In this article we analyse the different ways in which psychological contracts are measured. On the basis of criteria for measurement and scale development psychological contract measurements are put to a test. The criteria are related to the way the measurement is developed and evaluated, and the specific conceptualisations of the content and evaluation of the psychological contract. Existing questionnaires to measure the psychological contract are evaluated. The use of psychological contract measurements of Freese and Schalk, Psycones, or Rousseau is recommended. Keywords: measurement instruments; psychological contracts; review and evaluationThe psychological contract emerged as a concept in the psychological literature almost fifty years ago, as a footnote in Understanding Organizational Behavior (Argyris, 1960). The psychological contract refers to implicit ideas about the employee-organisation relationship. Menninger's (1958) concept of the 'psychotherapy contract', that ascribes the intangible aspects of the contractual relationship that exist between psychoanalysts and patients, was thus translated to the work setting.The concept of the psychological contract gained increasing popularity in the 1980s and 1990s. These years were characterised by many large-scale and small-scale organisational changes. Because of these changes, the 'traditional' employment relationship was put to a test. Serious behavioural and attitudinal reactions among employees could be observed. The psychological contract was used to describe, analyse, and explain the consequences of these changes. Publications by Denise Rousseau (e.g. 1989Rousseau (e.g. , 1990Rousseau (e.g. , 1995 defined and limited the psychological contract to an employees´ perception of the exchange of mutual promise-based obligations between the employee and the organisation.Questionnaire surveys are the most commonly used method to examine the psychological contract (Conway & Briner, 2005). There are many different types of measurements of the psychological contract. In 1998 Rousseau and Tijoriwala stated: 'In the past 10 years, field research into the content and dynamics of psychological contracts in organisations has generated numerous published studies, with almost an equal number of somewhat distinct assessments ' (p. 680). In the year 2005, no progress had been achieved in this respect, according to Conway and Briner: 'There are a variety of measures for assessing both breach and the contents of psychological contracts, showing there is no single, agreed upon measure of either of these constructs' (p. 94).The aim in this article is therefore to analyse the different ways in which psychological contracts are measured and put these measurements to a test using criteria with which the value of these psychological contract measurements can be assessed. We use conceptual criteria related to the process of development of the measurement instrument. With respect to the results of application of the instruments it is assessed whether validity and reliabili...

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to add to the existing literature on the impact of organizational changes on psychological contracts by examining the exchange between employer and employee obligations and organizational commitment and intention to turnover in a causal model.Design/methodology/approachPsychological contracts of 450 health care workers were assessed in a three‐wave longitudinal design, covering a one‐year period. The Tilburg Psychological Contract Questionnaire measures perceived obligations with respect to Job Content, Career Development, Social Atmosphere, Organizational Policies and Rewards (perceived organizational obligations) and In‐role and Extra‐role Obligations (perceived employee obligations). Linear structural equation modeling was used to test the changes in psychological contracts and outcome variables over time, and also to investigate the changes in the relationships between the dependent and independent variables over time.FindingsThe results show that organizational changes negatively affect the fulfilment and violation of perceived organizational obligations. However, perceived employee obligations are not affected. The perceived fulfilment of Organizational Policies and violations of the psychological contract in general are most strongly affected.Originality/valueEmpirical longitudinal field research on the effects of organizational changes on psychological contracts is virtually non‐existent. This study is a valuable contribution to psychological contract research, because of the longitudinal nature of the study and the linear structural equation models that are used.

In this study, insight is given into the temporal nature of psychological contract‐related information seeking during organizational entry, by examining how the frequency of information seeking changes across the first year of employment for a sample of 280 newcomers. We examined the pattern of changes in the frequency of information seeking from four sources (supervisor, co‐workers, mentors, and other newcomers) and about two content dimensions of the psychological contract (organizational inducements and employee contributions). We also investigated if information‐seeking behaviours were related to the evaluation of the psychological contract and whether these relationships changed over time. The data were analysed using Latent Growth Modelling. The results indicated that information seeking about the psychological contract decreases significantly over the first year of employment, with the exception of information seeking from supervisors, indicating that for different targets of information different information seeking patterns exist. Employees seek more information on organizational inducements than on employee contributions. We found a positive association between information seeking during the initial weeks after entry and evaluations of psychological contract fulfilment after 3 months, but changes in information seeking after this initial period were not associated with changes in psychological contract fulfilment. Finally, we found that younger newcomers engaged more frequently in information seeking from co‐workers and other new hires compared to older newcomers. Implications for theories on psychological contract formation and future research are discussed.

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In this study the relationship between perceived change implementation in an organization is related to employee self‐rated behaviour. The change implementation processes measured were communication, support and participation. The relationship between these processes and employee behaviour was examined by testing a theoretical model, in which two mediating concepts are used: the psychological contract and employee job attitudes. The research was carried out in two main divisions of a large telecommunications firm on a sample of 220 employees. The theoretical model (perceived change implementation influencing the psychological contract, influencing employee attitudes, influencing employee behaviour) had a better fit with the data, compared to alternative models.