Therese Sverdrup

 

During the last fifteen years the concept of psychological contract has achieved considerable attention due to circumstances such as foreign competition, downsizing, demographic diversity, knowledge workers and technologies. Both academics and practitioners have acknowledged that the concept of psychological contract can be applied to understand and manage the shifting employment relationships. The majority of research on psychological contract theory has been carried out on the dyad between the employer and the employee, and the reciprocal expectations and obligations they perceive. However, organisational structures have changed and a vast amount of organisations today organize their employees in teams. Hence, research on how to understand the dynamic of teams and how to improve team performance is vital, as is the broadening of the concept of psychological contract from vertical to horizontal relationships. In this thesis I will focus on the contents and outcomes of psychological contracts in teams. Research on breached psychological contracts has shown that employees perceive decreased job satisfaction, organizational commitment, performance and increased turnover intention. We have therefore reasons to believe that the management of the psychological contract between the team leader and the team members as well as between the team members is crucial for understanding the performance and dynamics of teams.

 

The project is organized as a case study, where both qualitative and quantitative data will be collected from two different organizations. Participant observation, interviews, document analysis and surveys will be carried out to explore the psychological contracts within teams and their effect on different outcome variables such as knowledge sharing, team commitment and team performance. The aim of the thesis is to broaden the psychological contract from vertical to horizontal relations, as well as how psychological contract should be managed.