Perceived organizational support as the mediator of the relationships between high-performance work practices and counter-productive work behavior: evidence from airline industry

In light of Signaling theory, this study investigates the mediating role of perceived organizational support (POS) in the relationship between high-performance work practices (HPWPs) and counterproductive work behavior (CWB). Judgmental sample of flight attendants in Iran was used to asses this relationship. The results of multiple regression analysis indicate that empowerment, reward and promotion as indicators of HPWPs are negatively related to CWB. Further, the results support the mediating role of POS in this relationship. Specifically, results indicate that POS acts as the partial mediator in the relationships between empowerment, reward and CWB. Moreover, results support full mediating role of POS in the relationships between promotion and CWB. This study advances our understanding of organizational level antecedents of CWB and mediating role of POS as the social mechanism through which HPWPs predict employees’ behavioral outcomes.