The role of emotion regulation strategies in the unfolding relationships between psychological contract breach, violation and organizational citizenship behavior

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingMeeting abstract (Book)

    Abstract

    Purpose

    Employees who perceive that their employer breaks one or more obligations in their psychological contract (PC) typically experience feelings of violation, and may accordingly decrease their organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB). We examine how unfolding relationships between PC breach, violation, and OCB over time are influenced by two emotion regulation strategies: cognitive reappraisal and suppression.

    Design/Methodology

    Using weekly diary survey data--collected over the course of five weeks (Nrespondents=31, Nobservations=155)--we performed latent growth modeling to estimate and relate changes in breach, violation, and OCB over time. These changes over time were related to cognitive reappraisal and suppression.

    Results

    Increasing breach perceptions positively related to increasing feelings of violation over time, while increasing feelings of violation positively related to decreasing OCB over time. Reappraisers reported lower starting levels of breach and an attenuated increase in violation over time. Suppressors reported stronger increases in breach perceptions over time.

    Limitations

    Our sample size was small, reducing the statistical power to detect effects of the emotion regulation strategies. Additional data is therefore currently being collected.

    Research/Practical Implications

    Organizations may benefit from recruiting employees who use cognitive reappraisal as an emotion regulation strategy. In terms of theoretical implications, research could explore how emotion regulation strategies influence the breach-violation-OCB relationships, by including attribution and cognitive resources as mediators.

    Originality/Value

    By looking at temporal changes in relationships between breach, violation and OCB, we demonstrate how exchange agreements may gradually weaken or strengthen over time and that these unfolding relationships are influenced by ones' emotion regulation strategies.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publication17th congress of the European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology
    Place of PublicationOslo, Norway
    Publication statusPublished - 20 May 2015
    Event17th congress of the European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology - Oslo, Norway
    Duration: 20 May 201523 May 2015

    Conference

    Conference17th congress of the European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology
    Country/TerritoryNorway
    CityOslo
    Period20/05/1523/05/15

    Keywords

    • psychological contracts
    • emotion regulation
    • organisational citizenship behaviour

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