THE IMPACT OF PSYCHOLOGICAL CONTRACT BREACH ON WORK‐RELATED OUTCOMES: A META‐ANALYSIS

TLDR

The study conducts a meta‑analysis to examine how psychological contract breach affects eight work‑related outcomes and to develop a causal model linking breach, affect, attitudes, and individual effectiveness. The authors used structural equation modeling to test a causal model based on affective events theory, incorporating moderators of breach measure type and breach content. Results show breach predicts all outcomes except actual turnover, with affect mediating its impact on attitudes and individual effectiveness, and the study discusses theoretical and practical implications.

Abstract

A meta‐analysis was conducted to examine the influence of psychological contract breach on 8 work‐related outcomes. Breach was related to all outcomes except actual turnover. Based on affective events theory, we developed a causal model integrating breach, affect (violation and mistrust), attitude (job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and turnover intentions), and individual effectiveness (actual turnover, organizational citizenship behavior, and in‐role performance). Structural equation modeling was used to test the model. The results indicated that affect mediates the effect of breach on attitude and individual effectiveness. Two moderators were also examined including the type of breach measure (global vs. composite) and the content of the psychological contract breach (transactional vs. relational). Theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed.