Psychological Contracts Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
In the manifold excesses of current Anglo-American managerial praxis, from short-term time horizons, grossly distorted expressions of managerial prerogatives and remuneration rationales and a calculated brutality far in excess of any... more
In the manifold excesses of current Anglo-American managerial praxis, from short-term time horizons, grossly distorted expressions of managerial prerogatives and remuneration rationales and a calculated brutality far in excess of any Human Relations sensitivity, the need to inflate shareholder perceptions of the "bottom line" has led to a managerial immorality that staggers many ethical and stakeholders' boundaries. Post Enron, Tyco and others, can much change? Are all senior managers doomed to the moral/ethical vacuum of the "bottom line"? With remuneration packages deliberately focused around an economic-rationalist "brutality," what reflective space, what discourse allows and enables moments of remorse/regret and accommodates the inevitable need for personal accountability and attempts at restitution? Is it merely recourse to recalcitrant legal/governance codes that provides for accounting for managerial incompetence and ideologized greed? How will management discourse remember the current regressive nature of managerial behaviour? How will Knowledge Management, in full flight with rhetoric about the importance of Tacit Knowledge, deal with organizational incompetence?
Psychological contracts are dynamic, continually developing through authoritative encounters. They fundamentally highlight people convection structures of what is relied upon to happen in the association and what is anticipated from them.... more
Psychological contracts are dynamic, continually developing through authoritative encounters. They fundamentally highlight people convection structures of what is relied upon to happen in the association and what is anticipated from them. They give a feeling of control and can impact the worker's future in an association, since representatives are a gathering to the agreement, and can pick to make their commitments. It builds the assurance by making in workers - a feeling of consistency, professional stability and control. It spins around the value impression of the effort–reward relationship, in this way concentrating on correspondence.
The aims is to consider the political and ethical challenges involved in conducting ethnographic managerial/organisational behaviour research within the highly regulated health and social care context, in light of the emergence of more... more
The aims is to consider the political and ethical challenges involved in conducting ethnographic managerial/organisational behaviour research within the highly regulated health and social care context, in light of the emergence of more stringent "ethical approval" policies and requirements set by Local Research Ethics Committees in the United Kingdom. In the attempt and requirement to protect "vulnerable" employees, this paper aims to present an unintended paradox of consequences when participants voluntarily revealed themselves. The authors briefly review literature on research ethics and present an understanding of the ethical regulations currently existing within the British National Health Service. Within an ethnographic case study exploring the psychological contract, the authors consider the issues that arose during one stage of data collection: a qualitative questionnaire survey with 13 participants, including members of the lead author's team. Incorpo...
The objective of this study is to address the questions related to the determinants of job performance and to test the moderating role of psychological contract between employee engagement and job satisfaction. The study followed a... more
The objective of this study is to address the questions related to the determinants of job performance and to test the moderating role of psychological contract between employee engagement and job satisfaction. The study followed a quantitative cross-sectional design to examine the relationship between the variables. A sample size of 1000 members from 20 automobile companies from Uttarakhand state was used. Substantiating the role of social exchange theory, the study results indicate that employee engagement and job satisfaction significantly contribute to job performance in the automobile sector. The moderating effect of psychological contract also reports partial mediation among employee engagement and job satisfaction on job performance. The research delivers valuable insight to managers and leaders about the significance of employee-engagement, job-satisfaction, and psychological contracts to ensure better job performance in the automobile manufacturing sectors.
Reconhecido como um conceito central para a compreensão do campo de estudos do comportamento organizacional, o contrato psicológico de trabalho é um tópico de ampla tradição de pesquisa no cenário internacional, mas ainda pouco estudado... more
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand the psychological contract from the employers’ perspective, by examining violations where the employer rather than employee is the victim, an issue that has so far seldom been... more
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand the psychological contract from the employers’
perspective, by examining violations where the employer rather than employee is the victim, an issue
that has so far seldom been addressed in extant psychological contract research.
Design/methodology/approach – Small business owners are studied using qualitative interviews,
incorporating critical incidents technique. Interview transcriptions have been analysed using template
analysis.
