Psychological Contract Breach and Turnover Intention: The Intermediary Role of Job Satisfaction
Affiliation(s)
1 School of Management, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China. 2 School of Education, Guangxi University, Nanning, China.
1 School of Management, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China. 2 School of Education, Guangxi University, Nanning, China.
ABSTRACT
Compared with previous studies, this article, from a dynamic perspective, considers the graduates’ expectations for corporate responsibility (CR) and employee responsibility (ER) as virtual psychological contract (PC), and deems the differences between responsibility expectation (RE) and responsibility fulfillment (RF) as psychological contract breach (PCB), for exploring empirically the differences in graduates’ perception about PC before and after entering into the workplace, and discussing thoroughly the influence path that PCB acts on job satisfaction (JS) and turnover intention (TI). The results manifest that there are some prominent discrepancies in the cognition about PC, which maybe directly induce graduates’ quit. In addition, under the intermediary role of JS, various dimensions of PCB have totally different impacts on TI.
Compared with previous studies, this article, from a dynamic perspective, considers the graduates’ expectations for corporate responsibility (CR) and employee responsibility (ER) as virtual psychological contract (PC), and deems the differences between responsibility expectation (RE) and responsibility fulfillment (RF) as psychological contract breach (PCB), for exploring empirically the differences in graduates’ perception about PC before and after entering into the workplace, and discussing thoroughly the influence path that PCB acts on job satisfaction (JS) and turnover intention (TI). The results manifest that there are some prominent discrepancies in the cognition about PC, which maybe directly induce graduates’ quit. In addition, under the intermediary role of JS, various dimensions of PCB have totally different impacts on TI.
KEYWORDS
Psychological Contract, Psychological Contract Breach, Job Satisfaction, Turnover Intention
Psychological Contract, Psychological Contract Breach, Job Satisfaction, Turnover Intention
Cite this paper
Xie, X. , Liu, H. and Deng, H. (2015) Psychological Contract Breach and Turnover Intention: The Intermediary Role of Job Satisfaction. Open Journal of Business and Management, 3, 371-379. doi: 10.4236/ojbm.2015.34036.
Xie, X. , Liu, H. and Deng, H. (2015) Psychological Contract Breach and Turnover Intention: The Intermediary Role of Job Satisfaction. Open Journal of Business and Management, 3, 371-379. doi: 10.4236/ojbm.2015.34036.
References
[1] Argyris, C. (1961) Understanding Organizational Behavior. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 156-157. [2] Levinson, H., Molinari, J. and Spohn, A.G. (1972) Organizational Diagnosis. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 90-95. [3] Kotter, J.P. (1973) The Psychological Contract: Managing the Joining-Up Process. California Management Review, 15, 91-99.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/41164442 [4] Rousseau, D.M. (1989) Psychological and Implied Contracts in Organizations. Employee Rights and Responsibilities and Rights Journal, 2, 121-139.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF01384942 [5] Macneil, I.R. (1980) The New Social Contract: An Inquiry into Modern Contractual Relations. Yale University Press, New Haven, 134-137. [6] Rousseau, D.M. and Parks, I.M. (1993) The Contracts of Individuals and Organizations. Research in Organizational Behavior, 15, 41-43. [7] Chen, J.Z., Ling, W.Q. and Fang, L.L. (2001) Reviews of Researches on the Psychological Contract in Organizations. Journal of Management Sciences in China, 4, 74-78. [8] Rousseau, D.M. and Tijioriwala (1996) Perceived Legitimacy & Unilateral Contract Change: It Takes a Good Reason to Change a Psychological Contract. San Diego Symposium at the SIOP Meetings, San Diago, 289-298. [9] Li, Y. (2002) The Structure and Related Factors of Employees’ Psychological Contract. Capital Normal University, Beijing. [10] Zhu, X.M. and Wang, C.M. (2005) The Research on Construct of Knowledge Employees’ Psychological Contract in China. Studies in Science of Science, 23, 118-122. [11] Morrison, E.W. and Robinson, S.L. (1997) When Employees Feel Betrayed: A Model of How Psychological Contract Violation Develops. Academy of Management Review, 22, 226-256.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/259230 [12] You, J. (2008) Study on Psychological Contract Violation of the New Employee. Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Chengdu. [13] Turnley, W.H. and Feldman, D.C. (2000) Re-Examining the Effects of Psychological Contract Violations: Unmet Expectations and Job Dissatisfaction as Mediators. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 21, 25-42.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1099-1379(200002)21:1<25::AID-JOB2>3.0.CO;2-Z [14] Chen, J.Z., Ling, W.Q. and Fang, L.L. (2003) Construct Dimension of the Enterprise Staff’s Psychological Contract. Acta Psychologica Sinica, 35, 404-410. [15] Mobley, W.H. (1977) Intermediate Linkages in the Relationship between Job Satisfaction and Employee Turnover. Journal of Applied Psychology, 62, 237-240.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.62.2.237 [16] Porter, L.W., Pearce, J.L., Tripoli, A.M. and Lewis, K.M. (1998) Differential Perceptions of Employers’ Inducements: Implications for Psychological Contracts. