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Uncertainty, Contrariness and the Double‐bind: Middle Managers’ Reactions to Changing Contracts
Author(s) -
Dopson Sue,
Neumann Jean E.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
british journal of management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.407
H-Index - 108
eISSN - 1467-8551
pISSN - 1045-3172
DOI - 10.1111/1467-8551.9.s1.6
Subject(s) - psychological contract , negativity effect , middle level , middle management , business , relation (database) , psychology , social psychology , public relations , marketing , political science , computer science , polarization (electrochemistry) , chemistry , database
This article describes the emerging changes in psychological contracts being experienced by British middle managers in relation to their employing organizations, the middle managers' negative reactions to these changes and organizational responses to such negativity. By analysing case studies of 16 organizations, a classification of changes to five elements of the psychological contract are identified: knowledge, motivation, goals and means, role behaviour and ethics. By analysing the semi‐structured interviews of 37 middle managers, selected from a much larger database for their obvious negative reactions, a continuum of such reactions is considered: uncertainty, contrariness and double‐bind. This consideration leads, then, to suggestions for further research.