Psychological Contract Violation Research Articles

The Relationship between Psychological Contract Breach and Psychological Contract Violation: The interactive effects of Tenure

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between psychological contract breach (PCB) and psychological contract violation (PCV), and the extent to which this relationship is moderated by tenure. The data for the study was collected from a sample of 304 faculty members working in three public-sector universities in Quetta City. Data were collected from respondents using proportionate random sampling and using close-ended questionnaires. The analysis of the data revealed that PCB had a significant positive relation with PCV and tenure moderated this relationship. Limitations and practical implications are discussed in the end.

항공사 승무원의 심리적 계약위반과 조직냉소주의 관계에서 직무소진의 매개효과

The purpose of this study is to examine the mediating effect of job burnout in the relationship between the psychological contract violation and organizational cynicism of the merged corporate flight attendants after the announcement of the airline M&A. Since M&A causes considerable anxiety and fear in the future of the merged members, we would like to present a human resource management plan for successful M&A by reviewing the impact of negative psychological factors on the company. For this purpose, data were collected by conducting an online survey on flight attendants of airline A, the flight attendants of the merged company, and a total of 316 valid questionnaires were analyzed using SPSS v.23 and AMOS v.23 programs. As a result of the analysis, first, it was confirmed that the perception of psychological contract violation had a positive (+) relationship with organizational cynicism. Second, the perception of psychological contract violation was found to have a positive (+) relationship with job burnout. Third, it was confirmed that job burnout had a significant positive (+) effect on organizational cynicism. Finally, job burnout was found to have a mediating effect on the relationship between psychological contract violation and organizational cynicism. Based on these research results, we would like to present strategic implications for flight attendants human resource management for the currently underway airline M&A merger company.

주재원의 심리적 계약 내용과 계약 위반 사건의 원인에 대한 질적연구

Drawing on psychological contract theory, this qualitative study aims to identify Korean expatriates’ psychological contract contents and investigate the main causes of their psychological contract breach(PCB). Findings from the in-depth individual interviews with 14 expatriates and repatriates show the followings. First, Korean expatriates’ psychological contract contents include 7 categories: compensation, benefits, living support, family-oriented support, performance management, career management, and work support. Compared with Korean whitecollar workers’ psychological contracts, those of Korean expatriates feature detailed compensation and benefits contents, broader contract coverage, and longer contract duration. Second, the majority of expatriates’ PCBs come from obligation incongruence, which shows a high possibility that expatriates and employers have different understandings of their mutual obligations and implicit expectations. Third, All PCBs do not necessarily lead to strong negative emotions such as a feeling of betrayal, or psychological contract violation. Instead, the contextual factors and expatriates’ interpretation of PCBs are critical to evaluating contracts’ fulfillment. Fourth, a few expatriates who are merely experienced PCBs have several features: a high understanding of the international assignment, a high level of career satisfaction from host country experiences, and perceived organizational support. This research advances the psychological contract theory by enhancing an understanding of Korean expatriates’ psychological contract contents, complementing a mechanism to explain the negative effects of expatriates’ PCB, and highlighting areas in need of future research that help a more complete understanding of expatriate performance and management.

Should I Stay or Should I Go? Ride-hail Driver Reactions to Uber’s Covid-19 Response

While the COVID-19 pandemic has been a disruptive event for most workers, it has disproportionately affected low-skilled occupations; one such example are platform (gig) workers contracted by ride-hail companies (e.g., Uber, Lyft) to transport passengers. Grounded in psychological contract theory and platform labor research, the purpose of this study was to develop and test a conceptual model of ride-hail drivers’ affective and cognitive reactions to Uber’s (lack of) commitment to safe working conditions after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Employing a sample of Uber drivers from the United States (n = 202), we show that when drivers’ perceptions of Uber’s commitment to safety were unfavorable, they were more likely to experience feelings of psychological contract violation, which in turn increased their cynicism toward Uber and decreased trust. But while trust in Uber was negatively related to drivers’ intentions to withdraw from their occupation, organizational cynicism only predicted withdrawal intentions for those drivers who did not believe that they had many job alternatives available outside of platform work. We draw on the emerging literature on situational diversity and economic dependence among platform workers to discuss this unexpected finding.

