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Abstract
The current study examines the relationship between idiosyncratic deals (i-deals), gender, organizational structure and career outcomes for men and women. Drawing upon role congruity theory, the ideal worker norm, and work-family policy literature, I test an experimental 2 (i-deal request, no i-deal request) x 2 (male employee, female employee) x 2 (flexible, structured) between-subjects design, examining the outcomes of perceived affective organizational commitment, perceived leadership potential and expectations of future performance. There were significant relationships between i-deal request and affective commitment and leadership potential, such that those who requested the i-deal were rated significantly lower on their organizational commitment and leadership potential. There was no significant interaction between i-deal request and gender nor i-deal request and type of organization. This study corroborates past literature, advances the i-deal literature, and has implications for how use of flexible work place policies negatively impacts career outcomes for employees.