Findings – The analysis reveals the significant disruption and damage caused by these incidents,
with employers involving other employees in their response as they set about the essential repair work
required. Employers actively mobilised shared understandings at the normative level of the group,
reinforcing and sometimes renegotiating the employee obligations, as they seek to reaffirm their
authority in the eyes of all of their employees. This response reflects the collective psychological
contracts the employer holds with each of their employees and their concerns to limit the
fall-out/damage when one employee commits a violation.
Research limitations/implications – The focus on small firms limits the generality of the findings
with further research needed both in smaller and larger organisations to explore how organisational
size impacts upon the processes identified, and the effect such incidents have when the organisation is
represented by agents such as supervisors or managers. This calls for more in-depth qualitative
research in order to explore the highly nuanced experiences of employers and their representatives.
The implications of the findings suggest the value of more explicit communication of employee
obligations to prevent future psychological contract violation, and the role other employees may
usefully play in this process.
Originality/value – This paper contributes to the much-neglected study of employers’ experiences
of psychological contract violations committed by their employees
Research on the effects of workplace bullying has concentrated on direct negative attitudinal employee responses, typically ignoring the cognitive mechanisms underlying this link. We integrate social exchange and attribution theories to... more
Research on the effects of workplace bullying has concentrated on direct negative attitudinal employee responses, typically ignoring the cognitive mechanisms underlying this link. We integrate social exchange and attribution theories to propose and test a model wherein the link between workplace bullying and job and life satisfaction is explained by a breach of the psychological contract, i.e., employee beliefs that the organization failed to meet its commitments towards them. In two studies, we tested our hypotheses with experimental data from 69 business students and field data from 275 employees in France and Greece, respectively. Results from our experimental study revealed that bullying causes psychological contract breach. Study 2 replicated the findings in a field setting and found that psychological contract breach mediated the main effect of workplace bullying on job and life satisfaction. Interestingly, our results from moderated mediation analysis of Study 2 also showed that the effects of bullying are strongest for older women. We discuss theoretical and practical implications for literatures on workplace bullying and the psychological contract.
This study explores the relationship between organizational red tape and work alienation. While bureaucratic controls have long been considered sources of worker detachment, the relationship between red tape and managerial alienation has... more
This study explores the relationship between organizational red tape and work alienation. While bureaucratic controls have long been considered sources of worker detachment, the relationship between red tape and managerial alienation has not been explicitly tested. When managers encounter rules, regulations, or procedures that seem pointless yet burdensome, these encounters may simultaneously trigger the key psychological ingredients of alienationpowerlessness and meaninglessness. These in turn are expected to reduce organizational commitment, job involvement, and job satisfaction, alienation indicators used in this study. To test these expectations, the study uses data from the National Administrative Studies Project (NASP-II). NASP-II surveyed managers in state health and human service agencies, producing a response rate of approximately 53 percent. Statistical analyses indicate that perceived personnel red tape is a consistently negative and statistically significant influence in all alienation models. Perceived organizational red tape is statistically significant and negative in all but the job involvement model. Other bureaucratic control mechanisms included in the models also appear to be sources of alienation, including centralization and technology routineness. However, formalization appears to be a mitigating, not exacerbating, influence on alienation. Considered together, these results suggest that red tape and other forms of bureaucratic control have adverse effects on the psychological attachment felt by public managers to their workplace.
The first part of the title of this paper refers to a comment Lord Mark makes to Milly Theale, the heroine of Henry James’ novel, The Wings of the Dove. Lord Mark’s remark aptly summarizes one of the central themes of the story: exchange.... more
The first part of the title of this paper refers to a comment Lord Mark makes to Milly Theale, the heroine of Henry James’ novel, The Wings of the Dove. Lord Mark’s remark aptly summarizes one of the central themes of the story: exchange. Rather than purely economic transactions, exchanges occur within the context of (personal) relationships. Nobody performs a good deed without the expectation of receiving a benefit. The characters act out of self-interest instead of mutual friendship. The notable exception is Milly, who willingly shares her fortune and herself. Although Milly knows that exchange predominates among her acquaintances as a method of establishing and of maintaining relationships—indeed, as relationships—she refuses to behave similarly. Her refusal to join in this tactic becomes a powerful form of resistance. Ultimately, the mercenary tendencies of Merton Densher yield to the unselfishness he sees in Milly. This lesson prevents the pairing of Kate and Densher from succeeding.
