Organizational context and employee reactions to psychological contract breach: A multilevel test of competing theories

2015 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 513-534 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lixin Jiang ◽  
Tahira M Probst ◽  
Wendi L Benson

This study examines how organizational context affects employee reactions to perceived psychological contract breach. Using Conservation of Resources and Social Comparison theories, the authors develop competing hypotheses regarding the potential exacerbating vs. buffering effects of organizational context on the relationships between psychological contract breach and job security satisfaction, job satisfaction, work–family conflict, and burnout. They collected a multi-source, multilevel data set composed of faculty and departmental administrators at a university experiencing repeated budget reductions. It was found that psychological contract breach was related to detrimental job outcomes (i.e., decreased job security satisfaction and job satisfaction, increased work–family conflict, and burnout). However, this relationship was stronger among faculty in departments reporting low rather than high departmental budget cuts, thus supporting Social Comparison theory rather than Conservation of Resources theory. Social comparison matters when it comes to psychological contract breach.

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haui-Ren Liang ◽  
Huai-Liang Liang ◽  
Chi-Kuo Sun

<p>The current research examined the effects of psychological contract breach on employees’ work to family conflict and their partners’ family-work conflict. This study also investigated the buffering effect of employee spirituality on the employees’ emotional exhaustion caused by such conflicts. Analysis of a sample of 235 employee-partner dyads (188 men, 47 women, <em>M</em> age = 44 yr.) from a plastics corporation in Taiwan found as positive relationship between psychological contract breach and family issues, through employee’s emotional exhaustion. Employees with high spirituality were discovered to weaken the relationships between psychological contract breach and employees’ emotional exhaustion and both family issues. This study highlighted the value of psychological contract breach on family issues from work to family in further research.<strong></strong></p>


Author(s):  
Okechukwu Ethelbert Amah

Organisations in Africa face constant challenges on account of internal operational issues, and the economic and political situation on the continent. Hence, organisations in Africa and indeed all over the world are expected to be continuously efficient and effective in the use of scarce resources in order to survive. Accordingly, studies conducted all over the world, including in Africa, have established that high employee engagement is beneficial to organisations, because engaged employees exhibit discretionary behaviour that achieves superior business results. However, some studies suggest that organisations are also faced with the undesirable situation in which highly engaged employees experience high levels of work-family conflict. This relationship has implications for both productivity and ethical aspects, and past empirical studies have been unable to suggest a way out. This study proposes that, on the basis of the conservation of resources model and job demand and resources model, organisational and personal resources could play a major role in resolving the dilemma. Hierarchical regression analysis confirmed that organisational resources, servant leadership and personal resources were able to provide a solution, so that individuals with high values of these resources experienced less work-family conflict. The study also discussed the practical implications of the results for HRM and sustainability HRM.


2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (12) ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Lei Yao ◽  
Ping Li

We applied conservation of resources theory to propose a moderated mediation model explaining how and when moral leadership influences employees' work–family conflict (WFC). Specifically, we hypothesized that both job clarity and workplace anxiety would mediate the relationship between moral leadership and employees' WFC, and that trust in supervisor would moderate the indirect effect of moral leadership and WFC through job clarity and workplace anxiety. We collected data from 258 employees of 3 companies in China, and their spouses. The findings indicated that job clarity and workplace anxiety mediated the relationship between moral leadership and employees' WFC, and that trust in supervisor strengthened the indirect effect through job clarity and workplace anxiety. Theoretical and practical implications of our findings are discussed regarding how and when moral leadership style reduces employees' WFC.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 307-315
Author(s):  
Daniel Dominguez, MSc, CICPSI ◽  
Maria José Chambel, PhD ◽  
Rui Pedro Ângelo, PhD ◽  
Hugo Raposo, PhD

Using the Conservation of Resources Theory and the Self-Determination Theory1-3 as theoretical frameworks, a model for this study was tested, which considers firefighters’ autonomous motivation, work–family conflict, and well-being. The hypothesized model was tested using a sample of 201 firefighters from the Special Civil Protection Force in Portugal. Results revealed that autonomous work motivation was significantly related to both work–family conflict and satisfaction with life. In addition, work–family conflict was negatively related to satisfaction with life. More interestingly, the results showed that work–family conflict acted as a mechanism that helped to explain the relationship between autonomous motivation and satisfaction with life. These results underline the importance of understanding the mechanisms through which higher satisfaction with life occurs, with a view to the creation of appropriate interventions.


