Perceived disinterested support and outcomes: a view through the lenses of perceived organizational support and organizational virtuousness’ perceptions

Abstract

Perceived Disinterested Support (PDS) captures employees’ attributions of disinterested motives to the support provided by the organization. Until now the PDS-outcome relationship has been viewed from the perspective of social exchange theory. In this study we extend this perspective by examining whether organizational virtuousness’ perceptions as well as social exchange theory (through POS) can mediate the relationship between PDS and outcomes (job satisfaction, intent to quit, self-sacrificial intentions). The results of a field study in which 374 employees took part, indicate that both organizational virtuousness’ perceptions and POS can mediate the PDS-job satisfaction relationship as well as the PDS-intent to quit relationship. On the contrary, only organizational virtuousness’ perceptions (but not POS) can mediate the relationship between PDS and self-sacrificial intentions.