Psychological Contract
The concept examines theoretical and empirical issues related to the psychological contract and provides an overview of the types of psychological contracts - transactional and relational, as well as some information on how to implement it.
Technique Overview
Psychological Contract Definition
The psychological contract refers to the mutual expectations people have of one another in a relationship and how these expectations change and impact behaviour. The psychological contract is often used to describe the expectations an employee has of the organisation (salary, pay rate, working hours, benefits, privileges), the expectations the organisation has of the employee (loyalty, confidentiality of sensitive information, or enhancing organisational image), or the expectations customers have of an organisation. The idea, however, can apply to any relationship (Schein, 1965; Wellin, 2007).
Psychological Contract Description *
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Business Evidence
Strengths, weaknesses and examples of Psychological Contract *
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Business Application
Implementation, success factors and measures of Psychological Contract *
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Professional Tools
Psychological Contract videos and downloads *
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Further Reading
Psychological Contract web and print resources *
Psychological Contract references (4 of up to 20) *
- Argyris, C. (1960) Understanding Organisational Behaviour. The Dorsey Press Inc., Homewood, Illinois.
- DelCampo, R. (2007) Understanding the Psychological Contract: A Direction for the Future. Management Research News, Vol. 30(6), pp. 432-440.
- Erickson, J. (2010) The Leaders We Need Now. Harvard Business Review. May.
- Guest, D. and Conway, N. (2004) Employee Well-Being and the Psychological Contract. Research Report, London: CIPD.
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