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L’objectif de cet article est d’évaluer, sur la base de la théorie de l’échange social, dans quelle mesure le soutien et la confiance envers le supérieur et l’organisation permettent d’expliquer l’influence de chacune des dimensions associées au leadership transformationnel, transactionnel et laisser-faire sur l’engagement affectif des employés. De nombreuses études montrent que ces différentes formes de leadership ont un impact important sur plusieurs attitudes et comportements des employés, mais encore très peu de chercheurs se sont intéressés aux processus par lesquels les leaders produisent de tels effets. À cet effet, nos résultats font ressortir que la confiance et le soutien constituent des mécanismes cruciaux pour expliquer l’effet du leadership sur l’engagement organisationnel des employés., Over the last few years, the transformational, transactional and laissez-faire leadership theory has attracted the attention of many researchers (Judge and Piccolo, 2004; Lowe and Gardner, 2000, Yammarino et al., 2005). Furthermore, numerous studies (Bycio, Hackett and Allen, 1995; Dumdum, Lowe and Avolio, 2002; Rafferty and Griffin, 2004; Yammarino, Spangler and Dubinsky, 1998) have shown that these three forms of leadership have a significant impact on several employee attitudes and behaviours, including affective organizational commitment, which is characterized by an individual’s emotional attachment to his company (Meyer and Allen, 1997). Nevertheless, there are still very few researchers taking an interest in the processes through which leaders can produce such effects (Bass and Riggio, 2006; Bono and Judge, 2003; Yukl, 2006). Only a few authors have tackled this problem, particularly by identifying empowerment (Avolio et al., 2004) and fairness (Pillai, Schriesheim and Williams, 1999) as mechanisms explaining the relationship between transformational leadership and employees’ affective commitment. We intend to build on these recent results in improving the understanding of this dynamic. Based on the social exchange theory (Blau, 1964), this research is aimed at exploring how supervisors can strengthen their employees’ affective commitment. More specifically, we will assess the extent to which support and trust can account for the influence of each of the dimensions associated with transformational, transactional and laissez-faire leadership has on commitment. These dimensions are: charisma, intellectual stimulation, individualized consideration, contingent reward, active management by exception, and passive avoidance. One of the primary contributions of this article resides in the fact that currently, there are still very few empirical research projects that have focussed on the effects of these dimensions on other variables, and that such research has only concentrated on the influence of global forms of leadership, and almost exclusively on the transformational form. However, recent works have indeed highlighted the importance of using specific dimensions rather than these three major forms of leadership since the later provide an imperfect and oversimplified image of all the leaders’ behaviours and potential (Antonakis, Avolio and Sivasubramaniam, 2003). In addition to filling a gap at this level, the second significant contribution of this project lies in the fact that, to our knowledge, no study has as yet validated the role of support as an intermediate mechanism lying between leadership and affective commitment. In concrete terms, we are first proposing that the charisma, intellectual stimulation, individualized consideration and contingent reward dimensions are positively related to employees’ perceived supervisor support and trust in their supervisor, whereas the active management by exception and passive avoidance dimensions are negatively related to those same two variables. Secondly, we are proposing that employees’ perceived organizational support and trust in their organization act as mediating variables between perceived supervisor support and trust in their supervisor and affective commitment, respectively. This research, which was conducted in the spring of 2004 among all the employees (excluding physicians) of a Quebec hospital center, allowed the collection of 568 questionnaires, representing a 46% response rate; 80% of the subjects in the sample were women, whose average age was 43, and who had been working in the organization for 12 years, on average. To test our hypotheses, confirmatory factorial analyses and structural equations were conducted, while controlling for gender and employment status (full time vs. part time). The results of the study indicate that only the charisma dimension seems to lead employees to trust their supervisor. This observation is particularly interesting for researchers with an interest in interpersonal trust since other studies have arrived at similar conclusions (Gillespie and Mann, 2004). However, our results indicate that charisma and contingent reward are positively related to perceived supervisor support whereas active management by exception is negatively associated to it. This observation is particularly important in that it provides responses to the theoretical arguments which were paving the way for such a possibility (Yammarino and Bass, 1990; Jung and Avolio, 2000). Lastly, this research shows that the constructs of perceived supervisor support and perceived organizational support constitute an important explanatory mechanism in the relationship between leadership and affective commitment. Trust in the organization also contributes to explaining the dynamic existing between leadership and commitment; however, it is not significantly influenced by trust in the supervisor. Our results open up several avenues of further research. Although our analyses have identified support and trust as intermediate mechanisms between leadership and commitment, other mediators could still account for this relationship. In addition to exploring this avenue, future research could simultaneously analyze the intermediate variables that have been identified to date in the literature (e.g., support, trust, fairness, empowerment) with respect to commitment, but also to other consequences which are often related to transformational and transactional leadership (e.g., satisfaction, mobilization, performance), in order to better understand their relative importance. Finally, this study has certain limitations, including the difficulty in generalizing results (sample composed of a single organization), the possible inflation of the strength of certain relationships (common variance bias) and the impossibility of inferring the causality of the observed relationships (cross-sectional design)., El objetivo de este artículo es de evaluar, sobre la base de la teoría del intercambio social, en qué medida el apoyo y la confianza hacia el superior y la organización permiten de explicar la influencia sobre el compromiso afectivo de los empleados de cada una de las dimensiones asociadas al liderazgo transformacional, transaccional y de “laisser-faire”. Numerosos estudios muestran que estas diferentes formas de liderazgo tienen un impacto importante sobre varias actitudes y comportamientos de los empleados, pero son pocos los investigadores que se interesan a los procesos por los cuales los líderes producen tales efectos. A este propósito, nuestros resultados resaltan que la confianza y el apoyo constituyen mecanismos cruciales para explicar el efecto del liderazgo sobre el compromiso organizacional de los empleados.

