Evidence for ideological currency in psychological contracts? Vantilborgh, T., Torfs, G., Pepermans, R., Willems, J., & Jegers, M. 14th EUROPEAN CONGRESS ON WORK AND ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

Pag. 1. Research question “What does the psychological contract of volunteers look like?” 2 14th European Congress of Work and Organizational Psychology

Pag. 1. Research question “What does the psychological contract of volunteers look like?” Subjective beliefs regarding an exchange agreement between an individual and, in organizations typically, the employing firm and its agents (Rousseau, 1995). 3 14th European Congress of Work and Organizational Psychology

Pag. 1. Research question “What does the psychological contract of volunteers look like?” Voluntary work is performed out of free will; is not remunerated but does allow for certain benefits or reimbursements; is carried out on a regular basis, thus excluding one-time activities; is established by a formal organization, different than the own household or other familiar relationships; creates additional value or adds to the goal(s) of the employing organization (Hartenian, 2007; Ziemek, 2006; Anheier, 2005). 4 14th European Congress of Work and Organizational Psychology

Pag. 1. Research question Volunteers are not motivated monetarily Volunteers only have a moral and emotional commitment to their organization Most volunteers work only a few hours a week Agencies may be reluctant to evaluate the work of volunteers Volunteers are often recruited informally Some key differences (Cnaan & Cascio, 1998) 5 14th European Congress of Work and Organizational Psychology

Pag. 2. Psychological contracts Economic currency Provide continued employment, safe working environment, fair compensation Fulfill formally specified role requirements Socioemotional currency Provide training, career development, promotion opportunities, long-term job security Fulfill generalized role obligations, organizational commitment, organizational citizenship behavior 6 14th European Congress of Work and Organizational Psychology Thompson & Bunderson (2003):

Pag. 3. Role of ideology Economic currency Provide continued employment, safe working environment, fair compensation Fulfill formally specified role requirements Socioemotional currency Provide training, career development, promotion opportunities, long- term job security Fulfill generalized role obligations, organizational commitment, organizational citizenship behavior Ideological currency Demonstrate credible commitment to a valued social cause Participate in the organization’s mission/cause, organizational and societal citizenship behavior 7 14th European Congress of Work and Organizational Psychology Thompson & Bunderson (2003):

Pag. 3. Role of ideology Economic currency Socioemotional currency Ideological currency “The organization gives me a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work” “The organization nurtures my professional development and sense of community” “The organization shares my passion, cause and/or mission” 8 14th European Congress of Work and Organizational Psychology Thompson & Bunderson (2003):

Pag. 3. Role of ideology Ideology is important motivator for volunteers (Bussel & Forbes, 2001) Values play an important role in non- profit organizations (De Cooman, De Gieter, Pepermans, & Jegers, 2008) 9 14th European Congress of Work and Organizational Psychology Evidence for ideological currency in the psychological contracts of volunteers?

Pag. 4. Method - Procedure Assess the content of volunteers’ psychological contracts using critical incident technique (CIT) (Herriot, Manning, & Kidd,1997) Unit of analysis: CIT examples 10 14th European Congress of Work and Organizational Psychology An incident at a volunteers’ organization where the organization or the volunteer fulfilled or fell short of what they were obligated to the other party Critical incident

Pag. 4. Method - Procedure 1.Use “obligations” instead of “expectations” 2.Embed CIT in semi-structured interviews 3.8 conditions: Time: start of volunteering activities versus now Direction: volunteer obligations versus organization obligations Result: breached versus fulfilled 11 14th European Congress of Work and Organizational Psychology “Can you give me an example of a situation during the start of your volunteering activities in which your employer did not fulfill an obligation to you?” Example

