Employee exit and constructive voice as behavioral responses to psychological contract breach in Finland and Russia

Abstract

The study examines within- and between-culture differences in the relationships between psychological contract breach (PCB) and exit and constructive voice among 731 full-time, white-collar employees in Russia and Finland. The analysis shows that the former are more sensitive to transactional PCB whereas the latter are equally sensitive to both transactional and relational PCB. It also reveals that transactional PCB increases exit equally strongly among both Russian and Finnish employees. Relational PCB relates significantly and positively only to Finnish employees’ exit reactions. Neither transactional nor relational PCB are associated with voice among Russian employees, while the relationship is significant between relational PCB and voice among Finnish employees. The study offers a rare within- and between-culture comparative analysis of employee responses to PCB, pointing to the importance of complementing extant theorizing around PCB with contextual cultural and socio-economic theorizing. It also questions the generalizability of cultural explanations for PCB and suggests that such explanations might have lower explanatory power in the context of strong situations. Finally, it provides an explanation for the inconclusive extant research concerning the influence of PCB on employee voice.