2018 ◽  
Vol 151 (2) ◽  
pp. 383-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanja van der Lippe ◽  
Zoltán Lippényi

AbstractWorking from home has become engraved in modern working life. Although advocated as a solution to combine work with family life, surprisingly little empirical evidence supports that it decreases work–family conflict. In this paper we examine the role of a supportive organizational context in making working from home facilitate the combination of work and family. Specifically, we address to what extent perceptions of managerial support, ideal worker culture, as well as the number of colleagues working from home influence how working from home relates to work–family conflict. By providing insight in the role of the organizational context, we move beyond existing research in its individualistic focus on the experience of the work–family interface. We explicitly address gender differences since women experience more work–family conflict than men. We use a unique, multilevel organizational survey, the European Sustainable Workforce Survey conducted in 259 organizations, 869 teams and 11,011 employees in nine countries (Bulgaria, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom). Results show that an ideal worker culture amplifies the increase in work family conflict due to working from home, but equally for men and women. On the other hand, women are more sensitive to the proportion of colleagues working from home, and the more colleagues are working from home the less conflict they experience.


2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 417-440
Author(s):  
Xiaoyu Yu ◽  
Xiaotong Meng ◽  
Gang Cao ◽  
Yingya Jia

Purpose Conflict between work and family is a significant issue for entrepreneurs. The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of entrepreneurial failure on both family–work conflict (FWC) and work–family conflict (WFC) and the moderating role of perceived control of time and organizational slack based on conservation of resources (COR) theory. Design/methodology/approach This study used a questionnaire to explore the relationship between entrepreneurial failure, FWC/WFC, perceived control of time and organizational slack. Data were collected from the Chinese context in 2018 and as a result received 318 valid questionnaires, obtaining a response rate of 63.6 per cent. Findings The study finds that entrepreneurial failure has a significant relationship with FWC but a nonsignificant relationship with WFC and that perceived control of time and organizational slack moderate the relationship between entrepreneurial failure and FWC/WFC. Originality/value This study aligns the field of family–work (work–family) conflict and entrepreneurial failure. It addresses a research gap in the conflict literature by introducing one form of resource loss: entrepreneurial failure as a source of conflict between work and family based on COR theory and the work–home resources model. The study also enriches the literature on the social cost of entrepreneurial failure by exploring the crossover effect of entrepreneurial failure on conflicts in the family domain. Furthermore, the study advances the understanding of managing conflict between work and family after entrepreneurial failure.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 737-749 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chang Chen ◽  
Zhe Zhang ◽  
Ming Jia

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the destructive effects of stretch goals on employees’ work–family conflict (WFC). Drawing on the conservation of resources (COR) theory, this study examines the mediating role of resource scarcity. By integrating the paradox theory with the COR theory, this study explores the moderating role of employees’ paradox mind-set. Design/methodology/approach Two-wave data were collected from a sample of MBA students in Northwestern China (N = 294). PROCESS was used to assess a moderated mediation model. Findings This study found a positive relationship between stretch goals and WFC, and resource scarcity mediated this relationship. For employees with a high paradox mind-set, the relationship between resource scarcity and WFC was weak; and the indirect effect of stretch goals on WFC via resource scarcity was weak. Practical implications Organizations should provide enough resources to employees when using stretch goals. Human resource managers could recruit candidates with high paradox mind-set and foster employees’ paradox mind-set through training. Originality/value This study makes contributions to the literature on stretch goals by examining the negative spillover effect of stretch goals on the family domain and exploring the mediating mechanism. This study also extends the paradox theory by using it at micro level to address questions on WFC.


2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 1030-1040 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-Shan Chen ◽  
Stanley Y.B. Huang

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how personal engagement (PE) may be related with work-family conflict (WFC) and innovative behavior (IB) at the same time. Design/methodology/approach This study tested the proposed model using a longitudinal data with 1,501 employees from R&D departments in information technology industry of Greater China at multiple points (Time 1 to Time 3) in time over a ten-month period. Findings This study exhibits how charismatic leadership style, colleague support (CS), and self-esteem (SE) are capable of predicting the PE, which, in turn, positively related to the IB and the WFC. Research limitations/implications The present study proposed a model of the PE, but there are other variables that might also be important for the PE. Practical implications These finding suggests that managers not only must inspire and enable employees to apply their full energy to their work (e.g. PE), but must also alleviate the WFC. Originality/value The study drawn from Kahn’s (1990) engagement theory and conservation of resources view to explain how the leadership style, CS, and SE can increase PE, which, in turn, increase positive organization behavior (IB) and negative organization behavior (WFC) at the same time.


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