I-deals and employee well-being: Examining i-deals from JD-R perspective

The overarching aim of this chapter is to explore the association of i-deals with employee well-being from a resource-based perspective. Through the adoption and the implementation of Job Demands-Resources (i.e. JD-R) theory, we argue that i-deals may be conceptualized as resources to counter the job demands experienced in everyday work settings. More specifically, we argue that employees create job resources through idiosyncratic arrangements with the organization, as a response to job demands from the environment, by increasing person-organization and person-job fit. This chapter contributes to the debates on the literature of i-deals in examining i-deals through different theoretical lenses. In doing so, this chapter examines the different theoretical perspectives on i-deals, starting from reciprocity-based views on i-deals, moving towards signalling perspectives, and finally examining the resource-based view on i-deals with an emphasis on person-organization fit and JD-R theory. Thus, this chapter offers an evolutionary angle to our understanding of how i-deals unfold in organizations.