Perceived organizational support: An African perspective

Abstract

The study of perceived organizational support (POS) has received considerable attention in the literature. Despite the acknowledged impact of sociocultural values on organizational behaviors, there is paucity in non-Western work environments. The current study empirically examined supportive perceptions in an African context. Workers' demographic variables and consequences of POS were examined in light of their sociocultural values. POS were measured with the short version of Eisenberger et al.'s (1990) survey. Sociocultural values that explain the associations of demographic variables with psychological variables (e.g., job satisfaction, POS) were examined. Older workers, the married, relatively higher educated, satisfied workers, relatively long-tenured, and supervisors expressed greater supportive perceptions. Contrary to our expectation, female workers expressed greater supportive perceptions than did their male counterparts. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.