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Psychological Contract Mutuality and Work-related Outcomes: Testing a Mediation Model

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 November 2020

Iulia A. Cioca Open the ORCID record for Iulia A. Cioca [Opens in a new window] ,
José Ramos Open the ORCID record for José Ramos [Opens in a new window] ,
M. Felisa Latorre Open the ORCID record for M. Felisa Latorre [Opens in a new window]  and
Yolanda Estreder Open the ORCID record for Yolanda Estreder [Opens in a new window]
Iulia A. Cioca
Affiliation:
ScienceForWork (Romania)
José Ramos
Affiliation:
IDOCAL-Universitat de València (Spain) Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Económicas (Spain)
M. Felisa Latorre
Affiliation:
Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (Spain)
Yolanda Estreder*
Affiliation:
IDOCAL-Universitat de València (Spain)
*
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Yolanda Estreder. Universitat de València. Institut d'Investigació en Psicologia del RRHH, del Desenvolupament Organitzacional i de la Qualitat de Vida Laboral (IDOCAL). Avda. Blasco Ibáñez, 21. 46010 València (Spain). E-mail: Yolanda.Estreder@uv.es
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Abstract

Psychological contract (PC) describes the labor relationships through the different promises made by the employer towards the employees and the promises made by employees to their employer. PC mutuality is defined as the agreement about whether these promises were actually made. Mutuality is a key element in PC theory. The aim of this study is to test a mediation model of relationships between PC mutuality and work related outcomes, through PC fulfillment. We analyze whether PC mutuality regarding promises made by the employer are significantly related to employees’ affective, attitudinal, and behavioral work-related outcomes, and whether fulfillment of PC promises mediates these relationships. The sample was composed of 942 employees and their HR managers from 47 organizations in three sectors (food, education, and sales). Mediation model is tested, using the bootstrapping technique developed by Hayes (2009). The study provides support for the hypothesized mediation model. Results show that PC mutuality predicts work-related outcomes such as job satisfaction, well-being, organizational commitment, intention to quit, in-role perceived performance, and perceptions of PC violation, and that PC fulfillment partially mediates these relationships. These findings provide theoretical insights into PC theory, highlighting the relevance of PC mutuality. They offer practical suggestions for companies about the importance of achieving mutuality in their relationships with employees in order to increase positive work-related outcomes.

Keywords

employment relationshipspsychological contract fulfillmentpsychological contract mutualitywork-related outcomes
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 23 , 2020 , e53
Copyright
© Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Madrid 2020

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Footnotes

Conflict of interest: None.

Funding Statement: This research is part of PSYCONES international project, funded by the Fifth EU Research Framework (SERD 2002 00067).

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