This study aims to explore the contribution of psychological contract and psychological empowerment towards employee engagement with in Indian IT sector. Research hypotheses were evaluated using multiple regression analysis. Findings... more
This study aims to explore the contribution of psychological contract and psychological empowerment towards employee engagement with in Indian IT sector. Research hypotheses were evaluated using multiple regression analysis. Findings indicated that both the variables i.e. psychological contract and psychological empowerment are crucial drivers for employee engagement in IT sector with employees feeling more connected with the organization when drawing a positive psychological contract from it and believed to be empowered from it and its members. In the end, managerial implications for fostering psychological contract and psychological empowerment are provided and suitable avenues for future research are suggested.
In recent years, scholars have increasingly recognized that the theoretical underpinnings of employee-organization relationships (EOR) are in need of further extension in light of recent organizational changes. In prior research, the... more
In recent years, scholars have increasingly recognized that the theoretical underpinnings of employee-organization relationships (EOR) are in need of further extension in light of recent organizational changes. In prior research, the study of EOR has been based on social exchange theory, and the psychological contract (PC) has played a central role in understanding this crucial aspect of organizational life. The main objective of this paper is to provide an integration of the existing literature by adopting a multiple-foci exchange relationships approach. Specifically, we looked at identification; the quality of relationships and exchanges with the leader, coworkers, and other organizational agents; justice perceptions involving several organizational sources; and perceived organizational, leader, and coworker support to expand our understanding of the PC. Overall, we advocate a multiple-foci exchange relationships approach that will ultimately enable us to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the complex nature of PCs in 21st century organizations.
This research study aims to explore the effects of the psychological contract on organizational citizenship behaviour. Specifically, whether there is a relationship between the psychological contract (transactional and relational) on... more
This research study aims to explore the effects of the psychological contract on organizational citizenship behaviour. Specifically, whether there is a relationship between the psychological contract (transactional and relational) on organizational citizenship behaviour among employees. The objective of this study is to identify whether there is a difference between employees perceiving a relational contract or transactional contract and if their orientation affects the behaviour they exhibit towards the organization. The importance of organizational citizenship behaviour has been well documented in relation to organizational effectiveness.
This research was conducted with the use of primary data. Questionnaires were given to 75 respondents, male and female, in managerial and non-managerial positions. The questionnaire was designed to identify employee’s orientation of their psychological contract and in general to explore if they exhibited organization citizenship behaviour. The questionnaire contained 20 questions, of which 15 questions tapped into both transactional and relational items as well as organizational citizenship behaviour.
The hypothesis was statistically tested with the use of several tests in order to decide whether the null hypothesis would be rejected or accepted. Findings suggest that there is a significant relationship in terms of psychological contract orientation and organizational citizenship behaviour. The study revealed that the relational psychological contract had a large and significant relationship with the exhibition of organizational citizenship behaviour. Whereas the transactional orientation of the psychological contract had a non-significant, low contribution towards organizational citizenship behaviour. Thus the null hypothesis was rejected, accepting the alternative hypothesis, which states that there is a significant relationship in the psychological contracts on organizational citizenship behaviour.
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If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information.
Purpose-The exploratory study investigates the human resource practices that influence employee retention, employing the case study of Albukhary International University (AIU). Design/methodology/approach-Using a non-probability sampling... more
Purpose-The exploratory study investigates the human resource practices that influence employee retention, employing the case study of Albukhary International University (AIU). Design/methodology/approach-Using a non-probability sampling technique, particularly, 123 convenience sampling, the researchers conducted six intensive individual depth interviews (IDIs) from the academics of AIU, Kedah, Malaysia. Finding-Employing content analysis of rich qualitative data, the results from the intensive IDIs led to some revelations, that in order to encourage employee retention, six recommendations should be considered; organisational strategy, career development, benefits (indirect and non-financial), convenience, organisational commitment, work experience, and fit with Job. The study also proposes that University should place emphasis on psychological contract which can directly lead to improvement in employee engagement. Implications-Several implications from the research were discussed. Value/ originality-This study is the first of its kind critically investigating the aspects of employee retention, employee engagement and psychological aspects at AIU in particular and the context of the Private Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Malaysia at the larger scale. The findings trigger more research interests among the current and future scholars who might be interested in this field.
