Date of Award
Fall 2024
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)
Committee Chair
Christine Sutton
Abstract
Since Covid-19 pushed workers out of traditional offices and into a remote setting, many have encouraged continuation of its practice post-pandemic. Academic literature reports that employees are happier working remotely and that organizations can benefit from their outcomes. This potential mutual benefit has led some researchers to posit that social exchange theory (SET) may be explain the relationship. To determine if SET is situationally descriptive, this research includes two studies. The first study investigates whether remote workers report higher SET traits than their counterparts in traditional offices. The study used a survey from a representative sample and found that remote workers actually report lower levels of SET traits than non-remote workers. The second study investigates whether companies that employ remote workers experience enhanced financial benefits. Using the S&P 500 as a sample, the study found that total revenue growth was inversely related to remote work and all other measures of financial benefit were insignificant. The study ultimately finds that social exchange theory does not explain the remote worker and management relationship. It fills a gap in remote work research by testing SET principles and finding it situationally absent. Future research should determine why remote work is inversely related to total revenue.
Recommended Citation
Mise, Christopher, "Remote Work, Social Exchange Theory, and Firm Performance" (2024). Doctor of Business Administration Dissertations. 11.
https://digitalcommons.gardner-webb.edu/business-dissertations/11
Creative Commons License
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