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 19, 769-782.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1099-1379(1998)19:1+<769::AID-JOB968>3.0.CO;2-1 [17] Wei, F. (2004) Study on Psychological Contract Violation between Organizations and Managers. Fudan University, Shanghai. [18] Robinson, S.L. (1996) Trust and Breach of the Psychological Contract. Administrative Science Quarterly, 41, 574-599.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2393868 [19] Quinn, R.P. and Shepard, L.G. (1974) The 1972-1973 Quality of Employment Survey. Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 90-97. [20] Pond, S.B. and Geyer, P.D. (1987) Employee Age as a Moderator of the Relation between Perceived Work Alternatives and Job Satisfaction. Journal of Applied Psychology, 32, 552-557.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.72.4.552 [21] Rice, R.W., Gentile, D.A. and McFarlin, D.B. (1991) Facet Importance and Job Satisfaction. Journal of Applied Psychology, 24, 31-39.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.76.1.31 [22] Farth, J.L., Tsui, A.S., Xin, K. and Chen, B.-S. (1998) The Influence of Relational Demography and Guanxi: The Chinese Case. Organization Science, 9, 471-488.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/orsc.9.4.471
[1] Argyris, C. (1961) Understanding Organizational Behavior. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 156-157. [2] Levinson, H., Molinari, J. and Spohn, A.G. (1972) Organizational Diagnosis. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 90-95. [3] Kotter, J.P. (1973) The Psychological Contract: Managing the Joining-Up Process. California Management Review, 15, 91-99.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/41164442 [4] Rousseau, D.M. (1989) Psychological and Implied Contracts in Organizations. Employee Rights and Responsibilities and Rights Journal, 2, 121-139.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF01384942 [5] Macneil, I.R. (1980) The New Social Contract: An Inquiry into Modern Contractual Relations. Yale University Press, New Haven, 134-137. [6] Rousseau, D.M. and Parks, I.M. (1993) The Contracts of Individuals and Organizations. Research in Organizational Behavior, 15, 41-43. [7] Chen, J.Z., Ling, W.Q. and Fang, L.L. (2001) Reviews of Researches on the Psychological Contract in Organizations. Journal of Management Sciences in China, 4, 74-78. [8] Rousseau, D.M. and Tijioriwala (1996) Perceived Legitimacy & Unilateral Contract Change: It Takes a Good Reason to Change a Psychological Contract. San Diego Symposium at the SIOP Meetings, San Diago, 289-298. [9] Li, Y. (2002) The Structure and Related Factors of Employees’ Psychological Contract. Capital Normal University, Beijing. [10] Zhu, X.M. and Wang, C.M. (2005) The Research on Construct of Knowledge Employees’ Psychological Contract in China. Studies in Science of Science, 23, 118-122. [11] Morrison, E.W. and Robinson, S.L. (1997) When Employees Feel Betrayed: A Model of How Psychological Contract Violation Develops. Academy of Management Review, 22, 226-256.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/259230 [12] You, J. (2008) Study on Psychological Contract Violation of the New Employee. Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Chengdu. [13] Turnley, W.H. and Feldman, D.C. (2000) Re-Examining the Effects of Psychological Contract Violations: Unmet Expectations and Job Dissatisfaction as Mediators. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 21, 25-42.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1099-1379(200002)21:1<25::AID-JOB2>3.0.CO;2-Z [14] Chen, J.Z., Ling, W.Q. and Fang, L.L. (2003) Construct Dimension of the Enterprise Staff’s Psychological Contract. Acta Psychologica Sinica, 35, 404-410. [15] Mobley, W.H. (1977) Intermediate Linkages in the Relationship between Job Satisfaction and Employee Turnover. Journal of Applied Psychology, 62, 237-240.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.62.2.237 [16] Porter, L.W., Pearce, J.L., Tripoli, A.M. and Lewis, K.M. (1998) Differential Perceptions of Employers’ Inducements: Implications for Psychological Contracts. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 19, 769-782.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1099-1379(1998)19:1+<769::AID-JOB968>3.0.CO;2-1 [17] Wei, F. (2004) Study on Psychological Contract Violation between Organizations and Managers. Fudan University, Shanghai. [18] Robinson, S.L. (1996) Trust and Breach of the Psychological Contract. Administrative Science Quarterly, 41, 574-599.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2393868 [19] Quinn, R.P. and Shepard, L.G. (1974) The 1972-1973 Quality of Employment Survey. Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 90-97. [20] Pond, S.B. and Geyer, P.D. (1987) Employee Age as a Moderator of the Relation between Perceived Work Alternatives and Job Satisfaction. Journal of Applied Psychology, 32, 552-557.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.72.4.552 [21] Rice, R.W., Gentile, D.A. and McFarlin, D.B. (1991) Facet Importance and Job Satisfaction. Journal of Applied Psychology, 24, 31-39.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.76.1.31 [22] Farth, J.L., Tsui, A.S., Xin, K. and Chen, B.-S. (1998) The Influence of Relational Demography and Guanxi: The Chinese Case. Organization Science, 9, 471-488.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/orsc.9.4.471