Refined understanding of perspectives on employee‐organization relationships

Purpose This paper aims to explore the perceptions of organizational members about employee‐organization relationships (EOR) under the globalization context. Design/methodology/approach The study used 58 qualitative interviews with both managers and employees in multinational and domestic companies in China. Findings First, the unique features of employee publics determined the nature of EOR (why and how an EOR was established) and EOR was a multi‐level (interpersonal and organizational) and multi‐dimensional (job and task related vs human and benefits oriented) concept for most organizational members. Second, the outcomes of EOR, especially trust, control mutuality, and commitment were also determined by the multi‐dimensional nature of EOR. Finally, the influencing factors on EOR can be classified into three levels: individual (such as types of employees, styles of top management), organizational (such as developmental stages and types of organizations), and macro‐environmental (such as the overall employment prospect). Originality/value This study contributes to relationship management theory by refining different dimensions of EOR in different types of organizations. It improves the understanding about employee relations and suggests useful and unique relationship cultivation strategies for EOR.