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Cultural variation and the psychological contract
Author(s) -
Thomas David C.,
Au Kevin,
Ravlin Elizabeth C.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of organizational behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.938
H-Index - 177
eISSN - 1099-1379
pISSN - 0894-3796
DOI - 10.1002/job.209
Subject(s) - psychological contract , collectivism , psychology , social psychology , perception , individualism , variation (astronomy) , cognition , political science , law , physics , neuroscience , astrophysics
Literature on the psychological contract has made significant contributions to our understanding of the exchange relationship between employees and their employer. However, the influence of cultural differences on perceptions of the employment relationship has largely been neglected. We propose both cognitive and motivational mechanisms through which the cultural profiles of individuals influence (a) formation of the psychological contract, (b) perceptions of violations of the psychological contract, and (c) responses to perceived violations. General mechanisms for the influence of culture on the psychological contract are followed by specific examples of the influence of individualism and collectivism. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.