Cet article examine l’influence de la perception de certaines pratiques de gestion des ressources humaines sur les comportements de mobilisation des employés, au travers de deux processus d’échange sociaux distincts, employé-organisation et employé-supérieur. Les comportements de mobilisation étaient évalués par les supérieurs et toutes les autres variables par les employés. Les analyses ont été réalisées sur un échantillon de 222 employés et 38 supérieurs de commerces au détail d’une chaîne canadienne. Nous avons établi les relations à l’aide de la méthode d’équations structurelles avec LISREL. Les résultats mettent en relief le rôle fondamental de la relation d’échange social entre les employés et leur supérieur, à travers la perception de support et de l’engagement affectif orientés vers ce dernier., This article presents the results of a study highlighting the role of perceived support and affective commitment in the relationship between the perception of three human resource management practices and two types of employee mobilization behaviours, as assessed by their supervisor. This study sought to explore the relationship between skills development practices, non-monetary recognition and information sharing, on the one hand, and mobilization behaviours in two categories or “areas” of performance, that is, behaviours related to work contract compliance and those related to high job performance, on the other. The concept of mobilization behaviours and its background will be presented in detail. This concept is part of a broader model, that of mobilizing human resources, which will also be presented. In light of research advances in this field, we measured two agents of support and commitment, that is, the supervisor and the organization .We chose management practices which are used in a discretionary manner by the organization but especially by supervisors. Indeed, deliberate intervention on the part of the supervisor increases the influence of these practices on the level of support perceived by employees. The social exchange and norm of reciprocity theories were used to explain the relationships between the different variables in our model. The social exchange theory helps to explain an employee’s decision as to whether or not to contribute to the well-being of the organization in response to the exchange relationships that he or she has experienced at work. Based on the postulate of reciprocity, it is understood that employees tend to show affective commitment to the organization and the supervisor, insofar as they also perceive that the latter are committed to them. More specifically, through positive initiatives such as the implementation of human resource management practices, the organization and the supervisor foster perceived support by getting across the symbolic message to employees that they are valued and taken into consideration. In response to this perceived support, employees develop affective commitment, that is, an emotional attachment to the organization and the supervisor. It is therefore postulated that employees who perceive support from the organization and the supervisor, through the implementation of discretionary human resource practices, will feel a moral obligation to repay these benefits, by demonstrating affective commitment and adopting mobilization behaviours. In this regard, it is recognized that mobilization is above all fostered by significant reciprocity relationships which are maintained through moral and social debts. We thus studied two social exchange relationships, that between the employee and the organization, and that between the employee and the supervisor. We also hypothesize that an employee’s commitment to the supervisor will lead him or her to display a greater number of mobilization behaviours related to work contract compliance, as these behaviours are likely to be particularly beneficial to the supervisor on a day-to-day basis. In order to eliminate common variance problems, we measured the employees’ mobilization behaviours (related to work contract compliance and high job performance) through a supervisor questionnaire, and the explanatory variables through an employee questionnaire. Analyses were carried out on a sample of 222 employees and 38 supervisors in a Canadian retail chain. Relationships were determined using structural equation modelling with LISREL. We also established the discriminant validity of the constructs by comparing various measurement models using LISREL. Lastly, alternative models were developed in order to assess the mediating effects of support from and commitment to the organization and the supervisor. Our results show that a favourable perception of skills development, non-monetary recognition and information sharing was positively linked to the perception of organizational support. Of these three practices, only information sharing was not associated with the perception of organizational support through the perception of support from the supervisor. Skills development and non-monetary recognition, on the other hand, positively influenced the perception of support from the supervisor which, in turn, reinforced the perception of organizational support. The relationships between the perception of organizational support, affective organizational commitment and high job performance behaviours, as assessed, were significant, as were the relationships between the perception of support from the supervisor, affective commitment to the supervisor and behaviours related to work contract compliance and high job performance, as assessed. Lastly, the link between affective commitment to the supervisor and behaviours related to work contract compliance, as assessed, was stronger than that between affective organizational commitment and these same behaviours, as assessed. Comparing alternative models to the structural model proposed made it possible to gather evidence regarding the mediating role of affective organizational commitment and affective commitment to the supervisor in the relationship between the perception of organizational support, the perception of support from the supervisor and mobilization behaviours. We set out to assess the explanatory power of perceived support and affective commitment involved in the relationship between employees, their supervisor and the organization. Our conclusions indicate that the relationship between employees and their supervisor in the retail trade industry is significant and should be taken into consideration by organizations that wish to foster the mobilization of employees through various human resource practices. Thus, we discovered that in response to the quality of their relationship with their supervisor, employees adopt a wide range of mobilization behaviours., Este artículo examina la influencia de la percepción de ciertas prácticas de gestión de recursos humanos sobre los comportamientos de movilización de los empleados, a través de dos distintos procesos sociales de intercambio, empleado – organización y empleado – superior. Los comportamientos de movilización fueron evaluados por los superiores y todas las otras variables fueron evaluados por los empleados. Los análisis se efectuaron sobre una muestra de 222 empleados y 38 superiores de comercios de detalle de una compañía canadiense. Las relaciones se establecieron con la ayuda del método de ecuaciones estructurales con LISREL. Los resultados resaltan el rol fundamental de la relación de intercambio social entre empleados y sus respetivos superiores, mediante la percepción de apoyo y de compromiso afectivo.

