Perceived organisational support and performance: the case of expatriate development volunteers in complex multi-stakeholder employment relationships

This article examines how and to what extent perceived organisational support from key stakeholders is associated with the performance of expatriate development volunteers in highly complex multi-stakeholder employment relationships. We studied 214 volunteer-employer-agency relationships covering 21 countries. Two forms of support were positively associated with the volunteers' performance: direct support from the host-country employer for the volunteer, and support for the host-country employer from the volunteer agency, with the latter partially mediating the former. No relationship existed between volunteers' performance and support from the volunteer agency. In term of contextual and situational factors, emotional and informational support for volunteers were perceived as strongly enabling performance, while sub-standard instrumental support was the primary inhibitor. Our findings unearth the significance of a previously invisible 'third arm' of support in triangular employment relationships in the form of volunteer agency support for the host organisation, and identify the importance of discretionary, relational and proximal support to the success of expatriate volunteer placements.