Relative deprivation, perceived status conflict and innovative behavior of outsourced employees: multiple moderating effects of dual organizational support
ISSN: 0048-3486
Article publication date: 4 April 2022
Issue publication date: 15 May 2023
Abstract
Purpose
How to manage outsourced employees in interorganizational teams with triangular relationships has not yet attracted enough attention. Based on relative deprivation theory, this study explores how relative deprivation affects outsourced employees’ innovative behavior and investigates the complex moderating effects of dual organizational support.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors tested their hypothesis by conducting a two-wave survey; responses to a questionnaire were collected from 283 outsourced employees and their managers among 52 client organizations.
Findings
Results found that relative deprivation negatively influences the outsourced employees’ innovative behavior by eliciting their perceptions of status conflict. Support from client (supplier) organization attenuates (aggravates) the positive impact of relative deprivation on innovative behavior throughout status conflict. The moderating effect of client organizational support was moderated by support from supplier organization.
Research limitations/implications
The authors selected the outsourced employees in a Chinese context to conduct this study, and the results need to be generalized in future research.
Practical implications
Client organizational support can alleviate the negative effect of relative deprivation on outsourced employees, whereas supplier organization support aggravates the negative effect; managers should pay attention to the different effects of the two organizations’ support and provide reasonable support for outsourced employees.
Originality/value
This study identified the mechanism of relative deprivation’s effect on outsourced employees’ innovative behavior from the perspective of interpersonal interaction and compared the effect of support from dual organizations. This study expands the research on triangular relationships, relative deprivation, status conflict and other field.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This research project is supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China [71832003]; National Natural Science Foundation of Youth [71902037, 72002072]; the Humanities and Social Sciences Youth Project of the Ministry of Education [19YJC630106].The authors thank the editor, Professor Eddy Ng and anonymous reviewers for their valuable and helpful comments and suggestions on the revision of the manuscript.
Citation
Wang, P., Qin, C. and Liu, S. (2023), "Relative deprivation, perceived status conflict and innovative behavior of outsourced employees: multiple moderating effects of dual organizational support", Personnel Review, Vol. 52 No. 4, pp. 1071-1093. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-04-2021-0280
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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