Behavioral and attitudinal outcomes of psychological contract violation

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the interactive effects of psychological contract violation (PCV) and leader member exchange (LMX) on workplace behaviors and attitudes. Another purpose of this research was to contribute to the existing literature pertaining to PCV and organizational cynicism in the context of managerial employees working in India.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 237 managerial-level employees and 156 of their immediate supervisors of seven organizations in India. A questionnaire comprising 36 items pertaining to the study constructs was administered. The reliability of the instrument was verified through item analyses. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to establish the instrument’s construct validity. Study hypotheses were tested and competing models were compared using structural equation modeling (SEM) procedures.

Findings

All scales were found to have acceptable reliability estimates. A CFA established that the manifest variables loaded significantly on their latent constructs and that the latter were empirically distinct. This established the scales’ construct validity. The results of the SEM procedures indicated that all study hypotheses could be accepted as statistically significant. Also, the moderator variable had a quasi-interactive impact on the criterion variables.

Originality/value

This research is among the first of its kind to examine the variables of PCV and organizational cynicism among managerial employees working in India. It may also be one of the few meso-level investigations in extant literature examining the interaction between an individual (PCV) and a group (LMX) level variable and its impact on workplace behavior (organizational citizenship behavior) and attitudes (organizational cynicism).

Citation

Biswas, S. (2016), "Behavioral and attitudinal outcomes of psychological contract violation", Journal of Management Development, Vol. 35 No. 2, pp. 261-279. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-05-2015-0082