The Impact of Social Exchange on Referees’ Attitudinal Outcomes: Mediating Effect of Organizational Trust

This study examined the relationship between leader-member exchange, perceived organizational support, organizational trust, job satisfaction and career commitment among sport referees. A total of 602 Chinese referees from 14 sports were recruited to participate in an online survey. The results of SEM demonstrated that leader-member exchange was positively related to perceived organizational support among sport referees. In addition, the results indicated partial mediation of organizational trust between referees’ perceived organizational support and job satisfaction, and full mediation of organizational trust between referees’ perceived organizational support and career commitment. This study confirms the direct effects of leader-member exchange on perceived organizational support among referees and demonstrates the importance of perceived organizational support in influencing their job satisfaction and career commitment. Moreover, the study identifies the pivotal mediating role of organizational trust in the mechanism linking referees’ perceived organizational support to their attitudinal outcomes.