Does what happens abroad stay abroad? Displaced aggression and emotional regulation in expatriate psychological contracts

The effects of psychological contract violation are the subject of considerable research. Yet, their effects in work arrangements with more than two parties are largely unknown. Multi‐party work arrangements differ from traditional ones because individuals may be vulnerable to psychological contract breach and violation by more than one party, potentially directing negative emotional responses not only towards the responsible party but also displacing it to the other (innocent) party. Primary data from a two‐wave survey of 221 current expatriates is used to test the effects of displaced aggression and emotion regulation in multi‐party psychological contracts. We find that the negative emotions (violation experiences) associated with breach predict reduced commitment both to the perpetrating organization and the innocent party. However, this spillover effect is asymmetric and follows displaced aggregation theory: Expatriates displace their aggressive behaviour on to the host when the home organization violated the psychological contract, not the reverse

Breaking psychological contracts with the burden of workload: a weekly study of job resources as moderators

This intra-individual study examined relationships over time of job demands and resources with employee perceptions of psychological contract breach and violation, or the emotional impact of breach. Based on Conservation of Resources Theory, we expected job demands to increase the susceptibility of experiencing contract breach and violation over time, and we expected this relationship to be moderated by available job resources. In particular, autonomy and social support were expected to buffer relationships of job demands with breach, while development was expected to intensify relationships between job demands and breach. For violation, we expected job resources to intensify the relationships between job demands and breach, in line with the betrayal hypothesis. Analyses on weekly diary data showed that weekly job demands were related to higher contract breach perceptions in the following week when autonomy and social support were low and when development was high. Moreover, weekly job demands were related to higher violation in the next week, especially when social support was high. The study shows that job demands may be related to higher odds of experiencing a breach and higher violation, and job resources may play opposite roles in moderating the relationships of job demands with breach and violation

When Foreign Waves Hit Home Shores: Organizational Identification in Psychological Contract Breach‐Violation Relationships During International Assignments

In the context of international assignments, this study investigates the psychological contract breach-violation relationship from a multi-party employment perspective. Multi-party employment refers to arrangements where employees have concurrent psychological contracts with more than one party. Drawing on two-waves of survey data from 221 expatriates, we find both direct relationships and asymmetric spillover effects of psychological contract breach on violation. Psychological contract breach by either the home or host organization is directly linked to psychological contract violation by the breaching party. Additionally, spillover effects occur such that a breach by the host predicts psychological contract violation by the home organization, though not the reverse. These relationships are shaped by the expatriates’ organizational identification. Identification with the host buffers the direct effect between breach and violation by the host, while dual organizational identification mitigates the direct effect between breach and violation by the home organization. Identification with the home organization diminishes the spillover effect from host breach to home organization violation. The opposite, identification with the host, amplifies the spillover effect of host breach to home organization violation. By examining the distinct dynamics of home and host organization contract breach and violation, we develop theoretical implications for understanding PCs in multi-party work arrangements

Psychological Contract Violations on Information Disclosure: A Study of Institutional Arrangements in Social Media Platforms

Previous research investigating information disclosure with online merchants has extended social contract theory using psychological contracts to explain the nature of the relationship between the consumer and merchant. This research extends the role of psychological contracts to social media platforms (SMP) by investigating how institutional psychological contract violations (PCV) influence trust in the SMP through institutional arrangements. Using a sample from MTurk, we presented two hypothetical scenarios manipulating the degree of PCV. Our findings suggest institutional PCVs act differently on institutional arrangements. Institutional PCVs impact attitudes toward institutional arrangements and trust in the SMP

Integrating social impact management into management education: exploring attitudes and assessments

This paper considers ethical attitudes of business students from an Atlantic Canadian university. We investigate students’ attitudes toward the topics of business ethics, social impact management, corporate social responsibility and environmental awareness being included in management education. We report on established student clubs, societies, and groups in Canadian business schools which promote these topics. We also discuss implications related to integrating these topics into management education