La recherche étudie l’impact des changements apportés dans trois systèmes de GRH sur la variation de l’engagement affectif des employés d’un établissement de santé au Québec entre 1999 et 2002. La problématique de la recherche se base sur la théorie du contrat psychologique de Rousseau (1995), selon laquelle les changements organisationnels modifient les paramètres de la relation d’emploi, lesquels permettent d’améliorer les conditions de travail et le contrat psychologique de l’employé. À l’aide de deux échantillons comparables de 80 répondants, les résultats révèlent que les employés sont plus autonomes et peuvent davantage participer aux processus décisionnels, que les procédures sont plus impartiales et que la perception de plafonnement de carrière est moins élevée dans l’échantillon de 2002 comparativement à celui de 1999. Ces améliorations dans la gestion des ressources humaines sont accompagnées d’une faible augmentation du niveau d’engagement affectif en 2002.

En s’appuyant sur la théorie de l’échange social, cet article rend compte de l’effet médiateur des différentes formes de justice organisationnelle (distributive, procédurale, interactionnelle) dans la relation entre les pratiques en gestion des ressources humaines (GRH) inspirées du modèle de Lawler (1986) et l’engagement affectif. Les 134 répondants sont des directeurs aux services financiers d’une institution bancaire située au Québec. Des analyses de régression, effectuées selon les procédures de Kenny, Kashy et Bolger (1998), ont confirmé l’hypothèse de recherche. Ainsi, les résultats font ressortir que la perception de chacune des formes de justice organisationnelle représente une variable médiatrice essentielle pour que la mise en place des pratiques en GRH contribue efficacement au développement et à la consolidation de l’engagement des employés envers leur organisation.

Nombreuses sont les études ayant répertorié les facteurs susceptibles de favoriser l’engagement affectif des employés envers leur organisation. Toutefois, davantage de recherches sont requises afin de comprendre les mécanismes par lesquels ces facteurs agissent sur le niveau d’engagement organisationnel affectif (EOA), et de cerner dans quel contexte et sous quelles conditions leurs effets s’avèrent les plus puissants (Becker, Klein, et Meyer, 2009). La présente étude s’inscrit dans la lignée des études récentes qui visent à surmonter cette limite en investiguant l’interaction entre les facteurs organisationnels et les caractéristiques individuelles dans la prédiction de l’EOA, soutenant que des dispositions individuelles modulent les perceptions des expériences de travail, influençant par le fait même les réactions attitudinales et comportementales. Plusieurs études démontrent que le locus de contrôle, défini comme la tendance des individus à croire qu’ils contrôlent ou non leur environnement et le cours des évènements (Rotter, 1954), joue notamment un rôle sur la façon dont les individus perçoivent leur environnement. Appuyant son raisonnement sur la théorie de l’échange social (Blau, 1964) et sur le modèle de l’engagement au groupe (Tyler et Blader, 2003), l’objectif de cette étude est d’examiner l’effet de l’interaction entre le locus de contrôle (interne/externe) et les perceptions de justice procédurale ainsi que la fierté organisationnelle des employés sur leur niveau d’engagement affectif. Les résultats indiquent que le locus de contrôle exerce un effet modérateur entre l’EOA et les deux antécédents proposés. Ainsi, en vertu de la norme de réciprocité, la tendance des individus à croire que la fierté organisationnelle et la justice procédurale sont le produit de leurs actions les conduiraient à s’engager affectivement auprès de cette dernière. En plus de souligner le rôle important du locus de contrôle dans les réactions attitudinales aux facteurs organisationnels, les résultats démontrent la pertinence d’étudier l’effet modérateur d’autres traits individuels susceptibles de moduler l’adoption de certains comportements et attitudes, ce qui peut représenter un avantage pour les salariés et les dirigeants.