Perceived organizational support in public and nonprofit organizations: Systematic review and directions for future research
| Author | Palina Prysmakova,Nicole Lallatin |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/00208523211033822 |
| Published date | 01 June 2023 |
| Date | 01 June 2023 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Perceived organizational
support in public and
nonprofit organizations:
Systematic review and
directions for future
research
Palina Prysmakova
Florida Atlantic University, USA
Nicole Lallatin
Florida Atlantic University, USA
Abstract
A qualitative meta-analysis of 57 studies (1987–2018) on perceived organizational sup-
port in public and nonprofit administrative contexts in various parts of the world
revealed 70 related va riables within 1 6 categories. Wh ile most reviewed stud ies
sampled employees of the US, the UK, and Iran, in terms of geography, research on
the perceived organizational support of public and nonprofit services has been con-
stantly spreadi ng and has been reveal ing similar findings across countries. While the
article questions the generalizability of some findings due to the overreliance on
small convenience samples from educational, health, and social work facilities, it sup-
ports the generalizability of many found associations even though they happen in vari-
ous international, organizational, and institutional settings. In particular, in public-
serving contexts, perceived organizational support exhibits stable and positive rela-
tionships with commitment, intent to stay, motivation, satisfaction der ived from job
and tasks, well-being, empowerment, reduced stress, work–family balance, and individ-
ual growth. Meanwhile, the positive perceptions of support link negatively to unioniza-
tion and reveal no co nsistent patt erns regarding de mographics. Th e article invit es
scholars to explore public and nonprofit contexts further, and to test previously
Corresponding author:
Palina Prysmakova, School of Public Administration, Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton,
FL 33431, USA.
Email: pprysmakova@fau.edu
Article
International
Review of
Administrative
Sciences
International Review of Administrative
Sciences
2023, Vol. 89(2) 467–483
© The Author(s) 2021
Article reuse guidelines:
sagepub.com/journals-permissions
DOI: 10.1177/00208523211033822
journals.sagepub.com/home/ras
overlooked associations like those with leadership type, reward expectancy,public ser-
vice motivation, and withdrawal activities.
Points for practitioners
•Perceived organizational support should be cultivated in public and nonprofit contexts,
as it improves employees’commitment, motivation, satisfaction, and well-being, and
reduces stress.
•Perceived organizational support might matter for retention more than the content of a
job.
•Employees who feel supported demonstrate better work–family balance and positively
perceive many aspects of their organizations.
•Promoting perceived organizational support helps when intensive workloads and high
levels of stress are inadequately compensated.
•Perceived organizational support can mitigate employees’burnout caused by the emo-
tional labor of service provision.
Keywords
exchange theory, leader–member exchange, organizational support theor y, perceived
organizational support, Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-
Analyses
Introduction
Organizational behavior scholars all around the world have been curious about whether and
how employers care about their employees. In particular, a proposition that “employees
develop a general perception concerning the extent to which the organization values their
contributions and cares about their wellbeing”forms the basis of organizational support
theory, which has been extensively tested by Robert Eisenberger, his colleagues, and
their followers (e.g. Eisenberger et al., 1986, 2014). The related antecedents and outcomes
have been extensively examined, and have recently been summarized in an extensive litera-
ture review on perceived organizational support (POS) by Kurtessis et al. (2017). Among
others, POS affects employees’commitment and satisfaction with their jobs. Employees
feel compelled to exert more effort because they expect their effort to be rewarded.
The potential to improve work motivation is one of the main justifications behind
further exploration and implementation of POS in public-serving settings. The theory
suggests three mechanisms that enable POS to be effective. Primarily, employees feel
that their own well-being is improved by having their socio-emotional needs met by
their employer. According to social exchange theory, the principle of reciprocating
norms dictates that this is accompanied by a feeling of an obligatory need to reciprocate
by being a productive and committed employee (Kurtessis et al., 2017). Second, employ-
ees with high levels of POS are more likely to engage in activities with long-term benefits
to their organization. Social exchange theory posits that they are motivated by the
468 International Review of Administrative Sciences 89(2)
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