Impact of Rumors Prevalence and Workplace Ostracism on Organizational Cynicism and Psychological Contract Violation

Why do rumors make it difficult for subordinates to follow their bosses' orders? How do managers keep rumors from having a negative impact? Are workplace ostracism and psychological contract violations breaches motivated by organizational cynicism and/ or negative rumors? Is there a connection between optimistic rumors and the fulfillment of psychological contracts? a sample of (327) academics from Egypt's private universities were surveyed. 'a four-part questionnaire that evaluates the study' axes (workplace ostracism, positive and/ or negative rumors prevalence, organizational cynicism and psychological contract violation).

Violation of Psychological Contract: An Impact Analysis

This article is based on an incisive review of the concepts of the psychological contract and employment contract their implications for the employees as well as the organizations. The author has examined how violations of both the psychological contract and employment contract result in degradation of organizational climate and organizational culture. She has also analyzed the impact of violations of psychological contract/employment contract on productivity and wellbeing of individual employees.

코칭리더십이 조직냉소주의에 미치는 영향 : 심리적 계약위반의 매개효과와 공감의 조절된 매개효과

본 연구는 조직구성원의 조직냉소주의(organizational cynicism)를 완화하기 위한 리더십 차원의 방안을 제시 하고자 하였다. 이를 위해 리더의 코칭리더십(coaching leadership)이 조직구성원의 조직냉소주의를 직접적으로 완화할 수 있는지를 확인하고, 코칭리더십과 조직냉소주의 간 심리적 계약위반(psychological contract violation) 의 매개효과와 공감(compassion)의 조절효과를 규명하고자 하였다. 국내 직장인을 대상으로 설문조사를 통해 자 료를 수집하였으며, 389명의 데이터를 분석하였다. 연구 결과, 첫째, 코칭리더십과 조직냉소주의 간 직접효과는 유의하였다. 둘째, 코칭리더십이 심리적 계약위반을 경유하여 조직냉소주의에 미치는 간접효과는 유의한 것으 로 확인되었다. 셋째, 코칭리더십과 심리적 계약위반의 관계에서, 코칭리더십과 조직냉소주의의 관계에서 각각 공감의 조절(완화)효과가 확인되었다. 이러한 연구 결과는 조직냉소주의 선행요인으로 코칭리더십과 공감이 부 정적 심리와 태도를 완화할 수 있는 메커니즘의 유효성을 확인하여 기존 연구 영역을 확장하는 의미를 갖는다. 또한 조직전략 관점에서 코칭리더십이 구성원의 조직심리를 개선함으로써 변화와 혁신을 지원할 수 있다는 중 요한 연구 결과를 제시하고 있다. 마지막으로 연구 결과에 관한 이론적·실무적 시사점과 연구의 한계점 및 향후 연구과제를 제시하였다.

Making do by getting real: Psychological contract violations and proactive career agency among medical professionals.

Health care professionals face greater uncertainty in their careers as traditional jobs wither and new, organizationally controlled jobs proliferate, reducing economic security and professional autonomy. We apply psychological contract and self-efficacy theory to examine the career agency of early-career physicians. We ask the following: (a) What are the unfulfilled expectations and emotions experienced by young physicians at the training and early career stages? (b) What are the forms of career agency exhibited by young physicians in response to unfulfillment? We conducted a study on 48 U.K. early-career primary care physicians, known as general practitioners. The sample comprised both trainees as well as newly qualified physicians. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Physicians interpreted their early-career experiences based on predominantly ideological expectations around what it means to be a successful professional. However, the realities of practice resulted in highly emotional experiences of violation that were associated with a "reactive" agency and job behaviors that were more transactional and less relational. This study identifies the expectations of early career professionals, which helps understand how and why psychological contract violations occur. It also expands the conceptualization of career agency from a positively framed aspect of professional behavior to one that includes haphazard and self-serving elements. Our study highlights several implications of the shifts in physician career agency for primary care practice. It discusses the potential effects of the purposeful self-interest among doctors on professional identity and power, as well as patient care.

