Examining team performance: the role of psychological contracts and engagement among co-workers

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 327-343
Author(s):  
Frits Schreuder ◽  
René Schalk ◽  
Sasa Batistič

PurposeThe aim of this study was to investigate the role of shared psychological contract beliefs between colleagues in a work team, in team in-role performance and extra-role behaviours.Design/methodology/approachEmployees and team managers of 113 work teams answered questions about their working environment and relationships with experiences and perceptions. The data were used in CFA and structural modelling.FindingsThe results indicated that evaluations of co-worker psychological contracts in work teams are significantly associated with team in-role performance and extra-role behaviours through work engagement.Practical implicationsEmployees with perceived contract fulfilment not only contribute more to their team but also change their expectations of what a team should offer. Managers should be informed that these new and enhanced expectations have repercussions for existing HRM practices.Originality/valueLaulié and Tekleab (2016) have suggested that perceptions of psychological contract fulfilment shared by team members may act as a motivational driver for team performance, team attitudes and behaviours. This study is one of the first applications of this proposition in a mediation model and empirically tested for non-hierarchical co-worker relationships.

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 429-450
Author(s):  
Frits Schreuder ◽  
René Schalk ◽  
Sasa Batistič

Purpose This present study aims to examine how experiences of high-performance work systems (HPWS) in work teams affect employee’s work attitudes and performance. At the team level, the study explored the role of supervisory support in the relationship experienced HPWS -team performance. In explaining employee attitudes and behaviours at the individual level, such as organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB), the study adopted a psychological contract approach. Design/methodology/approach The moderating role of supervisory support was investigated at the team level while exploring mediation effects of psychological contract beliefs in work teams in cross-level relationships with individual attitudes and behaviours. Findings Results indicate partial mediation of fulfilment of psychological contracts in work teams in the experienced HPWS-OCB relationship. At the team level, supervisory support perceptions moderate the effects of shared experiences of HPWS on product and service innovation in work teams. Originality/value The focus on the employee perspective of HPWS, the factor-analytic approach of measuring HPWS experiences and the role of team psychological contracts in employee attitudes and behaviours represent the main contributions of this study to HR research.


2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 646-668 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Haarhaus

Shared satisfaction in teams is crucial for team functioning and performance. However, it is still unclear how and why team members’ job satisfaction transforms into a shared team property. Based on affective events theory, I test hypotheses about situational, dispositional, and social antecedents of satisfaction homogeneity with a comprehensive model. Path analyses based on data from 415 team members working in 110 teams suggest that job satisfaction homogeneity primarily depends on characteristics of the working environment. Experiencing similar affective job events increased the likelihood of shared satisfaction by inducing shared affect. Team members’ personality traits (core self-evaluations) had indirect and small effects on satisfaction homogeneity. Unlike earlier studies, there was no evidence that social interaction leads to agreement in job satisfaction. Additionally, I partly replicated the finding that satisfaction homogeneity moderates the team-level satisfaction–team performance relationship.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nishant Uppal

Purpose This paper aims to examine the effects of the leaders’ dark triad (DT) personality traits, namely, Machiavellianism, Narcissism and Psychopathy, on the team performance variability. Furthermore, this work explores the role of team agreeableness in the above relationship. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on the longitudinal and archival data obtained from the sales team (team leaders: n = 190; team members: n = 832) of 19 firms dealing with fast-moving consumer goods in India. Findings From the finding of the study, it can be inferred that the presence of DT traits in the leaders causes high fluctuations in team performance. Besides, team agreeableness was found to moderate the relationship between the DT traits of the leaders and the team performance variability. Originality/value The theoretical and practical implications of the study are also discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Erum Ishaq ◽  
Usman Raja ◽  
Dave Bouckenooghe ◽  
Sajid Bashir