The definition and descriptions of "house" and "house society" introduced by Claude Lévi-Strauss are not as straightforward and unproblematic as he might have believed, as subsequent scholarship has shown. His failure to develop this... more
The definition and descriptions of "house" and "house society" introduced by Claude Lévi-Strauss are not as straightforward and unproblematic as he might have believed, as subsequent scholarship has shown. His failure to develop this model in any detailed case study left nagging questions unresolved. Furthermore, his intention to utilize the house as a new social structural "type" alongside clan, lineage, and family reveals a notable flaw in his conception, for in his own discussions he eschews the simple classification of societies according to rules that arrange people into corporate descent groups, and the "house" is considered too variable a category to serve classification purposes. Nevertheless, aspects of his notions of house and house societies have proven so intriguing as to tempt other ethnographers to develop and clarify them. In the process, his definition of the house as an organizational institution found in some societies at a certain level of political-economic complexity has been increasingly abandoned, while the symbolic or fetishistic portions of his model have tended to be highlighted in studies that see in the house a new means for elucidating social group relations that may have universal applications. These critiques and the subsequent reconceptualizing of the Lévi-Straussian house are reviewed in this chapter, but it concludes with a call to return to his original formulation (although not the static notion of a classificatory type). Lévi-Strauss's definition and characterization emphasized the materiality, locality, and duration of the house along with the use of the "language of kinship and affinity" to bind its members and to perpetuate the estate from which their identity was derived. In addition to focusing on kinship in terms of practice, discourse, and negotiation rather than as rules to be obeyed, and on the long-term outcomes of strategic decisions and actions rather than idealized characterizations of social groupings, Lévi-Strauss recognized in the house a societal configuration probably common in the past but now on the verge of extinction. This distinction should not be lost; indeed, comparing the role of kinship past and present adds immeasurably to our understanding of social organization.
In a comprehensive examination of whether the Big Five personality traits could be used to predict transactional and relational contracts, the current study aimed to investigate the moderating effects of uncertainty avoidance on the... more
In a comprehensive examination of whether the Big Five personality traits could be used to predict transactional and relational contracts, the current study aimed to investigate the moderating effects of uncertainty avoidance on the relation between the personality traits of employees and their formed psychological contracts with respective employers. Time-lagged data were obtained from 469 respondents representing the public and private sector employees of Pakistan in order to ensure theoretical generalizability. Transactional contracts were found to be positively predicted by Openness to Experience, Conscientiousness and Neuroticism whereas these contracts were negatively predicted by Extraversion and Agreeableness. On the other hand, relational contracts were positively predicted by Extraversion and Agreeableness and negatively predicted by Openness to Experience, Conscientiousness and Neuroticism. Uncertainty avoidance was found to affect the relation between Agreeableness and relational contracts. Implications, limitations and future directions are also discussed.
This paper grew out of the observation that there is little evidence as to whether the changes happening within the New Public Management paradigm and entrepreneurial orientation adversely or positively affect Portuguese academics’ work... more
This paper grew out of the observation that there is little evidence as to whether the changes happening within the New Public Management paradigm and entrepreneurial orientation adversely or positively affect Portuguese academics’ work and careers. Using Psychological Contract as a framework to characterize and explain the relationship between employer and employee, we have conducted six exploratory interviews with academics working in a public higher education institution. According to the interviewees, the university is not fulfilling its side of the deal. They describe the main perceived breached contents and report episodes of organizational (in)justice, as well as an unprecedented degree of peer competitiveness and increasing individualism.
