Abstract

Purpose
This paper contains a meta-analysis of the psychological contract literature published in the last two
decades. The aim was to investigate the moderating role of national culture in the individual-level
relationships between psychological contract breach (PCB) and two important work outcomes,
namely job performance (in-role and organizational citizenship behaviors) and turnover (actual
and intended).
Design/methodology/approach
After an extensive literature search, 134 studies were found which matched our aim. We then
incorporated national cultural scores based on the GLOBE study to include country-level scores to
identify how the PCB relationships with these four outcomes vary across cultures.
Findings
The findings indicate that national cultural practices moderated the associations between PCB and
the four outcomes, yet, no significant moderations for uncertainty avoidance practices.
Originality/value
While existing research has examined the impact of the breach on work outcomes such as job
performance and turnover, there are few empirical studies that examine how national cultural
practices influence the relationships between psychological contract breach and job performance
and turnover. The authors address this need by investigating and creating a deeper insight into how
cultural practices such as institutional collectivism, performance-orientation, power-distance,
future-orientation, and gender egalitarianism moderate the relationships between PCB and job
performance and turnover.