understanding of the outcomes of POS (Kurtessis et al., 2017). Trying to provide generalizable findings with high external validity, we conducted a quantitative field study including a sample of 579 employees. Our findings indicate that identification partially explains the relationship between POS and willingness to support the organization, while identification and pride are able to partially mediate the POS-intent to quit the relationship. These findings have significant practical implications providing managers useful insight into how employees interpret and respond to perceptions of support