A Sensemaking Model of Employee Evaluation of Psychological Contract Fulfillment: When and How Do Employees Respond to Change?

There is growing attention in the academic literature and popular press regarding workplace transitions. Change is frequently mentioned as a defining quality of the new workplace and, in turn, employment relationships. A framework is presented that describes employee evaluation of the employment relationship in the context of change. Specifically, the authors apply psychological contract and sensemaking theories to address two questions: What contextual factors shape employee perceptions of change in psychological contract fulfillment? and What cognitive factors shape employee responses to perceptions of deficiency in psychological contract fulfillment? The authors' aim is to enhance understanding of employment relationships in the context of organizational change and stimulate empirical research that treats change context as a substantive variable. The authors discuss theoretical and practical implications of the framework. Recommendations for practitioners engaged in organizational change are offered. © 2009 NTL Institute.