An examination of the relationship between Grey Swan disruptions, job attitudes, organization identification and employee productivity

Purpose This study aims to apply social exchange theory to examine the mediating and moderating effects of job attitudes and organization identification on the relationship between Grey Swan disruptions and employee productivity. Design/methodology/approach This conceptual work presents a new perspective on Grey Swan events and contributes to the Organizational Behavior and Operations and Supply Chain Management literature. Findings This paper posits that Grey Swans, which are low probability-high negative events, can impact employees’ work productivity. Practical implications Leaders and top management should examine their operations to anticipate Grey Swans and mitigate their effects on employee productivity. Originality/value This study introduces the Grey Swan construct. This study presents a conceptual model to illustrate how job engagement and job satisfaction mediate the effects of Grey Swan events on employee productivity. It also proposes that organizational resilience moderates the effects of Grey Swan events on perceived organizational support (POS), and that organizational identification moderates the effect of POS on employee productivity.