The Journal of the Southern Association for Information Systems
First Page
1
Last Page
20
Abstract
This study examines the nature of reciprocity between IT workers and their organization and the IT profession by applying two theoretical perspectives - social identity and the psychological contract. Social Identity Theory addresses the connection between individuals and their profession while Psychological Contract Theory addresses the mental retention of direct and indirect promises and their reciprocation. The linkage of these theories assesses the behavioral outcomes of missed expectations. The results from in-depth interviews with IT professionals generate a taxonomy of twenty-five themes that potentially influence a breach or violation of the psychological contract. The discussion then focuses on the four salient themes that were highly referenced by the interviewees and that closely aligned with the theoretical foundations of the study. This paper widens the operational aspects of the Psychological Contract by investigating the factors that potentially influence a Psychological Contract Breach and Psychological Contract Violation within the IT profession.
doi:10.17705/3JSIS.00014
DOI
10.17705/3JSIS.00014
Recommended Citation
Moquin, R. (2020). Psychological Contract in IT: A Qualitative Exploration of Missed Expectations. The Journal of the Southern Association for Information Systems, 7, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.17705/3JSIS.00014