From HRM to psychological contracting - the case of Finnish mobile content producing companies

The paper explores how human resource management (HRM) is currently intended, used and experienced in 10 Finnish companies operating in the field of telecommunications. Our specific focus is on direct and indirect forms of managerial control and the psychological contract. We examine how psychological contracts are created and maintained, and study their relationship with HRM as a means of either direct or indirect control. Our findings indicate that employees are voluntarily assuming the obligation to exercise organizational control as a part of their psychological contract in exchange for the freedom and autonomy that they enjoy. Recruitment emerges as a top employer priority. However, not many other human resource (HR) techniques are used. Rather, carefully selected workers are allowed the autonomy and freedom to define what constitutes their psychological contract, with a duty to control its attractiveness from the employers' point of view.