Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-g8jcs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T11:58:06.212Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Socially Responsible human resource management and employees' turnover intention: the effect of psychological contract violation and moral identity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 April 2022

Hongdan Zhao
Affiliation:
School of Management, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China
Yuanhua Chen
Affiliation:
School of Management, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China
Yujuan Xu*
Affiliation:
School of Management, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China
Qiongyao Zhou
Affiliation:
Antai School of Economics and Management, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
*
*Corresponding author: E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract

This study explores the impact of socially responsible human resource management (SR-HRM) on the turnover intention by exploring the effects of psychological contract violation (PCV) and moral identity. Using a sample of 284 employees in China, we found that PCV mediated the negative relationship between SR-HRM and turnover intention. Moral identity moderated the direct effect of PCV on turnover intention as well as the indirect effect of SR-HRM on turnover intention via PCV, such that both the direct and indirect effects were stronger for employees with a low level of moral identity compared to those with the high level of moral identity. Findings from this study provide a greater understanding of the internal mechanisms and boundary conditions of SR-HRM that affect turnover intentions. Study findings also provide guidance to organizations seeking to reduce employee turnover.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2022

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abdelmotaleb, M., & Saha, S. K. (2020). Socially responsible human resources management, perceived organizational morality, and employee well-being. Public Organization Review, 20(2), 385399.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Agarwala, T. (2003). Innovative human resource practices and organizational commitment: An empirical investigation. TheInternational Journal of Human Resource Management, 14(2), 175197.Google Scholar
Aquino, K., & Reed, A. (2002). The self-importance of moral identity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83(6), 14231440.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Aquino, K., Reed, A., Thau, S., & Freeman, D. (2007). A grotesque and dark beauty: How moral identity and mechanisms of moral disengagement influence cognitive and emotional reactions to war. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 43(3), 385392.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Arshad, R. (2016). Psychological contract violation and turnover intention: Do cultural values matter? Journal of Managerial Psychology, 31(1), 251264.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Arshad, R., & Sparrow, P. (2010). Downsizing and survivor reactions in Malaysia: Modelling antecedents and outcomes of psychological contract violation. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 21(11), 17931815.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Aykan, E. (2014). Effects of perceived psychological contract breach on turnover intention: Intermediary role of loneliness perception of employees. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 150(15), 413419.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bandura, A. (2001). Social cognitive theory: An agentic perspective. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 52(1), 126.Google Scholar
Bankins, S. (2015). A process perspective on psychological contract change: Making sense of, and repairing, psychological contract breach and violation through employee coping actions. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 36(8), 10711095.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bao, Y., Olson, B., Parayitam, S., & Zhao, S. (2011). The effects of psychological contract violation on Chinese executives. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 22(16), 33733392.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barrena-Martinez, J., López-Fernández, M., & Romero-Fernández, P. M. (2019). The link between socially responsible humanresource management and intellectual capital. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 26(1), 7181.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blau, P. M. (1968). The hierarchy of authority in organizations. American Journal of Sociology, 73(4), 453467.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Borau, S., El Akremi, A., Elgaaied-Gambier, L., Hamdi-Kidar, L., & Ranchoux, C. (2015). Analysing moderated mediation effects: Marketing applications. Recherche et Applications en Marketing, 30(4), 88128.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brislin, R. W. (1970). Back-translation for cross-cultural research. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 1(3), 185216.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Celma, D., Martinez-Garcia, E., & Raya, J. M. (2018). Socially responsible HR practices and their effects on employees’ wellbeing: Empirical evidence from Catalonia, Spain. European Research on Management and Business Economics, 24(2), 8289.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chi, S.-C. S., & Yang, M.-Y. (2015). How does negative mood affect turnover intention? The interactive effect of self-monitoring and conflict perception. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 24(1), 3143.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dechawatanapaisal, D. (2018). Examining the relationships between HR practices, organizational job embeddedness, job satisfaction, and quit intention. Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration, 10(2/3), 130148.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
