Why we should care about exchange relationships with coworkers as well as supervisors: Both fellow employees and the organization benefit

An integrative model of social exchange relationships was used to investigate whether coworker exchange relationships, in addition to leader-member exchange (LMX), contribute to outcomes beneficial for fellow employees and their organization. Data from university alumni showed both LMX and coworker support significantly related to perceived organizational support (POS). As predicted, LMX exhibited a stronger relationship with POS than coworker support. Furthermore, POS mediated relationships of both perceived coworker support and LMX with supervisor ratings of employees' restraint from behaviors detracting from productivity. Only coworker support related to supervisor ratings of altruistic behaviors. Thus, perceived coworker support may play an important role in contributing to positive attitudes about the organization, help given coworkers and restraint from behaviors that detract from productivity.