Pag. 4. Method - Sample Participants: 18 volunteers Age: (M:33.38, SD:10.48) Education: master (44,44%) bachelor (22,22%) secondary school(27,78%) primary school (5,56%) Participants: 18 volunteers Age: (M:33.38, SD:10.48) Education: master (44,44%) bachelor (22,22%) secondary school(27,78%) primary school (5,56%) Organizations: AFS: An organization that organizes exchange programs for youth Red Cross Youth: An organization that organizes activities for children and adolescents Oxfam: An organization devoted to fairtrade GAIA: An organization devoted to the well-being and rights of animals Organizations: AFS: An organization that organizes exchange programs for youth Red Cross Youth: An organization that organizes activities for children and adolescents Oxfam: An organization devoted to fairtrade GAIA: An organization devoted to the well-being and rights of animals 12 14th European Congress of Work and Organizational Psychology 117 critical incidents (average per person: 6.5)

Pag. 5. Results – step 1 Steps in analysis: 1.Coding by 2 independent raters Raters coded currency of the psychological contract Raters were familiar with psychological contract theory Received training (theory + trials) After initial coding, raters discussed critical incidents on which they did not agree and attempted to reach a consensus Cohen’s Kappa assessed interrater reliability 2.Coded currencies are compared across conditions 13 14th European Congress of Work and Organizational Psychology

Pag. Time 2 Time 1 5. Results – step 1 “As a volunteer you can get a form to fill in, giving right to a tax reduction. But the organization didn’t mention this to us. We had to find out by ourselves that these forms exist.” Economic currency example: “My sister died last year. And at her funeral, there were over 40 volunteers from the organization. Even volunteers I didn’t know, who took a day off especially for the funeral.” Socio-emotional currency example: “I live in a neighbourhood with lots of immigrants and many of the locals are prejudiced. If I can spread some of the values of the organization to these locals, then I feel like I make a difference.” Ideological currency example: Currency Observed Kappa=.48 Maximum possible Kappa=.88 95% Confidence Interval = [ ] Observed Kappa=.97 Maximum possible Kappa= % Confidence Interval = [.93 – 1.00] Currency Observed Kappa=.48 Maximum possible Kappa=.88 95% Confidence Interval = [ ] Observed Kappa=.97 Maximum possible Kappa= % Confidence Interval = [.93 – 1.00] 14 14th European Congress of Work and Organizational Psychology

Pag. 5. Results – step 2 Steps in analysis: 1.Coding by 2 independent raters Raters code terms and currency of the psychological contract Raters were familiar with psychological contract theory Received training (theory + trials) After initial coding, raters discussed critical incidents on which they did not agree and attempted to reach a consensus Cohen’s Kappa assessed interrater reliability 2.Coded currencies are compared across conditions 15 14th European Congress of Work and Organizational Psychology

Pag. 5. Results – step 2 Frequencies of: Currency across all conditions Currency in % 16 14th European Congress of Work and Organizational Psychology

Pag. 5. Results – step 2 Frequencies of: Currency between conditions of time The percentage of currencies reported did not differ in time (χ²(2)=.96, p >.05) 17 14th European Congress of Work and Organizational Psychology Currency in %

Pag. 5. Results – step 2 Frequencies of: Currency between conditions of direction The percentage of currencies reported differed in direction (χ²(2)=10.06, p <.01) 18 14th European Congress of Work and Organizational Psychology Currency in %

Pag. 5. Results – step 2 Frequencies of: Currency between conditions of result The percentage of currencies reported differed in result (χ²(2)=6.71, p <.05) 19 14th European Congress of Work and Organizational Psychology Currency in %

Pag. 6. Discussion Ideological currency was clearly prevalent in several reported incidents However, ideological currency was not the most prevalent currency: socio-emotional currency remains important for volunteers Ideology should not be overlooked when studying content of psychological contracts, especially for volunteers 20 14th European Congress of Work and Organizational Psychology

Pag. 6. Limitations & implications Limitations: Sample Critical Incidents Technique Implications for research: Attention for ideological currency Instrument measuring ideological component needed? Implications for practice: Provide feedback on contribution to mission / values / cause Make sure that actions or policies are in lign with mission / values / cause 21 14th European Congress of Work and Organizational Psychology Thank you for your attention Questions ?