But You Promised! A Meta-Analytic Investigation of the Nomological Net of Psychological Contract Breach

Abstract

The psychological contract and its breach have received a substantial amount of research attention in the 62 years since they were first introduced. Given the high prevalence of psychological contract breach as well as its demonstrated impact on outcomes, breach is particularly important to understand. The present study provides a comprehensive meta-analysis of psychological contract breach, summarizing 467 studies consisting of 517 samples with a total of 2,383 effect sizes. It additionally presents a path model to compare the indirect effect of breach on outcomes via two theoretical mechanisms most frequently used to understand relationships between breach and outcomes, social exchange theory and affective events theory. Results indicate that breach’s effect on outcomes is primarily routed through the affective path. Results also present meta-analytic estimates of time-lagged relationships, thereby adding clarity to questions regarding the directionality of relationships between breach and its correlates. Finally, the present study presents a moderation test to determine the extent to which choices regarding operationalization of breach impact results, and finds that, while there are empirical differences based on operationalization, the substantive nature of these relationships is consistent across operationalizations.