ABSTRACT
This chapter explores concept of idiosyncratic-deals (i-deals) under the microscope and reviews its definition, theory, and empirical evidence with the motivation of provoking debate about this intriguing idea. It also reviews the current state of i-deals research and then gauges the extent to which it has captured researchers' interest. The chapter highlights confusing aspects of i-deals definition and critique its features. It assesses the theoretical mechanisms linking i-deals to putative outcomes and considers whether i-deals offer a novel lens to understand the employee—organization relationship. The chapter focuses on three features that follow clearly from inspecting the definitions: i-deals are individually explicitly negotiated; beneficial to parties; and nonstandard, idiosyncratic bargains that range in scope of content and vary across employees. It also highlights some critical inconsistencies and ambiguities across definitions. The chapter identifies problems with the ways i-deals have been measured and raise issues about the research designs used in empirical studies.
