Wayne O'Donohue, Cathy Sheehan, Robert Hecker and Peter Holland
The purpose of this paper is to explore whether the concept of psychological contracts underpinned by relational/transactional exchanges provides an adequate description of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore whether the concept of psychological contracts underpinned by relational/transactional exchanges provides an adequate description of knowledge workers' contracts.
Design/methodology/approach
The research approach uses interviews with ten scientists from within a pre‐eminent Australian scientific research and development organization, the Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).
Findings
The research strong evidence of an ideological currency within the psychological contract for this set of knowledge workers.
Practical implications
The research raises questions over the role of normative occupation‐specific beliefs about work, and the sharing of common currency elements by individuals in the same organization within the same occupation. The analysis lends support to calls in the literature for a reconsideration of the transactional/relational interpretative framework that underpins the psychological contract.
Originality/value
This exploratory study lends support to calls in the psychological contract for the reconsideration of the cognitive‐perceptual definition of the concept and its transactional/relational interpretative framework.
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Keywords
Wayne O’Donohue and Lindsay Nelson
This study aims to re-examine the concept of alienation, particularly from the perspective of existential psychology. While research interest continues to centre on links between…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to re-examine the concept of alienation, particularly from the perspective of existential psychology. While research interest continues to centre on links between human resource management (HRM) and organizational performance, such as in studies by Beer et al. (1984), Huselid (1995), Becker and Gerhart (1996) and Guest (2011), there is a growing interest in individual attributes such as employee well-being in addition to organizational performance, as mentioned in studies by Macky and Boxall (2007), Wood and de Menezes (2011) and Guest and Conway (2011). In this paper, we focus on issues related to the individual, and in doing so we suggest that HRM theory needs further development, as pointed out by Guest (2011).
Design/methodology/approach
This is a paper in the tradition of critical theory that draws on both classical and modern research in the business and psychology literature. It outlines the development of the concept of alienation from its classic articulation by Marx through to the perspective offered by existential psychologists such as Blauner (1964). How alienation, thus, defined might manifest in the workplace is then discussed, as are its links to other concepts associated in the literature with positive and negative work experiences is presented.
Findings
We argue that alienation needs to be addressed at two levels, namely, at the systemic level, in terms of factors external to the individual such as work and organizational systems and processes, and in terms of factors internal to the individual’s “state of mind”. We offer strategies for management to consider counterbalancing the negative effects of residual feelings of powerlessness, meaninglessness, isolation and self-estrangement that systemic change is unable to eliminate.
Originality/value
The paper refocuses attention on the individual within the context of HRM, the effects of alienation and other outcomes of positive and negative work experiences such as work engagement and job burnout.
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Alessandra Vecchi, Bice Della Piana, Rosangela Feola and Chiara Crudele
This paper investigates how global talent management processes are adopted and implemented in a virtual organization to successfully address the challenges of global work…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper investigates how global talent management processes are adopted and implemented in a virtual organization to successfully address the challenges of global work arrangements and the sustainable human and social outcomes that can be achieved.
Design/methodology/approach
Adopting a single, exploratory and critical case study methodology, this paper analyzes a global distributed company, Automattic Inc., to provide in-depth and rich insights on successful business process management in the human resources (HR) domain.
Findings
The findings offer some exemplary and valuable lessons in sustainable human resource management for firms in all sectors on how to embrace global talent management in a more creative and sustainable way – and the benefits in terms of efficiency and effectiveness that can be derived – by identifying talent through auditions, recruiting by inspiring others to apply, developing talent by sharing the value of learning and retaining talent by having fun.
Originality/value
The study contributes a more rounded understanding of successful business process management in the HR domain. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this is particularly relevant and timely for all organizations (traditional or virtual) venturing into successful global work arrangements.
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Dae‐seok Kang, Jeff Gold and Daewon Kim
This paper aims to focus on a career perspective to investigate the association between employee experience of job insecurity and work‐related behaviors, specifically…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to focus on a career perspective to investigate the association between employee experience of job insecurity and work‐related behaviors, specifically discretionary extra‐role and impression management behaviors. A second purpose is to analyze the interaction effect of perceived employability and job insecurity on extra‐role and impression management behaviors.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on a sample of 207 supervisor‐subordinate dyads in Korean banking and financial institutions, the relationships between job insecurity and extra‐role or impression management as two career behaviors are tested. The interaction effects of employability and job insecurity on behavioral options are also tested.
Findings
The results showed that the perception of job insecurity led to both reduced extra‐role and impression management behavior and the intensity of withdrawal increased as employability increased.
Research limitations/implications
The findings provide a fundamental new insight into how a careerist orientation functions in the age of job insecurity.
Practical implications
Extra‐role and impression management behaviors may be an individual's method of career management, especially in the context of job insecurity, allowing managers to capture a more dynamic picture of an individual's career choice in a new employment relationship.
Originality/value
The paper adopts a career perspective in investigating employee extra‐role and impression management behaviors under conditions of declining job security. It adds further value by showing the moderating effect of employability on such behaviors.
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Mary Barrett, Anne Cox and Blake Woodward
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the psychological contracts (PCs) of international volunteers (IVs) in international aid and development organizations (IADS)…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the psychological contracts (PCs) of international volunteers (IVs) in international aid and development organizations (IADS). Specifically, it explores four questions: how IVs form PCs; what the content of these PCs is; how IVs’ PCs are maintained; and how they are fulfilled or breached.
Design/methodology/approach
The study used an inductive analysis of qualitative data: interviews with 27 IVs from a range of IADS.
Findings
The findings take the form of research propositions: RP1: IVs’ PCs, like those of domestic volunteers, include relational, transactional and, especially, values-based elements, but the balance of these is influenced by their values-based PC; the self-directed way IVs join their organizations; and reliance on peers rather than the organization’s management hierarchy. RP2: the PCs of IVs working for faith-based organizations have an additional element: spiritual support. RP3: the values-based PC means many transactional elements can be “adjusted away”, making it difficult to breach these PCs. RP4: experienced volunteers have very minimal PCs, but are more likely than inexperienced volunteers to expect basic safety and adequately skilled colleagues.
Research limitations/implications
The authors suggest areas of new inquiry and specific ways each research proposition could be tested empirically.
Practical implications
To alleviate IVs’ expatriation and repatriation adjustment problems, international aid organizations could facilitate the ways IVs already help each other. This would also help fulfill IVs’ PCs.
Originality/value
IVs are a growing but underexplored group and aspects of their PCs may be unique.