7/15/2014

Jeff Karman

Comm 35864

SOCIAL EXCHANGE THEORY

DEFINITION

Social Exchange Theory

Social exchange theory is based on building relationships between different organizations. The more
effort a person invests in a relationship, the stronger it becomes. Time and effort are the specific
currency for social exchange theory (West & Turner 2010). Jakobsen and Andersen believe that social
exchange theory is one of the best theories to map out the employer and employee relationship (2013).

Figure 1: Organization employee exchange

relation and new management initiative
(Jakobson & Anderson 63).

SOCIAL EXCHANGE IN ACTION

In a controlled experiment done by Jakobsen and Anderson, they found that social exchange theory is
evident in the workplace and specifically for employer to employee relationships (2013). In the experiment,
they hope to learn whether employee motivation is affected by managerial support. The findings of this
study are that organizational support had a positive effect on employees (Jakobsen & Anderson 2013). In
conclusion, the employee relationship with management worked with social exchange theory. Relationships
in the workplace have a currency-type value. The stronger the relationship with management, the more
confident the employee felt and the harder they worked.

IMPORTANT TERMS
Social exchange theory

Team Learning: Sharing information and

building relationships are essential
through communication. This can be
important for organization-employee
relationship, employee empowerment and
employee commitment levels to an
organization (Barker & Camarata 455).
Organizational Commitment: This is an
important
way
create
positive

relationships between the organization

and company (Tsai & Cheng 2012).
Trickle down: Open communications goes
from the top down. This can be an
important concept in social exchange
theory because the opposite bottom up
process is an important process for social
exchange (Kolk, Dolen, & Vock 2010).

Figure 2: Overview of relationships and possible relevant theories (Kolk, Dolen, & Vock 133)

BACKGROUND

Social exchange theory

Social exchange theory comes from the research
done by sociologist Richard Emerson and Karen
Cook in the 1970s and 1980s (Washington
University 1996). In their experiment, they had
112 male and female participants develop
different networks as a way of bargaining

(Washington University 1996). The initial

research was done for the fields of sociobiology
and cultural anthropology. The researchers were
able to understand how power and relationships
had an influence between individuals
(Washington University 1996).

There is a strong connection between organization relationships and social exchange theory.

References
Jakobsen, M., & Andersen, S. (2013). Intensifying social exchange relationships in public organizations:
Evidence from a randomized field experiment. Journal of Policy Analysis & Management, 32(1),
60-82.
West, R., & Turner, L. H. (2010). Introducing communication theory: Analysis and application (4th
ed.) New York: McGraw-Hill
Kolk, A., Dolen, W., & Vock, M. (2010). Trickle effects of cross-sector social partnerships. Journal of
Business Ethics, 94. 123-137.
Barker, R. T., & Camarata, M. R. (1998). The role of communication in creating and maintaining a
earning organization: Preconditions, indicators, and disciplines. Journal of Business
Communication, 35(4), 443-467.
Tsai, M., & Cheng, N. (2012). Understanding knowledge sharing between IT professionals an
integration of social cognitive and social exchange theory. Behaviour & Information
Technology, 31(11), 1069-1080.
Washington University. Social exchange theory. (1996). retrieved from:
http://www.washington.edu/research/pathbreakers/1978a.html