Factors impacting volunteers’ organizational commitment in a Puerto Rican non-profit organization: a psychological contract perspective

There is an interest from scholars and practitioners in understanding how nonprofit organizations (NPOs) can design and implement practices to enhance desirable volunteer attitudes and behaviors (Alfes et al., 2017). One important attitude is volunteers’ organizational commitment (OC). This research aims to identify factors that diminish volunteers’ OC and suggest effective ways to deal with them, which lead to NPOs performance improvement. This is achieved through a single case study in a Puerto Rican non-profit organization, which consists of in-depth interviews and self-administered questionnaires on psychological contract violation Five categories of factors that negatively affect volunteers’ OC were identified and analyzed: organizational structure, communication, recognition, strategic planning, and conflict management. General actions were provided to help NPOs deal with similar issues.

Exploring Relationship Between Workplace Bullying and Healthcare Organization’s Well-being: Mechanism of Psychological Contract Violation and Forgiveness

The article is an investigative study drawn on the grounded theory approach, envisaging the relation between workplace bullying and employee behavioural outcomes among resident doctors in Indian healthcare organizations. Using an interpretative paradigm, the authors explored underlying psychological mechanisms among 48 participant doctors in light of India’s unique culture characterized by power distance and high collectivism. Findings suggest that the prevalence of bullying in Indian healthcare organizations impacts employee behavioural outcomes emerging as a major challenge in healthcare management. The authors further exhibit restricted or non-violation of resident doctors’ psychological contracts towards such diabolic acts at work due to the development of passive feelings in light of learned helplessness. The current study establishes that Indian resident doctors are less pretentious, and the protestations against supervisory mistreatment are subdued even before joining the medical profession. Indian kids being fostered with relationship-focused values, namely tolerance, patience and respect towards their elders/seniors from a very tender age develop feelings of passivity, which might result in limited or no violation of their psychological contract. Drawing on conservation of resources (COR) theory, forgiveness emerged as a coping mechanism in pernicious work culture, providing uniqueness to study. This qualitative research study promulgates the unique response mechanism of workplace bullying in the Indian context. The study results open new gateways to empirically analyse the relationship between bullying-response mechanisms in developing economies. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed in the present research study.

Going Beyond Deterrence: A Middle-Range Theory of Motives and Controls for Insider Computer Abuse

Reports indicate that employees are willing to share sensitive information under certain circumstances, and one-third to half of security breaches are tied to insiders. These statistics reveal that organizational security efforts, which most often rely on deterrence-based sanctions to address the insider threats to information security, are insufficient. Thus, insiders’ computer abuse (ICA)—unauthorized and deliberate misuse of organizational information resources by organizational insiders—remains a significant issue for industry. We present a motive–control theory of ICA that distinguishes among instrumental and expressive motives and internal and external controls. Specifically, we show that organizational deterrents (e.g., sanctions) do not create motives for ICA, but weaken existing motives (e.g., financial benefits). Conversely, financial benefits and psychological contract violations create motives to perform ICA, and insiders’ self-control diminishes the influence of these motives. The implications for practice are threefold: (1) organizations should make efforts to reduce psychological contract breach for employees by increasing the congruence between expectations and reality to reduce expressive motives for ICA; (2) organizations should seek maintain personnel with adequate self-control to diminish the impact of harmful ICA motives should they arise; and (3) organizations should develop targeted sanctions for committing ICA to control the harmful influence of financial motives.

The Outcomes of Organizational Cronyism: A Social Exchange Theory Perspective.

The current research examines the possible outcomes of cronyism like organizational deviance (OD), organizational cynicism (OCy), and counterproductive work behavior and also investigates the mediating variable violation of psychological contract (VPC) among cronyism and its possible outcomes. Many studies have investigated the presence of organizational cronyism (OC) at the workplace and its impacts on certain variables. However, the outcomes observed in this study, i.e., OD, OCy, and counter-productive work behavior were not empirically investigated previously as per researchers’ knowledge. The second gap this study fills is the mediating effect of VPC between the studied variables. Thirdly, the study was conducted in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan, which is almost the first attempt to investigate this phenomenon in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Data were collected from the employees working under different ministries of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan like education, forest, sports, information, local government, finance, and tourism. The data from 350 employees were collected through convenience sampling. The data collection process was conducted at two distinct time lags. Results show that OC significantly and positively relates with OD, OCy, and counter-productive work behavior, whereas VPC mediates the relationship among OC and OD, OC, and counter-productive work behavior. Employees enjoying special favors from the leadership seem to be more dedicated toward the organization than the employees who do not have this favor, and the ultimate result is negative for the organization.

