Reciprocation of perceived organizational support

Four hundred thirteen postal employees were surveyed to investigate recipro cation's role in the relationships of perceived organizational support (POS ) with employees' affective organizational commitment and job performance. The authors found that (a) POS was positively related to employees' felt ob ligation to care about the organization's welfare and to help the organizat ion reach its objectives: (b) felt obligation mediated the associations of POS with affective commitment, organizational spontaneity, and in-role perf ormances and (c) the relationship between POS and felt obligation increased with employees' acceptance of the reciprocity norm as applied to work orga nizations. Positive mood also mediated the relationships of POS with affect ive commitment and organizational spontaneity. The pattern of findings is c onsistent with organizational support theory's assumption that POS strength ens affective commitment and performance by a reciprocation process.