Mentors, Supervisors and Role Models: Do They Reduce the Effects of Psychological Contract Breach?

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-2009

Publication Source

Human Resource Management Journal

Abstract

Psychological contract breach has become a significant problem for many organisations in today's business environment because it fosters a belief within employees that the organisation does not support them. Accordingly, we examine whether organisations can diminish the negative impact of psychological contract breach on perceived organisational support (POS) by providing employees with mentors, supportive supervisors and role models. In Study 1, we found that mentor relationships moderated the relationship between psychological contract breach and POS six months later. In Study 2, we showed that mentor relationships and supervisor support reduced the negative impact of contract breach on POS. Contrary to expectations, employees who maintained relationships with role models reported lower levels of POS in response to psychological contract breach than those employees who reported that they did not have role models in their organisations. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Inclusive pages

237–259

ISBN/ISSN

Online ISSN: 1748-8583

Comments

The definitive version is available at www3.interscience.wiley.com.

Volume

19

Issue

3

Peer Reviewed

yes

Link to published version

Share

COinS