Can Perceived Organizational Support Act as a Social Resource? An Analysis from the Perspective of Conservation of Resources Theory

This paper reports an empirical study in which perceived organizational support is

considered as a social resource in a stress model conceived within the perspective of

Conservation of Resources theory. A study conducted among 181 employees and their

supervisors reveals that role stressors impact work outcomes through perceptions of

anticipated or actual resource loss and lack of resource gains. Moreover, perceived

organizational support exerts a moderating effect in the relationships between resource

loss and lack of resource gains and emotional exhaustion, affective commitment, and

job performance. We discuss the implications of these findings for our understanding of

the psychological mechanisms associated with perceived organizational support.