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When the nature of employment matters in the employment relationship: A cluster analysis of psychological contracts and organizational commitment in the non-profit sector

McDermott, Aoife M., Heffernan, Margaret ORCID: 0000-0002-7299-867X and Beynon, Malcolm J. (2012) When the nature of employment matters in the employment relationship: A cluster analysis of psychological contracts and organizational commitment in the non-profit sector. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 24 (7). pp. 1490-1518. ISSN 0958-5192

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Abstract

This paper investigates the relationship between psychological contracts, organizational commitment and employment characteristics among paid employees in a non-profit organization. This is an empirically neglected workforce group. Using fuzzy c-means clustering, our analysis establishes three clusters of employees based on their psychological contract perceptions. Subsequent validation shows that the clusters display different levels of organizational commitment, based on an aggregated commitment measure and three singleitem measures pertaining to Loyalty, Values and Effort. In addition, the clusters are differentiated by their demographic profiles, particularly regarding the work role and type of employment contract held. Although prior psychological contract research has considered the impact of employment status (full-time, part-time and temporary), little attention has been afforded to the nature of the work role undertaken, and its implications for the psychological contract. Our exploratory cluster analysis explicates the need for further role-related research in the nonprofit sector and beyond. Potential role-related factors underpinning the differential management of employees in the non-profit sector and other work contexts are discussed. The importance of further research into the impact of the nature of the work role on psychological contract expectations is identified.

Item Type:Article (Published)
Refereed:Yes
Uncontrolled Keywords:Psychological contract; Organizational commitment; Non-profit sector; Work role; Employment; Cluster analysis
Subjects:Business > Personnel management
DCU Faculties and Centres:DCU Faculties and Schools > DCU Business School
Publisher:Taylor & Francis
Official URL:https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2012.723635
Copyright Information:© 2012 Taylor & Francis
Use License:This item is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License. View License
ID Code:23112
Deposited On:28 Mar 2019 12:15 by Thomas Murtagh . Last Modified 28 Feb 2023 12:09

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