The employee psyche at work: A model of how psychological contracts moderate the relationship between psychological safety and engagement.

摘要

Kahn (1990) suggested individuals were more engaged when they felt psychologically safe and could act without fear of negative consequences to career or status. Dollard and Bakker (2010) argued that a psychologically safe climate has a positive effect on engagement through its positive relationship with job resources. Kark and Carmeli (2009) suggested if individuals feel psychologically safe, they may feel personally engaged in their work without fear of negative consequence to self-image, status, or career. The relationship between psychological safety and engagement has received growing support from researchers, but further empirical research is needed to determine what attitudes and perceptions tend to be linked to psychological safety. Establishing the correlates to psychological safety strengthens the current literature by describing these connections. This study tested perceived organizational support, perception of equity, and perception of politics as correlates to psychological safety.;In addition, previous research indicated different strengths of association between psychological safety and engagement. I hypothesized that moderator variables might exist that help explain this variance. I tested psychological contract as one potential moderator because it was expected to influence employee attitudes that effect psychological safety, such as trust and confidence in work relationships. Increased levels of psychological safety were expected to have a smaller influence on engagement for those employees who perceive a transactional psychological contract.;The survey sample was primarily composed of masters degree students in business, leadership, and accountancy from two Midwestern universities. To test the hypotheses presented, a survey (see Appendix) was developed and administered to the students in their classrooms. The results partially supported the hypothesized relationships. Perceived organizational support, perception of equity, and perception of politics were correlates to psychological safety. In addition, the relationship between psychological safety and engagement was stronger for respondents who perceived a transactional contract. Limitations, suggestions for future research, and implications for practitioners are provided.