PurposeUsing signaling theory and the literature on psychological contracts, the authors investigate how leaders' personalities shape their followers' perceptions of the type of psychological contract formed. They also suggest that leaders' personalities impact their followers' perceived contract breach. Furthermore, the authors propose that power distance orientation in organizations acts as an important boundary condition that enhances or exacerbates the relationships between personality and contract type and personality and perceived breach.Design/methodology/approachData were collected through multiple sources in Pakistan from 456 employees employed in 102 bank branches. Multilevel moderated path analyses provided reasonably good support for our hypotheses.FindingsThe leaders' personalities impacted the relational contracts of their followers in the cases of extraversion and agreeableness, whereas neuroticism had a significant relationship with the followers' formation of transactional contracts. Similarly, agreeableness, neuroticism and conscientiousness had significant relationships with perceived breach. Finally, the power distance of the followers aggregated at a group level moderated the personality-contract type and personality-perceived breach relationships.Research limitations/implicationsThis research advances understanding of psychological contracts in organizations. More specifically, it shows that the personality of leader would have profound impact on the type of contract their employees form and the likelihood that would perceive the breach of contract.Originality/valueThis research extends existing personality-psychological contract literature by examining the role of leaders' personalities in signaling to employees the type of contract that is formed and the perception of its breach. The role of power distance organizational culture as a signaling environment is also considered.


2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 202-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Aubé ◽  
Vincent Rousseau

Purpose – The purpose of this paper, building on the work of Aubé et al. (2009, 2011) who developed a four-dimension model of counterproductive behaviors in team settings, is to examine the team-level consequences of these behaviors. More specifically, the authors investigate the mediating role of collaboration, a key component of teamwork, in the counterproductive behaviors–team performance relationships. Design/methodology/approach – Using a multisource approach and a team-level design, data were gathered from 101 work teams (381 members and 101 immediate supervisors). The study was conducted within a Canadian public safety organization. Findings – Results show that the four dimensions of counterproductive behaviors are negatively related to team performance. Moreover, results indicate that each of these relationships is completely mediated by a decrease of collaboration among members. Taken together, the results of this study show that the presence of counterproductive behaviors within teams constitutes a collective phenomenon which affects not only team members, but also the functioning and effectiveness of the team as a whole. Originality/value – This study differs from previous studies mainly by adopting a multidimensional conception of counterproductive behaviors and focusing on consequences of these behaviors on the team as a system. In practical terms, the results suggest that the presence of counterproductive behaviors may require team-level interventions (e.g. team building) in addition to individual interventions with individuals involved.


2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (12) ◽  
pp. 1315-1332
Author(s):  
Bramhani Rao ◽  
Sambashiva Rao Kunja

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of individualism-collectivism (IC) in determining psychological contract fulfillment (PCF) at individual level, thus attempting to establish that cultural orientation of each individual may differentially predict the fulfillment of his/her psychological contract. Design/methodology/approach Structural equation modeling was conducted on the cross-sectional data collected from 465 IT professionals working at different multi-national software companies. Findings Model fit between the dimensions of IC and PCF was found to be good, indicating a significantly positive relationship between within-culture cultural orientation of an individual and his/her perception of PCF. The analyses revealed that collectivist beliefs, values and norms have a significant relationship with the perception of delivery, fairness and trust toward PCF. The relationship between collectivist values and fairness of the deal was found to be insignificant. Research limitations/implications A major theoretical implication of the study is its contribution to evidence that people with collectivist orientation have a relatively positive perception toward the fulfillment of a psychological contract between them and the employer. It also clarifies why employees working in the same work environment tend to develop unique psychological contracts owing to their tendency to orient toward a particular cultural state of mind in the form of beliefs, values and norms guiding their day-to-day work-life. Originality/value The study is a valuable addition to the current literature in two ways. First, it contributes to the area of personality by examining the individual cultural orientation as an individual difference predictor of PCF. This helps in understanding the role of differences in emotions, cognition and behavior among individuals in predicting the fulfillment of hidden expectations of employees. In the domain of psychological contract, it contributes to evidence that explains why employees in same job conditions and employment relationships experience breach or fulfillment owing to their difference in cultural orientation.