Reconhecido como um conceito central para a compreensao do campo de estudos do comportamento organizacional, o contrato psicologico de trabalho e um topico de ampla tradicao de pesquisa no cenario internacional, mas ainda pouco estudado... more
Reconhecido como um conceito central para a compreensao do campo de estudos do comportamento organizacional, o contrato psicologico de trabalho e um topico de ampla tradicao de pesquisa no cenario internacional, mas ainda pouco estudado no Brasil. O presente artigo discute o conceito de contrato psicologico e comenta a producao academica nacional sob a forma de teses de doutorado, monografias e dissertacoes disponiveis no portal da CAPES, bibliotecas e nos curriculos do CNPq. Os resultados obtidos indicam que a producao em relacao aos contratos psicologicos no Brasil e recente, embora a expressao tenha sido cunhada desde a decada de 1960. Alem disso, as investigacoes se iniciam com a combinacao do contrato psicologico com outros temas correlatos, de maneira que so nos ultimos quatro anos o construto aparece como tema principal de pesquisas. O crescimento tem sido evidenciado particularmente entre autores da Administracao, acompanhando a tendencia internacional de perceber os contra...
UMI, ProQuest ® Dissertations & Theses. The world's most comprehensive collection of dissertations and theses. Learn more... ProQuest, Organizational citizenship behavior and its antecedents: A comparison of... more
UMI, ProQuest ® Dissertations & Theses. The world's most comprehensive collection of dissertations and theses. Learn more... ProQuest, Organizational citizenship behavior and its antecedents: A comparison of traditional and contingent workers. ...
My Awakening: How I came to see the Text Jeffrey Ross, who teaches English at a College in Arizona, explains how he learned to see the Text I have developed a frightening, yet powerful awareness. I now stand, mannequin-like, in the store... more
My Awakening: How I came to see the Text Jeffrey Ross, who teaches English at a College in Arizona, explains how he learned to see the Text I have developed a frightening, yet powerful awareness. I now stand, mannequin-like, in the store window of life, grimly watching the Textdriven crowds shuffle down the sidewalk, drifting into the distance, subsiding into the horizon.
This study aims to determine the effect of psychological contracts as a mediator in the relationship between supervisor support, organizational trust and workplace deviant behaviour. For this purpose, a total of 350 lecturers in seven... more
This study aims to determine the effect of psychological contracts as a mediator in the relationship between supervisor support, organizational trust and workplace deviant behaviour. For this purpose, a total of 350 lecturers in seven Private Higher Education Institutions (IPTS) around Selangor and Kuala Lumpur were selected as research respondents. The questionnaire was distributed to respondents using instruments taken from the original source. This study found that organizational trust influences workplace deviant behaviour, while supervisor support does not affect workplace deviant behaviour. The study also found that supervisory support and organizational trust influence psychological contracts and psychological contracts influence workplace deviant behaviour. Finally, for mediation analysis, psychological contracts significantly influence the relationship between supervisor support, organizational trust and workplace deviant behaviour at work. This study concludes that supervisory support and organizational trust increase psychological contracts and thus reduce the workplace deviant behaviour among lecturers.
Słowa kluczowe: praca, kariera, kapitalizm, kontrakt psychologiczny, odpowiedzialność. Key words: labour, career, capitalism, psychological contract, responsibility. Streszczenie: Celem refleksji prezentowanej w niniejszym artykule... more
With a diverse sample (N = 231 paired responses) of employees from various organizations in Pakistan, the authors tested for the main effects of perceived organizational politics and psychological capital on turnover intentions, job... more
With a diverse sample (N = 231 paired responses) of employees from various organizations in Pakistan, the authors tested for the main effects of perceived organizational politics and psychological capital on turnover intentions, job satisfaction, and supervisor-rated job performance. They also examined the moderating influence of psychological capital in the politics–outcomes relationships. Results provided good support for the proposed hypotheses. While perceived organizational politics was associated with all outcomes, psychological capital had a significant relationship with job satisfaction and supervisor-rated performance only. As hypothesized, the negative relationship of perceived organizational politics with job satisfaction and supervisor-rated performance was weaker when psychological capital was high. However, the result for turnover intentions was counter to expectations where the politics–turnover intention relationship was stronger when psychological capital was high.
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how frequency of change (FC) in organizations and impact of change (IC) influence the employee behaviors, i.e. exit, voice, loyalty, and neglect (EVLN) through psychological contract... more
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how frequency of change (FC) in organizations
and impact of change (IC) influence the employee behaviors, i.e. exit, voice, loyalty, and neglect
(EVLN) through psychological contract fulfillment (PCF) as a mediator. The moderating role of
successful past changes (SPC) is also assessed with direct and indirect relations of FC, and IC alongside
employees’ behaviors.
