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Psychological contract and attitudinal outcomes: multilevel mediation model

Yolanda Estreder (Research Institute of Personnel Psychology, Organizational Development and Quality of Working Life (IDOCAL), University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain)
Inés Tomás (Research Institute of Personnel Psychology, Organizational Development and Quality of Working Life (IDOCAL), University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain)
Maria José Chambel (Department of Human Resources, Work and Organizational Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal)
José Ramos (Research Institute of Personnel Psychology, Organizational Development and Quality of Working Life (IDOCAL), University of Valencia and IVIE, Valencia, Spain)

Personnel Review

ISSN: 0048-3486

Article publication date: 18 September 2019

Issue publication date: 18 September 2019

832

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the link between employer psychological contract (PC) fulfillment and employee attitudes (job satisfaction, organizational commitment and intention to leave the organization) by using employees’ perceptions of PC violation and organizational justice as serial mediators.

Design/methodology/approach

Data from 44 managers and 880 employees from 44 Spanish organizations were analyzed through multilevel structural equation modeling.

Findings

Results showed that employees’ feelings of PC violation and justice perceptions mediated the relationships between the employers’ PC fulfillment assessed by managers and job satisfaction and organizational commitment assessed by employees. The mediation effect was not significant for employees’ intention to leave the organization.

Originality/value

This study contributes to understand the process through which PC influences work outcomes, outlining the relevance of organizational justice as social exchange theory and PC theory (Guest, 2004) stated. In addition, present results extend the influence of PC on work outcomes from the individual to the organizational level.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

This paper has been supported by the Fifth framework program of the European Community for research, technological development, and demonstration activities, and by the Prometeo Program for Excellence Groups (Conselleria d’Educació, Investigació Cultura i Esport. Direcció General d’Universitat, Investigació i Ciència) PROMETEO-2016-138. Thanks to Maureen L. Ambrose for insights that guided the writing of this paper. The authors are also grateful to Kristopher J. Preacher for his helpful guidance on the statistical analyses.

Citation

Estreder, Y., Tomás, I., Chambel, M.J. and Ramos, J. (2019), "Psychological contract and attitudinal outcomes: multilevel mediation model", Personnel Review, Vol. 48 No. 7, pp. 1685-1700. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-07-2018-0237

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited

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