Changes to Newcomers’ Psychological Contract Over Time: The Interactive Effects of the Fulfilment of Employer and Employee Obligations

Antônio Virgilio Bittencourt Bastos,Leticia Gomes Maia,P Matthijs Bal

doi:10.11144/javeriana.upsy18-1.cnpc

Antônio Virgilio Bittencourt Bastos, Leticia Gomes Maia + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.11144/javeriana.upsy18-1.cnpc

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Abstract

The goal of this study was to examine changes in newcomers’ psychological contract over time. Based on schema theory and the post-violation model of the psychological contract, we theorized that psychological contract fulfillment is strengthening the psychological contract over time, while changes in the psychological contract are most likely to occur in a situation of low employer and employee fulfillment. In a sample of newcomers in a Brazilian public organization, we tested how the fulfillment of both employer and employee obligations explain the change in the psychological contract. The results support the hypotheses, and we found that the highest level of change in psychological contracts occurred when the fulfilments of the obligations of both parties were low. We discuss the implications for theory on the change in psychological contracts.

Highlights

RESUMEN El objetivo de este estudio fue examinar los cambios en el contrato psicológico de los recién llegados a lo largo del tiempo
It has been proposed that psychological contracts consist of both employer and employee obligations, and changes in psychological contracts have been primarily framed as resulting from the employer under- or over-fulfillment
We argue that changes in the psychological contract do not merely result from what the employer does for the employee, but from the interaction between employer and employee fulfillment of obligations in the psychological contract

Summary

Introduction

RESUMEN El objetivo de este estudio fue examinar los cambios en el contrato psicológico de los recién llegados a lo largo del tiempo. En una muestra de recién llegados en una organización pública brasileña, probamos cómo el cumplimiento de las obligaciones tanto del empleador como de los empleados explica el cambio en el contrato psicológico. Change as a deviation from a stable position is the focus of our current research, and theoretically, we aim to investigate how the complex interactions between employee and employer behaviors (i.e., contract fulfillments) predict whether a contract is stabilized or changes. This approach puts change as the central outcome, rather than gradual or relative decreases or increases in perceptions of obligations. We aim to contribute to psychological contract research by investigating how changes in psychological contract manifest over time, and our primary contribution is to show that psychological contracts change because of the lack of organizational fulfillment of obligations to the employee, and the lack of employees’ fulfillment of their part of the deal

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