The mediating role of psychological contract violation on the relations between psychological contract breach and work‐related attitudes and behaviors

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of psychological contract violation (PCV) as a mediating variable in the relations between psychological contract breach (PCB) and work‐related attitudes and behaviors. In addition, this study aims to expand the generalizability of psychological contract theories by examining service‐oriented employees rather than a population of managers as in most research on PCB. Design/methodology/approach – A survey was administered to 196 service‐oriented employees working in the USA. Factor analyses (principal components, varimax rotation) were conducted on all the variables in the study to determine the factorial independence of the constructs. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted to test the main effects and mediating hypotheses. Findings – The findings are consistent with the proposed mediation model of the study. PCV was found to fully mediate the relations between PCB and job satisfaction, organizational commitment, intentions to quit, perceived organizational support, service delivery, service‐oriented organizational citizenship behavior, and participation service‐oriented organizational citizenship behavior. PCV was found to partially mediate the relation between PCB and loyalty service‐oriented organizational citizenship behavior. PCV was not found to mediate the relation between PCB and in‐role job performance. Research limitations/implications – The use of a cross‐sectional non‐experimental design does not allow for definitive conclusions regarding causality and there is a possibility that the results may be influenced by common method variance. Practical implications – Managers need to carefully consider and manage the psychological contracts of their subordinates from a cognitive perspective (PCB) and an affective perspective (PCV). Originality/value – The paper empirically examines the PCB‐PCV Outcomes model using a sample of service‐oriented employees.