카지노 딜러의 고용불안정성이 심리적 계약위반 및 조직냉소주의에 미치는 영향: 세븐럭 카지노 딜러를 중심으로

Employment instability perceived by casino dealers is increasing in the COVID-19 situation. However, since few studies have been conducted on this, this study attempted to verify that the effect of employment instability on psychological contract violations and organizational cynicism and whether casino dealers

Qualitative Job Insecurity, Negative Work-Related Affect and Work-to-Family Conflict: The Moderating Role of Core Self-Evaluations

Job insecurity has become one of the most prominent job stressors for employees. This study focuses on qualitative job insecurity (QJI) and its spillover effects to the family domain. Despite a positive association between QJI and work-to-family conflict revealed in the literature, research on why and when QJI is related to work-to-family conflict is limited. Drawing from Conservation of Resources theory, this paper empirically examines the mediating role of negative affective process underlying the relationship between QJI and work-to-family conflict as well as the moderating role of core self-evaluations in this process. A four-wave survey study was conducted in a sample of 126 Chinese employees. The results showed that psychological contract violation and job dissatisfaction mediated the relationship between QJI and work-to-family conflict. Unexpectedly, core self-evaluations were found to strengthen (not attenuate) the positive relationships of QJI with employee psychological contract violation and job dissatisfaction.

Socially Responsible human resource management and employees' turnover intention: the effect of psychological contract violation and moral identity

AbstractThis study explores the impact of socially responsible human resource management (SR-HRM) on the turnover intention by exploring the effects of psychological contract violation (PCV) and moral identity. Using a sample of 284 employees in China, we found that PCV mediated the negative relationship between SR-HRM and turnover intention. Moral identity moderated the direct effect of PCV on turnover intention as well as the indirect effect of SR-HRM on turnover intention via PCV, such that both the direct and indirect effects were stronger for employees with a low level of moral identity compared to those with the high level of moral identity. Findings from this study provide a greater understanding of the internal mechanisms and boundary conditions of SR-HRM that affect turnover intentions. Study findings also provide guidance to organizations seeking to reduce employee turnover.

From being sacked to being unwell: A conservation of resources view on the effects of psychological contract violation on layoff victims' wellbeing

AbstractAlthough there is a consensus in the literature that layoff can be viewed as a form of psychological contract (PC) violation, research is yet to examine how such violation impacts layoff victims' well‐being outcomes including life satisfaction, sleep quality and psychological distress. Integrating psychological contract theory and the conservation of resource theory, we hypothesized a dual‐stage moderated mediation model in which PC violation resulting from layoff is associated with three dimensions of layoff victims' well‐being via worry. This indirect effect is proposed to be conditional on the level of social support received. Based on a sample of 252 layoff victims, we found support for the dual‐stage moderated mediation model in which the association between PC violation and the three dimensions of well‐being via worry was weak for layoff victims reporting high levels of social support. Findings contribute to our understanding of how PC violation is associated with nonwork outcomes.

Does TMX affect instigated incivility? The role of negative reciprocity and psychological contract violation

PurposePervasive and rampant workplace incivility effects have called for more studies on antecedents and possible deterrents of the onset of negative organizational behaviors. Based on social exchange theory (SET), this study proposes a framework investigating the underlying mechanisms of team–member exchange (TMX) on instigated incivility.Design/methodology/approachThe hypothesized model explores the combined effect of interventions on teams and organizational levels. Indeed, the personal norm of negative reciprocity (PNR) and the psychological contract violation (PCV) are hypothesized as mediating variables of such a relationship. The model is empirically tested using covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM) on a sample of 330 employees of organizations with a team-based design. PNR and PCV resulted as a full mediating variable of the relationship between TMX and instigated incivility.FindingsFindings suggest that, by encouraging high-quality TMX, human resource (HR) managers could reduce employees’ willingness to instigate incivility toward colleagues other than team members. However, focusing only on TMX may be insufficient because of the role played by individual attitudes and organizational levers such as PNR and PCV.Originality/valueThe authors enrich current works on incivility by analyzing the role of positive sentiments in minimizing deviant behaviors. Further, the authors investigate negative organizational phenomena through a positive lens and contribute to building a more comprehensive understanding of the factors that might produce uncivil behaviors.