DeGrassi, S. W. (2019). The role of the applicant's moral identity and the firm's performance on the ethical signals/organization attraction relationship. Journal of Business Ethics, 158(4), 923935.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Delery, J. E., & Roumpi, D. (2017). Strategic human resource management, human capital and competitive advantage: Is the field going in circles? Human Resource Management Journal, 27(1), 121.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
DiFonzo, N., Alongi, A., & Wiele, P. (2018). Apology, restitution, and forgiveness after psychological contract breach. Journal of Business Ethics, 161(1), 5369.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Doden, W., Grote, G., & Rigotti, T. (2018). Does leader-member exchange buffer or intensify detrimental reactions to psychological contract breach? The role of employees' career orientation. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 106, 192208.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eckhardt, A., Laumer, S., Maier, C., & Weitzel, T. (2016). The effect of personality on IT personnel's job-related attitudes: Establishing a dispositional model of turnover intention across IT job types. Journal of Information Technology, 31(1), 4866.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Edwards, J. R., & Lambert, L. S. (2007). Methods for integrating moderation and mediation: A general analytical framework using moderated path analysis. Psychological Methods, 12(1), 122.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Eisenberger, R., Karagonlar, G., Stinglhamber, F., Neves, P., Becker, T. E., Gonzalez-Morales, M. G & Steiger-Mueller, M. (2010). Leader-member exchange and affective organizational commitment: the contribution of supervisor's organizational embodiment. Journal of Applied Psychology, 95(6), 10851103.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Falk, A., & Fischbacher, U. (2006). A theory of reciprocity. Games and Economic Behavior, 54(2), 293315.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Farooq, M., Farooq, O., & Cheffi, W. (2019). How do employees respond to the csr initiatives of their organizations: Empirical evidence from developing countries. Sustainability, 11(9), 2646.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Farooq, O., Payaud, M., Merunka, D., & Valette-Florence, P. (2013). The impact of corporate social responsibility on organizational commitment: Exploring multiple mediation mechanisms. Journal of Business Ethics, 125(4), 563580.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fida, R., Tramontano, C., Paciello, M., Guglielmetti, C., Gilardi, S., Probst, T. M., & Barbaranelli, C. (2018). ‘First, do no harm’: The role of negative emotions and moral disengagement in understanding the relationship between workplace aggression and misbehavior. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 671.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gouldner, A. W. (1960). The norm of reciprocity: A preliminary statement. American Sociological Review, 25(2), 161178.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Guzzo, R. A., & Noonan, K. A. (1994). Human resource practices as communications and the psychological contract. Human Resource Management, 33(3), 447462.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hansen, S. D., Dunford, B. B., Boss, A. D., Boss, R. W., & Angermeier, I. (2011). Corporate social responsibility and the benefits of employee trust: A cross-disciplinary perspective. Journal of Business Ethics, 102(1), 2945.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hart, D., Atkins, R., & Ford, D. (1998). Urban America as a context for the development of moral identity in adolescence. Journal of Social Issues, 54(3), 513530.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hayes, A. F. (2013). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis. Journal of Educational Measurement, 51(3), 335337.Google Scholar
Huang, G. H., Wellman, N., Ashford, S. J., Lee, C., & Wang, L. (2017). Deviance and exit: The organizational costs of job insecurity and moral disengagement. Journal of Applied Psychology, 102(1), 2642.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Huselid, M. A. (1995). The impact of human resource management practices on turnover, productivity, and corporate financial performance. Academy of Management Journal, 38(3), 635672.Google Scholar
Jiang, H., Chen, Y., Sun, P., & Yang, J. (2017). The relationship between authoritarian leadership and employees’ deviant workplace behaviors: The mediating effects of psychological contract violation and organizational cynicism. Front in Psychology, 8, 732744.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Katou, A. A. (2015). The mediating effects of psychological contracts on the relationship between human resource management systems and organisational performance. International Journal of Manpower, 36(7), 10121033.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Katou, A. A., & Budhwar, P. S. (2012). The link between HR practices, psychological contract fulfillment, and organizational performance: The case of the Greek service sector. Thunderbird International Business Review, 54(6), 793809.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kim, J., Lacey, R., Kim, H.-R., & Suh, J. (2019). How CSR serves as a preventive mechanism for coping with dysfunctional customer behavior. Service Business, 13(4), 671694.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kong, F., Gong, X., Sajjad, S., Yang, K., & Zhao, J. (2019). How is emotional intelligence linked to life satisfaction? Themediating role of social support, positive affect and negative affect. Journal of Happiness Studies, 20(8), 27332745.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kraak, J. M., Lunardo, R., Herrbach, O., & Durrieu, F. (2017). Promises to employees matter, self-identity too: Effects of psychological contract breach and older worker identity on violation and turnover intentions. Journal of Business Research, 70, 108117.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kundu, S. C., & Gahlawat, N. (2015). Socially responsible HR practices and employees’ intention to quit: The mediating role of job satisfaction. Human Resource Development International, 18(4), 387406.Google Scholar