2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 276-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin L. Davis ◽  
Andy Fodor ◽  
Michael E. Pfahl ◽  
Jason Stoner

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the interactive effect of turnover and task interdependence on performance in work teams. Based on pervious research, the authors contend that turnover will have a negative effect on team performance and this effect will be more pronounced as teams perform highly interdependent tasks. Design/methodology/approach – Using longitudinal data from the National Football League (NFL), the authors empirically examine the effect of player turnover on NFL team performance (i.e. wins and losses in the subsequent year), and the difference in team performance based on the high/low task interdependence of the work team. Findings – Findings suggest a negative impact of turnover on organizational performance, regardless of the interdependent nature of work team tasks. In addition, the negative influence of turnover is enhanced by the task interdependence within a team. Originality/value – This is one of the few studies that examine task interdependence as a moderating variable of the turnover – team performance relationship. More specifically, by examining an industry with high team member turnover (i.e. The NFL), the findings from this study give practicing managers a guide as to which work teams managers should attempt to minimize turnover.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario Fernando ◽  
Shahriar Akter ◽  
Ruwan J. Bandara

PurposeHow employees connect with their work organisation and how it may play a role in their moral courage and ethical behaviour remain under-explored. This study, using Psychological Contract Theory, aims to explore how employee–organisation connectedness influences employees' moral courage and ethical behaviour.Design/methodology/approachThe hypotheses were tested using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) on data collected through a questionnaire survey from 212 Australian healthcare professionals.FindingsEmployee connectedness with their work organisations showed a significant and direct impact on ethical behaviour. Along with moral courage, connectedness explained over half of the variance in ethical behaviour. Furthermore, moral courage partially mediated the effect of employee connectedness on ethical behaviour.Research limitations/implicationsThe overall theoretical implication of this study is that psychological contracts between employees and their organisations operationalised through employee–organisation connectedness can explain the role of moral courage in ethical behaviour.Practical implicationsWith increasing borderless management of organisations, organisational connectedness can be a critical factor in developing employees' moral courage and ethical behaviour within organisations. Socialisation interventions can be useful to promote employee–organisation connectedness.Originality/valueThe study developed a higher-order connectedness model and validated it with PLS-SEM. The study provides novel empirical evidence on the relationships between employee–organisation connectedness, moral courage and ethical behaviour.


2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 136-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frits Schreuder ◽  
Rene Schalk ◽  
Jeroen de Jong

Purpose This study aims to examine reciprocal exchange in teams using a psychological contract (PC) framework. Adopting Rousseau’s conceptualization of the contract, the authors explore the extent to which the team members reciprocate perceived team obligations and fulfilment by adjusting their own obligations and fulfilment. A new scale for the measurement of obligations and fulfilment was developed. Team commitment was hypothesized as a mediating variable. Design/methodology/approach The new PC scale was tested in a longitudinal study design. A survey of a representative sample of 230 Dutch first-year college students nested in 73 teams was conducted. Findings The authors found that in student teams, perceived team obligations at Time 1 are positively associated with perceived member obligations at Time 2. Furthermore, they found higher commitment to the team as the team fulfilled the obligations as perceived by its members. Contrary to the exchange theory, in student teams, perceived fulfilment of obligations at Time 1 is not reciprocated by more obligations of its members at Time 2. No significant mediating effects are found of team commitment. Originality/value To date, this study provides the first measurement of contract fulfilment in non-hierarchical team relationships. The instrument can act as a tool to assess future team effectiveness and performance and adjust team composition accordingly.


1995 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 275-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
William P. Delaney ◽  
Genevieve Ames

This article investigates the relationship between work team attitudes, drinking norms, and workplace drinking in a large assembly line factory in the Midwest. Respondents were asked whether significant persons at work (friends, team members, and supervisors) would approve or disapprove if they engaged in three types of work-related drinking (before work, at work, and at work to intoxication). Respondents were also asked whether they agreed or disagreed with several positive and negative statements about work teams–a new form of assembly line production introduced in the 1980s. Several items probing relations between union employees and supervisors were also included. Separate regression analyses were used to predict workplace drinking norms and workplace drinking. Using exploratory factor analysis and hierarchical regression, positive attitudes toward work teams significantly predicted less permissive drinking norms even when overall drinking and various background variables were controlled. In a second regression analysis, drinking norms significantly predicted workplace drinking. Additionally, it was revealed in the analysis that hourly African-Americans as a group were significantly more likely to have positive team attitudes and less permissive drinking norms than whites. The role of team-based work system in the primary prevention of workplace alcohol misuse is discussed.


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