I-deal on my Own or with You? Researching the Influence of Social Context on the Establishment and Effects of I- deals

Idiosyncratic deals (i.e., I-deals) refer to individualized work arrangements between a focal employee and a manager (Rousseau, 2005). Drawing from the concept of reciprocity, research has shown that i-deal negotiations are positively related to a wide range of employee outcomes including voice (Ng & Feldman, 2012), work performance (Hornung, Rousseau, Weigl, Muller, & Glaser, 2013), proactive behaviors (Liu, Lee, Hui, Kwan, & Hu, 2013) and motivation to continue working after retirement (Bal, De Jong, Jansen, & Bakker, 2012). While research on I-deals grows (Bal & Rousseau, 2015), there remains important conceptual and methodological issues to be dealt with (Conway & Coyle-Shapiro, 2015). I-deals have been researched primarily as an individual phenomenon, without taking into account the role of social context, such as the team, the manager, and the general network around the focal employee. New Perspectives and Contributions In this symposium, we contribute to enhance understanding of the context in which i-deals are negotiated. In particular the symposium addresses the following themes: 1) Social processes of i-deals, 2) the role of teams and managers in i-deal negotiation, 3) reconciliation between the psychological contract literature and i-deals and 4) methodological concerns that have dominated research to date. Research and Practical Implications Following the presentations, Neil Conway, the discussant, will discuss the implications of the presentations for wider research themes involving the psychological contract literature and individualized HRM perspectives. Taken together, this symposium aims to challenge the core assumptions of i-deals theory, proposes a way forward for theory and research.