Lee, E.-J. (2016). Empathy can increase customer equity related to pro-social brands. Journal of Business Research, 69(9), 37483754.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Li, S., Rees, C. J., & Branine, M. (2019). Employees’ perceptions of human resource management practices and employee outcomes. Employee Relations, 41(6), 14191433.Google Scholar
Liu, Y., Zhao, S., Jiang, L., & Li, R. (2015). When does a proactive personality enhance an employee's whistle-blowing intention? A cross-level investigation of the employees in Chinese companies. Ethics & Behavior, 26(8), 660677.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mölders, S., Brosi, P., Spörrle, M., & Welpe, I. M. (2017). The effect of top management trustworthiness on turnover intentions via negative emotions: The moderating role of gender. Journal of Business Ethics, 156(4), 957969.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morgeson, F. P., Aguinis, H., Waldman, D. A., & Siegel, D. S. (2013). Extending corporate social responsibility research to the human resource management and organizational behavior domains: A look to the future. Personnel Psychology, 66(4), 805824.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morrison, E. W., & Robinson, S. L. (1997). When employees feel betrayed: A model of how psychological contract violation develops. The Academy of Management Review, 22(1), 226256.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ng, T.W.H., Yam, K. C., & Aguinis, H. (2019). Employee perceptions of corporate social responsibility: Effects on pride, embeddedness, and turnover. Personnel Psychology, 72(1), 107137.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nie, D., Lämsä, A.-M., & Pučėtaitė, R. (2018). Effects of responsible human resource management practices on female employees’ turnover intentions. Business Ethics: A European Review, 27(1), 2941.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peng, K. Z., Wong, C.-S., & Song, J. L. (2016). How do Chinese employees react to psychological contract violation? Journal of World Business, 51(5), 815825.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Preuss, L., Haunschild, A., & Matten, D. (2009). The rise of CSR: Implications for HRM and employee representation. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 20(4), 953973.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Priesemuth, M., & Taylor, R. M. (2016). The more I want, the less I have left to give: The moderating role of psychological entitlement on the relationship between psychological contract violation, depressive mood states, and citizenship behavior. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 37(7), 967982.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Qablan, N., & Farmanesh, P. (2019). Do organizational commitment and perceived discrimination matter? Effect of SR-HRM characteristics on employee's turnover intentions. Management Science Letters, 9(7), 11051118.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rai, A., & Agarwal, U. A. (2018). Workplace bullying and employee silence: A moderated mediation model of psychological contract violation and workplace friendship. Personnel Review, 47(1), 226256.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Raja, U., Johns, G., & Ntalianis, F. (2004). The impact of personality on psychological contracts. The Academy of Management Journal, 47(3), 350367.Google Scholar
Reed, A., & Aquino, K. F. (2003). Moral identity and the expanding circle of moral regard toward out-groups. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(6), 12701286.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Reynolds, S. J., & Ceranic, T. L. (2007). The effects of moral judgment and moral identity on moral behavior: An empirical examination of the moral individual. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(6), 16101624.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Robert, E., Robin, H., & Steven, H. (1986). Perceived organizational support. Journal of Applied Psychology, 71(3), 500507.Google Scholar
Rousseau, D. M. (1989). Psychological and implied contracts in organizations. Employee Responsibilities & Rights Journal, 2(2), 121139.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rousseau, D. M., Hansen, S. D., & Tomprou, M. (2018). A dynamic phase model of psychological contract processes. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 39(9), 10811098.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sabine, R., Ursula, K., & Martin, H. (2012). Human resource management practices and psychological contracts in Swiss firms: An employer perspective. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 23(15), 31783195.Google Scholar
Safavi, H. P., & Karatepe, O. M. (2017). High-performance work practices and hotel employee outcomes: The mediating role of career adaptability. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 30(2), 11121133.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Salin, D., & Notelaers, G. (2017). The effect of exposure to bullying on turnover intentions: The role of perceived psychological contract violation and benevolent behaviour. Work & Stress, 31(4), 355374.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Salin, D., & Notelaers, G. (2020). The effects of workplace bullying on witnesses: Violation of the psychological contract as an explanatory mechanism? International Journal of Human Resource Management, 31(18), 2319-2339.Google Scholar
