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With a Little Help from My Friends (and Substitutes): Social Referents and Influence in Psychological Contract Fulfillment

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  • Violet T. Ho

    (Nanyang Business School, Nanyang Technological University, Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798)

  • Laurie L. Levesque

    (Frank Sawyer School of Management, Suffolk University, 8 Ashburton Place, Boston, Massachusetts 02108)

Abstract

This study investigated employees’ choice of social referents and the impact of social influence on their beliefs of psychological contract fulfillment. Using data from a field study conducted with 99 employees in a research organization, we found that one’s referent choice varied with the domain of promise evaluated. When evaluating the organization’s fulfillment of organization-wide promises, employees’ referents were primarily coworkers with whom they had close direct ties, namely, friends and advice givers. On the other hand, when evaluating the fulfillment of job-related promises, employees’ referents were mainly fellow workers who could substitute for them and people with whom they had multiple relationships.The effects of social influence also varied with the domain of promise evaluated. For organization-wide promises, employees’ fulfillment evaluations were similar to those of their friends. However, for job-related promises, their fulfillment evaluations were dissimilar to those of coworkers who played the dual roles of friends and substitutes.This study advances psychological contracts research by demonstrating that third parties to the psychological contract can influence fulfillment evaluations. In turn, the effect of such influence is contingent on the domain of promises being evaluated and the nature of the networks. We discuss implications for research in psychological contracts, social networks and influence, and referent choice.

Suggested Citation

  • Violet T. Ho & Laurie L. Levesque, 2005. "With a Little Help from My Friends (and Substitutes): Social Referents and Influence in Psychological Contract Fulfillment," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 16(3), pages 275-289, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:ororsc:v:16:y:2005:i:3:p:275-289
    DOI: 10.1287/orsc.1050.0121
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Zagenczyk, Thomas J. & Scott, Kristin D. & Gibney, Ray & Murrell, Audrey J. & Thatcher, Jason Bennett, 2010. "Social influence and perceived organizational support: A social networks analysis," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 111(2), pages 127-138, March.
    3. Bruning, Patrick F. & Alge, Bradley J. & Lin, Hsin-Chen, 2018. "The embedding forces of network commitment: An examination of the psychological processes linking advice centrality and susceptibility to social influence," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 54-69.
    4. Takeuchi, Riki & Yun, Seokhwa & Wong, Kin Fai Ellick, 2011. "Social influence of a coworker: A test of the effect of employee and coworker exchange ideologies on employees' exchange qualities," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 115(2), pages 226-237, July.

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