Le contrat psychologique : un levier du comportement au travail ?

Abstract

This article suggests to enrich employer/employee relationship analysis – in other words to enrich the analysis of one of the components of the company’s performance – by using psychologic contract concepts. This topic, developed by organizations theory searchers, presents a true potential for the explanation of employees and management behaviours, particulary within the organization – searchers in organizations theory particulary face the usual contracts’ limits. They often are foreseen by jurists and economists (Herrbach, 2000).We show that the psychological contract – which is all the promises made by the employer for the employee, and, in return, promises made by employee to his employer (Rousseau, 1990) – can act as a lever for the work attitude and behaviour of employees at work. In order to get it, we present first, the theoretical frame of the study and the research question (1), we define concept of psychological contract and try to give an explanation of its creation and evolution (1.1) we define modalities, before breaks by violation (1.2) and consequences which they can have on individual behaviours and attitudes (1.3). Secondly, we present the method of inquiry made up to measure impacts of the non compliance between employers and employees. This inquiry analyses obligations of the contract on various dimensions connected with attitudes and behaviour at work – loyalty, trust in his (her) employer, emotional, organizational involvement and willing of voluntary departure – (2). Finally, we propose to present results as well as discussion of these topics, made from data collected from questionnaires of the quantitative survey (3).