How Dispositional Gratitude Shapes Employee Well-being and Organizational Commitment: The Mediating Roles of Leader-Member Exchange and Coworker Exchange

Abstract

Dispositional gratitude has recently emerged as a variable of interest in organizational contexts. However, it remains unclear whether dispositional gratitude is predictive of employee well-being, with limited theoretical and empirical elucidation of the underlying mechanisms. To address these limitations, the present study investigated dispositional gratitude as a predictor of employee well-being and organizational commitment. Drawing on the broaden-and-build theory of positive affect, the study also examined whether the social bonding resources of leader-member exchange (LMX) and coworker exchange (CWX) mediated these effects. The participating employees ( N = 300) completed the survey in three waves at one-week intervals. The results of structural equation modeling (SEM) confirm that dispositional gratitude is positively related to employee well-being and organizational commitment and that these effects are mediated by LMX and CWX. The paper concludes by discussing the theoretical and practical implications of these findings, the study’s limitations, and future research directions.

Association of Gratitude With Individual and Organizational Outcomes Among Volunteers: An Application of Broaden-and-Build Theory of Positive Emotions

“…For example, gratitude helps to increase individuals' mindfulness-the state of open and receptive attention to their present reality, which promotes life satisfaction (Xiang & Yuan, 2021). Gratitude is positively associated with organizational commitment through leader-member exchange and coworker exchange (Zhao et al, 2023).…”

“…This theory posits that positive emotions broaden individuals’ positive thought–action repertoires, thus widening the array of their thoughts and actions; this, in turn, facilitates the development of physical, psychological, and social resources. Through the application of this theory, several studies have investigated how gratitude assists individuals in expanding their thoughts and actions and developing resources, such as life satisfaction and organizational commitment, that are relevant at the individual and organizational levels (Chang et al, 2022; Kaniuka et al, 2021; Zhao et al, 2023). For example, gratitude helps to increase individuals’ mindfulness—the state of open and receptive attention to their present reality, which promotes life satisfaction (Xiang & Yuan, 2021).…”

“…The association between gratitude and subjective well-being (e.g., life satisfaction and positive affect) has been widely reported (Xiang & Yuan, 2021; Yang et al, 2021). Gratitude is positively associated with organizational commitment and negatively with employee turnover intention (Garg et al, 2021; Zhao et al, 2023).…”

Trait gratitude and subjective career success: the mediating roles of growth mindset and network breadth

“…In particular, the breadth of networks refers to the extent of social networks built by employees within and outside the organization (Eby et al, 2003). Previous studies have mainly focused on social networks within the organization and how leader-member exchange and coworker exchange relationships are influenced by trait gratitude (Li et al, 2022;Zhao et al, 2023). In this study, we include both internal and external networks to more comprehensively represent the breadth of the network.…”

E‐trading and services quality effects on stock exchange in a developing country: A study of Dhaka stock exchange

“…Regulatory bodies strongly influence customer satisfaction, and warehouse measurement has the most negligible impact. (Zhao et al, 2022)Traditional and modern markets were found to have positive and significant relationships between market conduct variables. DSE participants also face a variety of obstacles, such as the impossibility of storing goods, the lack of financing, and the inconveniences associated with transportation (Davison et al, 2013).…”