A multi-level investigation of psychological contract breach and organizational identification through the lens of perceived organizational membership: testing a moderated-mediated model

Olga Epitropaki

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Drawing on the perceived organizational membership theoretical framework and the social identity view of dissonance theory, I examined in this study the dynamics of the relationship between psychological contract breach and organizational identification. I included group-level transformational and transactional leadership as well as procedural justice in the hypothesized model as key antecedents for organizational membership processes. I further explored the mediating role of psychological contract breach in the relationship between leadership, procedural justice climate, and organizational identification and proposed separateness–connectedness self-schema as an important moderator of the above mediated relationship. Hierarchical linear modeling results from a sample of 864 employees from 162 work units in 10 Greek organizations indicated that employees' perception of psychological contract breach negatively affected their organizational identification. I also found psychological contract breach to mediate the impact of transformational and transactional leadership on organizational identification. Results further provided support for moderated mediation and showed that the indirect effects of transformational and transactional leadership on identification through psychological contract breach were stronger for employees with a low connectedness self-schema.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)65-86
Number of pages22
JournalJournal of Organizational Behavior
Volume34
Issue number1
Early online date24 Apr 2012
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2013

Bibliographical note

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Epitropaki, O. (2013), A multi‐level investigation of psychological contract breach and organizational identification through the lens of perceived organizational membership: Testing a moderated–mediated model. J. Organiz. Behav., 34: 65-86. doi:10.1002/job.1793, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/job.1793.  This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance With Wiley Terms and Conditions for self-archiving.

Keywords

  • perceived organizational membership
  • organizational identification
  • psychological contract breach
  • transformational leadership
  • transactional leadership
  • procedural justice climate
  • self-concept

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