Design/methodology/approach – Hypotheses were tested among a sample of 398 financial
services-oriented non-managerial-level employees in Pakistan. Bootstrapped moderated mediation
analyses (using PROCESS macro) were conducted to test the main and moderated mediation effects.
The authors ran series of confirmatory factor analyses to validate the distinctiveness of variables and
their items in this study.
Findings – The results largely supported the hypotheses. Findings showed that FC is negatively
related to loyalty but positively related to exit, voice, and neglect behaviors via contract fulfillment. IC
is also found to have negatively related to loyalty but positively related to exit, voice, and neglect via
PCF. SPC was found to moderate the relation between FC, IC, and contract fulfillment, as well as the
indirect relationship with exit, voice, and neglect through contract fulfillment and negatively between
FC, IC, and loyalty through contract fulfillment. The authors found direct interaction effects of FC via
SPC in relation to exit and loyalty and also found direct interaction effects of IC via SPC to exit, voice,
and loyalty.
Research limitations/implications – The use of cross-sectional research design does not allow
conclusions with respect to causality. The most important implication of the study is that employee
behaviors following organizational change can best be understood via a psychological contract
framework. A future suggestion is to include more organizations based on longitudinal research design
with focus on both employee and employer perspective.
Practical implications – This study highlights the importance of employees’ behavioral responses
and their sensemaking of PCF in a post-organizational change period.
Originality/value – This study empirically investigated the effects of FC, and IC on fulfillment of
psychological contract and behavioral responses of employees using a sample of non-managerial
employees, and provides new insights into employee behaviors following organizational changes.
Keywords Sensemaking, Psychological contract, Organizational change, Employee behaviours,
Frequency of change, Impact of change, Successful past changes
Th is article turns attention to an equally intriguing and arguably more favorable fi gure in the public sector: the unbureaucratic personality.
Based on eight in-depth case studies, this paper argues that telework transfers bigger (and legally unbinding) responsibility to employees whereas both employees and employers accept it. This is likely due to the fact that adoption of... more
Based on eight in-depth case studies, this paper argues that
telework transfers bigger (and legally unbinding) responsibility
to employees whereas both employees and employers accept it. This is likely due to the fact that adoption of telework alters
some aspects of psychological contract between employees and employers.
This article explores the expanded and transformed nature of the psychological work contract for forms of cultural and artistic labour in precarious conditions. The forms of passionate work found within cultural production are argued to... more
This article explores the expanded and transformed nature of the psychological work contract for forms of cultural and artistic labour in precarious conditions. The forms of passionate work found within cultural production are argued to form a new model for governing our subjective involvement in and attachment to work. This more expansive and demanding relationship with work has become generalized beyond the specific area of cultural production into employment relationships more generally. In doing so the expanded psychological contract of work comes to operate as a form of logistical media and infrastructural governance, connecting the micropolitics of governing labour with larger structural conditions of precarity and instability. Thus, while work today is less stable in what it offers, it demands even greater psychological investment despite increased uncertainty.
Organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB) describe actions in which employees are willing to go above and beyond their prescribed role requirements. Prior theory suggests and some research supports the belief that these behaviors are... more
Organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB) describe actions in which employees are willing to go above and beyond their prescribed role requirements. Prior theory suggests and some research supports the belief that these behaviors are correlated with indicators of organizational effectiveness. Studies have yet to explore whether relationships between OCB and organizational effectiveness are generalizable to non-U.S. samples.
