Navigating the Balance: How ‘I-Deals’ Mediate the Impact of Supervisor Emotional Support on Academicians’ Performance in Higher Education Institutions

This study based on conservation of resources (COR) theory aims to explore how supportive supervisors can significantly enhance the personal and professional performance of employees through idiosyncratic deals (I-deals). Furthermore, the study examines how a supervisor’s perception of a family-friendly environment and potential gender differences may moderate these effects. A two-way survey was conducted among 349 respondents (291 academicians and 58 supervisors) in higher education institutions (HEIs), and separate questionnaires were designed for the faculty members and supervisors, respectively. The mediation and moderation mediation hypotheses were tested using structural equation modelling. The results indicated that ‘I-deals’ negotiation plays a mediating positive effect on the relationship between the supervisors’ emotional support and professional performance. Additionally, gender significantly moderates the relationship between a supervisor’s emotional support and employees’ personal performance via I-deals. This empirical study provides initial evidence that idiosyncratic deals mediate the relationship between supervisors’ emotional support and workers’ professional performance. The study also reveals that gender moderates this mediation effect positively, particularly affecting the relationship between the supervisors’ emotional support and family performance through I-deals. Specifically, males may derive greater benefits in personal domains when utilizing these arrangements. Further, the research significantly contributes to the COR theory by specifying I-deals negotiations as a mechanism linking supervisors’ support and professional performance.