Identifying Psychological Contract Breaches to Guide Improvements in Faculty Recruitment, Retention, and Development

Abstract

Objective. To identify pharmacy faculty members' perceptions of psychological contract breaches that can be used to guide improvements in faculty recruitment, retention, and development. Methods. A list of psychological contract breaches was developed using a Delphi procedure involving a panel of experts assembled through purposive sampling. The Delphi consisted of 4 rounds, the first of which elicited examples of psychological contract breaches in an open-ended format. The ensuing 3 rounds consisting of a survey and anonymous feedback on aggregated group responses. Results. Usable responses were obtained from 11 of 12 faculty members who completed the Delphi procedure. The final list of psychological contract breaches included 27 items, after modifications based on participant feedback in subsequent rounds. Conclusion. The psychological contract breach items generated in this study provide guidance for colleges and schools of pharmacy regarding important aspects of faculty recruitment, retention, and development.

Faculty Members’ Opinions of What Defines a “Star” in Academic Pharmacy

“…The role of chairs cannot be understated, and it has been recommended that they perform transparent and concrete actions in support of their faculty, even while assisting other administrators in carrying out organizational policy. [34][35][36][37] Respondents from pharmacy practice, many of whom are in non-tenure-track positions often responded in the same general direction, but still in a manner that was statistically different from peers in other disciplines. Pharmacy practice is comprised of many younger faculty who might represent different generational values to some extent, but there is even greater evidence for differentiation due to the relative youth of the entire discipline, as indicative of work on scientific paradigm.…”

Pharmacy Faculty Burnout: Cause for Concern that Requires Our Support and Use of Best Evidence

“…Assurances of these type much be kept, and failure to do so results in what is called psychological contract breach. 28 Psychological contract breach early in an employee's career can initiate a cascade of long-lasting depersonalization in an emotionally exhausting environment. 29 Much responsibility falls to academic chairs.…”

Pharmacy practice faculty and preceptor development

“…Although many reasons exist regarding why new and junior faculty leave academia, they can be placed into one of two categories: organizational or personal 85‐88 . From an organizational perspective, reasons for faculty leaving are primarily linked to breaches of psychological contracts 86 .…”

“…Although many reasons exist regarding why new and junior faculty leave academia, they can be placed into one of two categories: organizational or personal 85‐88 . From an organizational perspective, reasons for faculty leaving are primarily linked to breaches of psychological contracts 86 . This is defined as “a set of expectations by a new faculty member about the promises made as part of the new job but not formally written in the letter of offer and official contract.” 86 Factors that may lead to a breach in the psychological contract include unclear expectations, impaired culture of the organization, lack of mentorship, increased teaching workload, lack of support from staff and colleagues, poor communication with administrators, office space concerns, and lack of time to develop an experiential site.…”