This paper examines work commitment outside of traditional and ongoing employer ±employee relationships. In particular, attention is given to the commitment-related implications associated with the growth of various forms of``contingent''... more
This paper examines work commitment outside of traditional and ongoing employer ±employee relationships. In particular, attention is given to the commitment-related implications associated with the growth of various forms of``contingent'' employment contracts. Of specific theoretical and practical concern is the applicability, overlap, and/or relative importance of various commitment foci (e.g., organization, job, occupation, and employment) for workers employed in both traditional arrangements and three illustrative forms of contingent employment. Implications for commitment theory, human resource management practices, and future research needs are discussed. D
Psychological contracts are dynamic, but few studies explore the processes driving change and how employees influence them. By adopting a process approach with a teleological change lens, and drawing upon the sensemaking and coping... more
Psychological contracts are dynamic, but few studies explore the processes driving change and how employees influence them. By adopting a process approach with a teleological change lens, and drawing upon the sensemaking and coping literatures, this study positions individuals as active and adaptive agents driving contract change. Employing a mixed methodology, with a four-wave longitudinal survey (n = 107 graduate newcomers) and qualitative interviews (n = 26 graduate newcomers), the study focuses on unfolding events
and develops an “adaptive remediation” process model aimed at unraveling contract dynamics. The model demonstrates how breach or violation events trigger sensemaking, resulting in initially negative employee reactions and a “withdrawal” of perceived contributions, before individuals exercise their agency and enact coping strategies to make sense of, and adapt and respond to, these discrepancies. A process of contract “repair” could then occur if the coping actions (termed “remediation effects”) were effective, with individuals returning to positive exchange perceptions. These actions either directly addressed the breach and repaired both it and the psychological contract (termed “remedies”) or involved cognitive reappraisal of the broader work environment and repaired the contract but not the breach (termed “buffers”). The results highlight the unfolding, processual nature of psychological contracting.
The number of call centre businesses and workers has increased considerably over recent years and has become one of the sectors with the highest growth rate in Portugal. In this cross-sectional study, covering 363 call/contact centre... more
The number of call centre businesses and workers has increased considerably over recent years and has become one of the sectors with the highest growth rate in Portugal. In this cross-sectional study, covering 363 call/contact centre (C/CC) workers in a Portuguese firm,we confirm that the relationship between employees and the organization, namely their psychological contract, is influenced by their employment conditions, that is, their status and work premises. We perform multiple regression analyses and results show that: (1) temporary employees perceive fewer relational and balanced and more transactional organizational obligations than permanent employees; (2) employees working at the client’s premises perceive more balanced obligations of the organization; (3) the psychological contract has a relationship with the attitudes and behaviours of employees with a higher general relational orientation to their work, who are more satisfied and present more civic virtue behaviours. This study provides a discussion of the practical implications and future research.
The present research reviews the management literature on leadership, with regard to the theoretical approaches and methodologies present, and suggests that leadership appears to be a contested terrain ). There are varying definitions as... more
The present research reviews the management literature on leadership, with regard to the theoretical approaches and methodologies present, and suggests that leadership appears to be a contested terrain ). There are varying definitions as there are varying theoretical perspectives or approaches, which means that one needs to attend to the manner in which the terrain is delimited or leadership is framed. This manner of attending or orientation and reading of the _________________________________________________________________ Ajay Jivan's Masters of Management research report (University of Witwatersrand, 2008) ii examined in a sample comprising three organisations in the non-government sector.
This research investigated how much and in what direction newcomer psychological contracts changed during the first year of employment and the extent to which change was a function of a psychological contract breach. These issues were... more
This research investigated how much and in what direction newcomer psychological contracts changed during the first year of employment and the extent to which change was a function of a psychological contract breach. These issues were investigated using a sample of 88 organizational newcomers with diverse job duties/titles, prior experience, and age levels. Newcomers were surveyed at three points in time during the first year of employment, including employee perceptions of both employee and employer obligations. Consistent with equity theory, results revealed employees perceived more balanced than imbalanced employment relationships upon organizational entry as well as after 1 year of employment. A failure of the employer to fulfil commitments was associated with perceived imbalance in the employment relationship and a significant decrease in perceived employer obligations, suggesting breach is perceived as a trigger for an adjustment to the psychological contract rather than a signal of an injustice. Implications of these findings for research and theory on psychological contracts and breach in the employment relationship are discussed.
