China Europe International Business School (CEIBS), China
Idiosyncratic deals (i-deals) significantly influence personalized employment arrangements and organizational behaviors. This study presents a meta-analytic review of the antecedents and consequences of i-deals, synthesizing data from 108 independent samples across 122 studies with 82,814 participants. Using social exchange theory (SET), we analyze 15 antecedents, including demographic characteristics, individual differences, leadership, and organizational contexts, and 16 outcomes, encompassing behaviors at work, self-perceptions, organizational perceptions, and the work–family interface. Our findings show that 26 out of 31 relationships are statistically significant, highlighting the strong association between i-deals and most antecedents and outcomes. Moderation analysis reveals significant differences across eight causal i-deal relationships in Eastern, Western, and multicultural contexts, with minimal effects from unidimensional and multidimensional measures. The findings also indicate that leader–member exchange (LMX) is both a primary antecedent and an outcome of i-deals, while justice is a significant outcome, offering deeper insights into the causal dynamics involved. Meta-analytic structural equation modeling demonstrates that LMX enhances in-role performance and perceived organizational support while reducing turnover intention through i-deals. These results emphasize the need for further research on team-level i-deals and the differentiation of i-deal types, providing valuable insights for both academics and practitioners.
