Exploring Gendered Effect Of Perceived Organization Support On Self-Efficacy

Abstract

To compete in an increasingly diverse and rapidly changing marketplace, organizations are attempting to bring in varied perspectives and experiences to every management challenge by ensuring diverse representation at all levels of management. Women however continue to be under-represented in managerial positions. Recent studies have suggest that Perceived Organization Support (POS) enhances psychological empowerment amongst employees that helps them to grow in their careers. Self efficacy, a correlate of psychological empowerment that involves one’s professional competence, is thus likely to play a significant role in career advancement of qualified women in organizations. Following Joan Acker (1990)’s Theory of Gendered Organizations, this research explores whether and how gender bias may still be embedded within organizational support practices like POS with respect to their impact on self efficacy amongst the managerial employees.Employing a sequential mixed methodology, data was collected in two waves. In the first phase of the study data was obtained using quantitative methods from a sample of managers (N = 294), followed by a qualitative study using in-depth interviews with 19 women professionals. The quantitative study reveals that POS impacts self efficacy of men and women in significantly different ways. Findings from the qualitative analyses draws interconnections among the intrinsic as well as socially constructed factors to make the internal mechanisms more explicit. It suggests that POS when filtered through the lens of gender identity leads to unintended effects on self efficacy and thereby lowers the sense of empowerment amongst female managerial employees. Implications of the research for both theory as well as practice are discussed.