THE EVOLUTION OF THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CONTRACT FOR EMPLOYEES AFTER A REPUTATION CRISIS: THE ROLE OF ORGANIZATIONAL IDENTIFICATION

Abstract

The concept of the psychological contract has been the subject of numerous studies, particu larly in Anglo-Saxon countries, but few have been interested in understanding its evolution among employees after a corporate reputation crisis. This research presents the results of a qualitative study on a company subject to a reputation crisis. This article complements the existing literature on the «psychological contract» by examining the way in which employees still working within the organization have integrated the corporate reputation crisis into their psychological contract. This research shows that the effects can be different depending on the relational or transactional nature of the psychological contract. Our results also show the role played by organizational identification in the mechanism of modification of the psychological contract.