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What Does Your I-deal Say About Me? A Social Comparison Examination of Coworker Reactions to Flexibility I-deals

Author

Listed:
  • Thomas van Waeyenberg

    (Department of Organisation, Open Universiteit, Heerlen)

  • Lieven Brebels

    (KU Leuven - Catholic University of Leuven = Katholieke Universiteit Leuven)

  • Sophie de Winne

    (KU Leuven - Catholic University of Leuven = Katholieke Universiteit Leuven)

  • Elise Marescaux

    (LEM - Lille économie management - UMR 9221 - UA - Université d'Artois - UCL - Université catholique de Lille - ULCO - Université du Littoral Côte d'Opale - Université de Lille - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

Abstract

We focus on the implications of flexibility i-deals, that is, individually negotiated employment conditions regarding when, where and/or how to work, for i-dealers' coworkers. Drawing on social comparison theory, we examine how coworkers' attributions regarding the basis for flexibility i-deals (i.e., needs or performance) and perceptions of procedural fairness concerning the allocation of flexibility i-deals predict the display of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) via feelings of competence. The results, based on two independent and complementary studies ( n 1 =260; n 2 =211), are consistent with our hypothesized moderated-mediation model. Whereas need attributions are positively related to competence feelings and subsequent OCB, performance attributions are negatively related to these variables. The effects are more pronounced at high than at low levels of procedural fairness. This suggests that fair procedures do not always benefit coworker reactions as they can enlarge the negative impact of performance attributions on feelings of competence and subsequent OCB. Furthermore, we provide evidence for the explanatory mechanisms by revealing that the attribution (needs vs. performance) drives opposing social comparisons (downward vs. upward, respectively) and that procedural fairness can increase coworkers' felt personal accountability for these comparisons, thereby triggering a matching emotional response. Our results show that flexibility i-deals can have a bright side, but also a dark side, depending upon the basis and fairness of the allocation. As such, they enrich the academic conversation about the effectiveness of flexibility i-deals and guide practitioners.

Suggested Citation

  • Thomas van Waeyenberg & Lieven Brebels & Sophie de Winne & Elise Marescaux, 2023. "What Does Your I-deal Say About Me? A Social Comparison Examination of Coworker Reactions to Flexibility I-deals," Post-Print hal-04133806, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04133806
    DOI: 10.1177/10596011221076637
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-04133806v1
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. repec:hal:journl:hal-02116097 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Dejun Tony Kong & Violet T. Ho & Sargam Garg, 2020. "Employee and Coworker Idiosyncratic Deals: Implications for Emotional Exhaustion and Deviant Behaviors," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 164(3), pages 593-609, July.
    3. Elise Marescaux & Sophie De Winne & Luc Sels, 2019. "Idiosyncratic Deals from a Distributive Justice Perspective: Examining Co-workers’ Voice Behavior," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 154(1), pages 263-281, January.
    4. Rosseel, Yves, 2012. "lavaan: An R Package for Structural Equation Modeling," Journal of Statistical Software, Foundation for Open Access Statistics, vol. 48(i02).
    5. Elise Marescaux & Sophie de Winne & Lieven Brebels, 2021. "Putting the Pieces Together: A Review of HR Differentiation Literature and a Multilevel Model," Post-Print hal-03268958, HAL.
    6. Elise Marescaux & Sophie de Winne & Yasin Rofcanin, 2019. "Co-worker reactions to i-deals through the lens of social comparison: The role of fairness and emotions," Post-Print hal-02511332, HAL.
    7. Yasin Rofcanin & Aykut Berber & Elise Marescaux & P. Matthijs Bal & Farooq Mughal & Mine Afacan Findikli, 2019. "Human resource differentiation: A theoretical paper integrating co‐workers' perspective and context," Post-Print hal-02116109, HAL.
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    1. Maithily R & Devi Soumyaja, 2025. "Can Women Thrive in a Predominantly Male Environment? Examining the Perception of Women in I-deal Negotiation," Business Perspectives and Research, , vol. 13(4), pages 541-560, October.
    2. Sergio López Bohle & Maria José Chambel & Yannick Griep & Felipe Muñoz Medina & Hugo Zúñiga Quijada, 2024. "Are Both I-Deals? The Mediating Role of I-Task and I-Incentive in the Relationship between Supervisor Support and Employees’ Silence and Voice," SAGE Open, , vol. 14(2), pages 21582440241, June.

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