Idiosyncratic deals and voice behavior

Abstract

Informed by social exchange theory, this study examines whether and how employees reciprocate to their organizations for the idiosyncratic deals (i-deals) they receive. Specifically, the authors examined whether i-deals (in scheduling flexibility and professional development) are related to employees’ flexible work role orientation, social networking behavior, and organizational trust over time. In turn, they hypothesized that these mediating variables would be positively related to employees’ use of constructive voice. Data were collected from 466 managers and professionals in the United States and China at three points in time over a 10-month period. The data analyses revealed that flexible work role orientation, social networking behavior, and organizational trust all mediated the relationship between i-deals and voice behavior. Furthermore, the mediating effects were generally stronger for professional development i-deals than for scheduling flexibility i-deals and were generally stronger in the China sample than in the U.S. sample. The article concludes with a discussion of the utility of social exchange theory as a framework for future research on i-deals and for guiding the implementation of i-deals in organizational settings. © The Author(s) 2012