Nicky Dries and Sara De Gieter
The purpose of this paper is to examine the implicit beliefs both high potentials and HR directors hold about the terms of the exchange relationship between high potential…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the implicit beliefs both high potentials and HR directors hold about the terms of the exchange relationship between high potential employees and their organizations. The paper positions the study within the framework of the psychological contract, exploring specifically whether strategic ambiguity and information asymmetries in high potential programs create a heightened risk of psychological contract breach.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 20 high potentials and 11 HR directors from nine different organizations were interviewed. Open and axial coding of the qualitative data was performed by three raters.
Findings
Information asymmetry in high potential programs, indeed, poses a potential risk for psychological contract breach. Although strategic ambiguity can be an effective communication strategy in that it creates a power imbalance in favor of the organization, at all times a delicate balance must be maintained between leaving room for flexibility and intuitive decision making, and creating perceived promises in high potential employees that are subsequently broken. In fact, through information asymmetry organizations run the risk of achieving the exact opposite of the goals they had for their high potential programs in the first place.
Originality/value
Hardly any research has been done on the psychological effects of identifying a very small proportion of an organization's workforce as high potentials. In addition, research contrasting employee and employer beliefs about psychological contract terms is scarce.
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Keywords
Linnea Jonsson and Sara Thorgren
The purpose of this paper is to develop a deeper understanding of the organization-trainee relationship through a psychological contract lens, by exploring the psychological…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop a deeper understanding of the organization-trainee relationship through a psychological contract lens, by exploring the psychological contract between the trainee and organization during and after the program and what factors may account for contract reciprocity.
Design/methodology/approach
Inductive qualitative study design.
Findings
Data suggested that factors accounting for contract reciprocity during the program included: trainees’ responsibilities, trainees’ personal and professional development, trainees’ commitment, trainees’ delivery, and managerial and supervisory support. Factors identified accounting for contract reciprocity after individuals completed the program were: career opportunities, future-oriented dialogue between former trainees and managers, wage-setting, job tasks, and working conditions.
Originality/value
This exploratory research is original in that it identifies different factors accounting for the reciprocity during and after the program, and how this may be particularly relevant when talents are recruited externally to specifically participate in the program.
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This article focuses on the lesser-used notion of stewardship and stewardship-ism. Stewardship is a concept that has inspired the activities of several organizations whose mission…
Abstract
This article focuses on the lesser-used notion of stewardship and stewardship-ism. Stewardship is a concept that has inspired the activities of several organizations whose mission is to preserve, protect and maintain natural, social and economic assets for the benefit of stakeholders and communities. As observed by Contrafatto and Bebbington (2013), stewardship has some resonance with current policy agendas that attend to the issues related to sustainable development, corporate social responsibility and accountability. Most of the existing works on stewardship provide several perspectives with the focus being either on normative foundations of stewardship or on its organizational and managerial implications. In particular, the stewardship-related literature offers a range of conceptions and approaches ranking from a relatively narrow view of the resources, sources and time frame of stewardship to very broad specification. In this article, the management, organization and accounting literature is analysed to propose a map of current theorizing on stewardship. In particular, drawing on the methodological approach adopted by Lowndes (1996), four theoretical vignettes have been proposed to illustrate different variants and approaches in stewardship framework. Each vignette provides a set of conceptual constructs, ideas and views to understand stewardship and stewardship-inspired behaviour. The variety of approaches/perspectives on stewardship, as illustrated from the analysis undertaken in this article, provides an opportunity for deeper theory-based understanding of social and organizational dynamics. In particular, it is argued that the richness of perspectives, focus and levels of analysis could offer insights to conceptualize, see and make sense of some of the challenges that are posed by a desire for promoting transition towards more sustainable ways of organizing our society.