Samnani, A.-K., Salamon, S. D., & Singh, P. (2013). Negative affect and counterproductive workplace behavior: The moderating role of moral disengagement and gender. Journal of Business Ethics, 119(2), 235244.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scott, C. R., Connaughton, S. L., Diaz-Saenz, H. R., Maguire, K., Ramirez, R., Richardson, B., … Morgan, D. (1999). The impacts of communication and multiple identifications on intent to leave: A multimethodological exploration. Management Communication Quarterly, 12(3), 400435.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shao, D., Zhou, E., & Gao, P. (2019a). Influence of perceived socially responsible human resource management on task performance and social performance. Sustainability, 11(11), 3195.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shao, D., Zhou, E., Gao, P., Long, L., & Xiong, J. (2019b). Double-edged effects of socially responsible human resource management on employee task performance and organizational citizenship behavior: Mediating by role ambiguity and moderating by prosocial motivation. Sustainability, 11(8), 2271.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shen, J., & Benson, J. (2016). When CSR is a social norm: How socially responsible human resource management affects employee work behavior. Journal of Management, 42(6), 17231746.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shen, J., & Zhang, H. (2019). Socially responsible human resource management and employee support for external CSR: Roles of organizational CSR climate and perceived CSR directed toward employees. Journal of Business Ethics, 156(3), 875888.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shen, J., & Zhu, C. (2011). Effects of socially responsible human resource management on employee organizational commitment. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 22(15), 30203035.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Si, S. X., Wei, F., & Li, Y. (2008). The effect of organizational psychological contract violation on managers’ exit, voice, loyalty and neglect in the Chinese context. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 19(5), 932944.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Skarlicki, D. P., Jaarsveld, D.D.V., & Walker, D. D. (2008). Getting even for customer mistreatment: The role of moral identity in the relationship between customer interpersonal injustice and employee sabotage. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 93(6), 13351347.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Skarlicki, D. P., & Rupp, D. E. (2010). Dual processing and organizational justice: The role of rational versus experiential processing in third-party reactions to workplace mistreatment. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 95(5), 944952.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sonnenberg, M., Koene, B., & Paauwe, J. (2011). Balancing HRM: The psychological contract of employees. Personnel Review, 40(6), 664683.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sonnentag, S., & Starzyk, A. (2015). Perceived prosocial impact, perceived situational constraints, and proactive work behavior: Looking at two distinct affective pathways. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 36(6), 806824.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stoner, J. S., & Gallagher, V. C. (2010). Who cares? The role of job involvement in psychological contract violation. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 40(6), 14901514.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Suarthana, J.H.P., & Riana, I. G. (2016). The effect of psychological contract breach and workload on intention to leave: Mediating role of job stress. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 219, 717723.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Suazo, M. M., & Stone-Romero, E. F. (2011). Implications of psychological contract breach: A perceived organizational support perspective. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 26(5), 366382.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thompson, J. A., & Bunderson, J. S. (2003). Violations of principle ideological currency in the psychological contract. Academy of Management Review, 28(4), 571586.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thornton, M. A., & Rupp, D. E. (2015). The joint effects of justice climate, group moral identity, and corporate social responsibility on the prosocial and deviant behaviors of groups. Journal of Business Ethics, 137(4), 677697.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tomprou, M., Rousseau, D. M., & Hansen, S. D. (2015). The psychological contracts of violation victims: A post-violation model. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 36(4), 561581.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tsui, A. S., Pearce, J. L., Porter, L. W., & Pripoli, A. M. (1997). Alternative approaches to the employee-organization relationship: Does investment in employees pay off? Academy of Management Journal, 40(5), 10891121.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Turnley, W. H., & Feldman, D. C. (1999). A discrepancy model of psychological contract violations. Human Resource Management Review, 9(3), 367386.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wang, W., Fu, Y., Qiu, H., Moore, J. H., & Wang, Z. (2017). Corporate social responsibility and employee outcomes: Amoderated mediation model of organizational identification and moral identity. Frontiers in Psychology, 8(1), 19061919.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wu, M., Sun, X., Fu, X., & Liu, Y. (2014). Moral identity as a moderator of the effects of organizational injustice on counterproductive work behavior among Chinese public servants. Public Personnel Management, 43(3), 314324.Google Scholar
Wu, M., Sun, X., Zhang, D., & Wang, C. (2016). Moderated mediation model of relationship between perceived organizational justice and counterproductive work behavior. Journal of Chinese Human Resources Management, 7(2), 6481.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhao, H., & Zhou, Q. (2021). Socially responsible human resource management and hotel employee organizational citizenship behavior for the environment: A social cognitive perspective. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 95, 102749 .CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhao, H., Zhou, Q., He, P., & Jiang, C. (2021). How and when does socially responsible HRM affect employees’ organizational citizenship behaviors toward the environment? Journal of Business Ethics, 169(2), 371385.CrossRefGoogle Scholar