Research in relevant fields considers psychological contracts primarily from an individualisticrational point of view. However, psychological contracts are embedded in a socio-cultural context which influences the motivations for action... more
Research in relevant fields considers psychological contracts primarily from an individualisticrational point of view. However, psychological contracts are embedded in a socio-cultural context which influences the motivations for action of the parties engaged and the exchange processes between them. Therefore, in our research, we pursue two objectives: firstly, we wish to investigate the socio-cultural conditions which influence the exchange behaviour in psychological contracts; and secondly, we wish to examine the motivations behind these exchange processes. In a qualitative study we gathered data of 54 German expatriates by means of interviews and examined the data elicited with the aid of the grounded theory. With respect to the research results, we were able to show that psychological contracts are embedded in a complex socio-cultural context. When we looked closely at this socio-cultural context it became clear that, apart from individualistic calculations of action, moral and prosocial motivations were also relevant in psychological contracts. On the basis of these results, we generated two dominant types of reciprocity as the basis of the psychological contracts of the expatriates: the utilitarian exchange reciprocity and the solidary gift reciprocity
The violation and breach of a psychological contract and trust often results in a decline in employees’ willingness to contribute and intentions to stay in an organization. Hence, this paper aims to understand the psychological contract... more
The violation and breach of a psychological contract and trust often results in a decline in employees’ willingness to
contribute and intentions to stay in an organization. Hence, this paper aims to understand the psychological contract
and trust and their role in employee retention. It focuses on employee and organizational expectations and the
importance employees attach to these and assesses issues of trust, job satisfaction and intentions to leave. Data was
collected using an established questionnaire whose psychometric properties of validity and reliability were assessed
using Factor Analysis and Cronbach’s Coefficient Alpha respectively. Data was analyzed using descriptive and
inferential statistics. The findings reflect that mutual trust and, meeting expectations and having their expectations met
by the organization are important to employees. Based on the results of the issues of the psychological contract and
trust, recommendations are tabulated, which when implemented, have the potential for enhancing employee retention and reducing intentions to leave the organization.
In today's fast changing competitive business world, the management approach that focus on employee performance leaps forward and this situation affect the attitudes and behaviors of the employees in the organization structure.... more
In today's fast changing competitive business world, the management approach that focus on employee performance leaps forward and this situation affect the attitudes and behaviors of the employees in the organization structure. Particularly, when an employee experience organizational exclusion or psychological contract violation, it also effects the performance of the organization. At the same time, a decrease in the job satisfaction leads to an increase in the employee turnover and it brings additional cost to the organization. The process of departure of trained staff and recruitment of new personnel generates a cost element. In this study, a questionnaire was applied to 220 white-collar workers from 5 high-performance companies operating in the production sector in Turkey in 2017. The data obtained has been analyzed by SPSS statistical software package and the results show that organizational exclusion and psychological contract violations have an impact on organizational justice, and also the organizations that provide organizational justice increase the job satisfaction level.
The human side of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) – with focus particularly on resistance - has puzzled scholars for decades. Still, there is little discussion as regards to how the concept should be defined or understood. Often... more
The human side of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) – with focus particularly on resistance - has puzzled scholars for decades. Still, there is little discussion as regards to how the concept should be defined or understood. Often expressions of resistance, rather than its actual content, are described. What do personnel actually oppose? In this dissertation, the content, process, and context of resistance are explored in a broad and integrative approach. A personnel perspective is adopted. Observations from a longitudinal real-time case study on the merger of two national audit institutions in Sweden are reproduced. Analysis indicates that more attention needs to be directed to the moral side of M&A, in order to understand resistance. In the case study, management took the merger as an opportunity to increase organizational control, thereby breaking a psychological contract with personnel and turning to utilitarian values. Opposition to this united professionals in the two organizatio...
Purpose - This exploratory study investigates the human resource practices that influence employee retention, employing the case study of Albukhary International University (AIU). Design/methodology/approach- Using a non-probability... more
Purpose - This exploratory study investigates the human resource practices that influence employee retention, employing the case study of Albukhary International University (AIU). Design/methodology/approach- Using a non-probability sampling technique, particularly, convenience sampling, the researchers conducted six intensive individual depth interviews (IDIs) from the academics of AIU, Kedah, Malaysia.Finding - Employing content analysis of rich qualitative data, the results from the intensive IDIs led to some revelations, that in order to encourage employee retention, six recommendations should be considered; organisational strategy, career development, benefits (indirect and non-financial), convenience, organisational commitment, work experience, and fit with Job. The study also proposes that University should place emphasis on psychological contract which can directly lead to improvement in employee engagement.Implications - Several implications from the research were discussed...