There is a growing interest in applying the psychological contract concept to the relationship between volunteers and nonprofit organizations. However, previous studies overlook certain elements of volunteers’ psychological contracts as they build on theory established with reference to paid employees. We argue that the inclusion of a value-based psychological contract type, next to transactional and relational types, enables a more thorough understanding of perceived mutual obligations between volunteers and nonprofit organizations. We use the critical incidents technique to map volunteers’ perceived (un)fulfilled obligations and find that volunteers perceive both fulfilled and unfulfilled value-based obligations. Moreover, we describe specific terms related to the mission and values of the organization reported by volunteers. We conclude that future psychological contract research needs to take this value-based dimension into account, especially in volunteerism.
ArnoldJ. (1996). The psychological contract: A concept in need of closer scrutiny?European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 5, 511-520.
2.
BiesA. L. (2010). Evolution of nonprofit self-regulation in Europe. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 39, 1057-1086.
3.
ButterfieldL. D.BorgenW. A.AmundsonN. E.MaglioA. S. T. (2005). Fifty years of the critical incident technique: 1954-2004 and beyond. Qualitative Research, 5, 475-497.
4.
ClaryE. G.SnyderM. (1999). The motivations to volunteer: Theoretical and practical considerations. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 8, 156-159.
5.
CnaanR.CascioT. (1998). Performance and commitment: Issues in management of volunteers in human service organizations. Journal of Social Service Research, 24(3), 1-37.
6.
CnaanR.HandyF.WadsworthM. (1996). Defining who is a volunteer: Conceptual and empirical considerations. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 25, 364-384.
7.
CullinaneN.DundonT. (2006). The psychological contract: A critical review. International Journal of Management Reviews, 8(2), 113-129.
8.
De CoomanR.De GieterS.PepermansR.JegersM. (2011). A cross-sector comparison of motivation-related concepts in for-profit and not-for-profit service organizations. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 40, 296-317.
9.
EloS.KyngäsH. (2008). The qualitative content analysis process. Journal of advanced nursing, 62(1), 107-115.
10.
FarmerS. M.FedorD. B. (1999). Volunteer participation and withdrawal. Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 9, 349-368.
11.
FlanaganJ. C. (1954). The critical incident technique. Psychological bulletin, 51, 327-358.
12.
GremlerD. D. (2004). The critical incident technique in service research. Journal of Service Research, 7(1), 65-89.
13.
HerriotP.ManningW. E. G.KiddJ. M. (1997). the content of the psychological contract. British Journal of Management, 8, 151-162.
14.
HydeP.HarrisC.BoadenR.CortvriendP. (2009). Human relations management, expectations and healthcare: A qualitative study. Human Relations, 62, 701-725.
15.
IsakssonK.De CuyperN.Bernhard OettelC.De WitteH. (2010). The role of the formal employment contract in the range and fulfilment of the psychological contract: Testing a layered model. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 19, 696-716.
16.
LeeteL. (2006). Work in the nonprofit sector. In PowellW.W.SteinbergR. (Eds.), The nonprofit sector: A research handbook (2nd ed.). New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
17.
Liao-TrothM. A. (2001). Attitude differences between paid workers and volunteers. Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 11, 423-442.
18.
Liao-TrothM. A. (2005). Are they here for the long haul? The effects of functional motives and personality factors on the psychological contracts of volunteers. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 34, 510-530.
19.
MarshallM. N. (1996). Sampling for qualitative research. Family practice, 13, 522-525.
20.
McLean ParksJ.KidderD. L.GallagherD. G. (1998). Fitting square pegs into round holes: mapping the domain of contingent work arrangements onto the psychological contract. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 19, 697-730.
21.
MillwardL. J.BrewertonP. M. (2000). Psychological contracts: Employee relations for the twenty-first century?International Review of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 15, 1-61.
22.
MorrisonE.RobinsonS. (1997). When employees feel betrayed: A model of how psychological contract violation develops. Academy of management Review, 22, 226-256.
23.
NicholsG.OjalaE. (2009). Understanding the management of sports events volunteers through psychological contract theory. VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 20, 369-387.
24.
O’DonohueW.DonohueR.GrimmerM. (2007). Research into the psychological contract: Two Australian perspectives. Human Resource Development International, 10, 301-318.
25.
O’DonohueW.NelsonL. (2007). Let’s be professional about this: Ideology and the psychological contracts of registered nurses. Journal of nursing management, 15, 547-555.
26.
RalstonR.DownwardP.LumsdonL. (2004). The expectations of volunteers prior to the XVII Commonwealth Games, 2002: A qualitative study. Event Management, 9(1-2), 13-26.
27.
RousseauD. M. (1989). Psychological and implied contracts in organizations. Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, 2(2), 121-139.
28.
RousseauD. M. (1990). New hire perceptions of their own and their employer’s obligations: A study of psychological contracts. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 11, 389-400.
29.
RousseauD.M. (1995). Psychological contracts in organizations: Understanding written and unwritten agreements. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
30.
RousseauD. M. (2001). Schema, promise and mutuality: The building blocks of the psychological contract. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 74, 511-541.
31.
TaylorT.DarcyS.HoyeR.CuskellyG. (2006). Using psychological contract theory to explore issues in effective volunteer management. European Sport Management Quarterly, 6(2), 123-147.
32.
ThompsonJ. A.BundersonJ. S. (2003). Violations of principle: Ideological currency in the psychological contract. Academy of Management Review, 28, 571-586.
33.
ZhaoH.WayneS. J.GlibkowskiB. C.BravoJ. (2007). The impact of psychological contract breach on work-related outcomes: A meta-analysis. Personnel Psychology, 60, 647-680.
