The effects of perceived organizational support on employees’ sense of job insecurity in times of external threats: an empirical investigation under lockdown conditions in China

Luyang Zhou (), Shengxiao Li (), Lianxi Zhou (), Hong Tao () and Dave Bouckenooghe ()
Additional contact information
Luyang Zhou: Yuanpei College, Shaoxing University
Shengxiao Li: Shaoxing University
Lianxi Zhou: Brock University
Hong Tao: Yuanpei College, Shaoxing University
Dave Bouckenooghe: Brock University

Asian Business & Management, 2023, vol. 22, issue 4, No 13, 1567-1591

Abstract: Abstract This study examines how perceived organizational support (POS) can be leveraged to provide employees with guided responses to disruptive events. Specifically, this study addresses a previously overlooked yet practically relevant aspect of POS—its communicative role in managing employees’ feelings of job insecurity. Drawing on the social identity perspective and research on individuals’ psychological states of uncertainty, we argue that POS can have both direct and indirect influences on the sense of job insecurity in times of external threats. With this in mind, we used COVID-19 and resulting lockdowns in China as specific context examples of a disruptive event to administer a two-wave lagged survey measuring POS, perceived control, lockdown loneliness, and job insecurity. Theoretical arguments are put forward regarding organizational support for fostering individuals’ social identity and emotional well-being under deeply disruptive work situations. Overall, this study offers insights into how managers may develop risk management and organizationally adaptive practices.

Keywords: External threats; Perceived organizational support; Uncertainty; Job insecurity; Perceived control; Emotional well-being; COVID-19; China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41291-023-00219-4 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pal:abaman:v:22:y:2023:i:4:d:10.1057_s41291-023-00219-4

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.palgrave.com/gp/journal/41291

DOI: 10.1057/s41291-023-00219-4

Access Statistics for this article

Asian Business & Management is currently edited by Fabian Jintae Froese

More articles in Asian Business & Management from Palgrave Macmillan
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().