Relationship between psychological contract and organisational commitment: an empirical investigation on airline cabin crew

The study explores the link between organisational commitment (OCO) and psychological contract (PCO) among airline cabin crews. The study also investigates the moderation effect of the type of organisation and work experience in the relationship between PCO and OCO. A theoretical model with hypothesised relationship is developed and tested empirically using structural equation modelling with the data generated by means of a questionnaire survey conducted among the airline cabin crew. The study finds that: 1) There is a direct connection between PCO and OCO in the case of both employee PCO and employer PCO; 2) type of the organisation moderates the relation between: a) employer's PCO and employees' PCO; b) employer's PCO and OCO. We also found that the relationship between the PCO and OCO is moderated by the organisation type in the case of cabin crew working for private airlines but not for government-owned airlines. Since a favourable PCO is favourably correlated with OCO, the study's findings would assist airline operators in identifying the critical PCO dimensions that influence their OCO and helping them implement appropriate steps to increase their commitment to their staff.