Exploring the Negative Antecedents of Ethical Leadership and Their Impact on OCB: The Role of Exchange Ideology, Subordinate Psychological Contract Violation, and Overall Organizational Injustice

오늘날 조직은 날로 높아져가는 사회의 윤리적 잣대에 직면해 있다. 이러한 추세에 리더의 윤리적 측면에 대한 학계와 실무진의 관심은 크게 증가해왔으며, 구성원들에게 도덕적 영향력을 행사해 조직 효과성에 기여하는 윤리적 리더십에 대한 주목도 크게 높아지고 있다. 그러나, 윤리적 리더십의 긍정적 성과에 관한 실증연구가 지속적으로 이루어져온데 반하여 윤리적 리더십의 도전과제가 될 수 있는 문제요인에 대한 관심은 매우 부족하였다. 이 연구는 그러한 공백에 주목하여 무엇이 윤리적 리더십의 형성과 실천을 좌절시키는가에 초점을 맞추고 상사의 개인특성, 부하와의 관계, 조직의 특성 차원의 부정적 선행요인이 윤리적 리더십에 미치는 영향력과 그 결과를 실증하고자 하였다. 이를 위해 국내를 대표하는 여러 대기업에 근무하는 일반 사무직 구성원과 그 직속상사 220쌍을 대상으로 설문을 실시하여 자료를 수집하고, 이를 바탕으로 회귀분석 및 부트스트래핑 검증 등을 실시하였다. 분석결과, 상사의 교환이데올로기, 부하의 심리적 계약 위반, 전반적 조직 불공정성이 윤리적 리더십에 부(-)의 관계를 가지는 것으로 나타났다. 또한 윤리적 리더십은 조직시민행동과 정(+)의 관계를 가지는 것으로 나타났다. 나아가 윤리적 리더십은 선행요인과 구성원들의 조직시민행동 간의 관계에서 매개효과를 가지는 것으로 밝혀졌다. 이는 상사의 교환이데올로기, 부하의 심리적 계약 위반, 전반적 조직 불공정성이 윤리적 리더십의 매개를 통해 구성원들의 조직시민행동에 영향을 끼칠 수 있음을 보여준다. 이 연구는 윤리적 리더십의 부정적 선행요인을 조명하고 사회교환이론(Social Exchange Theory) 관점에서 이론적 논거를 제시함으로써 윤리적 리더십을 보다 균형적 시각에서 이해하려는 시도라는 점에서 그 의의를 지닌다. 이상의 연구결과를 바탕으로 윤리적 리더십을 양성하고자 하는 조직에 실무적 시사점을 제시하고 연구의 한계점과 향후 연구방향을 논의하였다.

The Relationship between Social Exchange Variables and In-Role Performance, Organizational Citizenship Behavior, and Commitment: Evidence from Israeli Community Centers

Community centers provide invaluable services for local communities worldwide. This study examines the relationships between social exchange variables (affection toward supervisors, job satisfaction, distributive justice, and psychological contract violation) and in-role performance, organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), and commitment forms (community center, job, and the local community). The target population consisted of employees from 24 community centers working for national nonprofit organizations in Israel. A total of 176 questionnaires were distributed, and 129 employees returned usable questionnaires (a response rate of 73%). Supervisors provided information on in-role performance and OCB. The findings show that affection toward supervisors has a strong positive relationship with the three investigated commitment forms and altruistic OCB. Further, psychological contract violation has a negative relationship with in-role performance and OCB. Therefore, we conclude that the process of social exchange represents an important mechanism for increasing in-role performance, OCB, and commitment.

Filling a Theoretical “Black Box” Between Workplace Bullying and Poor Attitudes: Psychological Contract Violation, Work Injustice, and Negative Environmental Contagion

Filling a Theoretical “Black Box” Between Workplace Bullying and Poor Attitudes: Psychological Contract Violation, Work Injustice, and Negative Environmental Contagion