A qualitative study of expatriates’ perceptions of and process of responses to psychological contract breach
通过定性访谈，研究外派人员如何感知心理契约违背，以及他们在不同情境下如何应对，发现动机心态能缓冲任务绩效下降，但会引发隐蔽的反生产行为。
The belief that one’s employer has failed to adequately fulfill its perceived obligations is referred to as psychological contract breach (PCB). This study investigates expatriates’ perceptions of PCB and the process of how they respond to these perceptions. Although the detrimental effects of PCB on work-related outcomes of employees working on home soil are well-established, such research is lacking in the expatriate context. Through qualitative interviews, this research provides new insights into the sources and nature of expatriate-perceived PCB and contextual factors in expatriates’ sense-making processes that govern their responses to PCB. Additionally, motivational mindsets, an understudied individual difference, are a prominent buffering mechanism that restrains expatriates from withdrawing task performance in retaliation for PCB. At the same time, however, subtle and discreet tactics in the form of counterproductive work behavior and decreased professional performance are resorted to as a means for expatriate victims to deal with PCB.