Psychological contract reconstruction in co-working modes and its impact on organizational commitment: an empirical study

Understanding psychological contract reconstruction in co-working environments is critical as organizations increasingly adopt shared workspace models to reduce costs and enhance flexibility, yet face unprecedented challenges in maintaining employee commitment when traditional organizational boundaries dissolve. This study investigates how co-working modes influence psychological contract reconstruction and its subsequent effects on organizational commitment, addressing a crucial gap in understanding employee-organization relationships in contemporary workplace arrangements where over 20,000 co-working spaces now operate globally. Drawing on social exchange theory and psychological contract theory, we developed a conceptual model examining the mediating role of psychological contract reconstruction in the relationship between co-working environmental characteristics and organizational commitment dimensions. Using survey data from 456 employees across 127 organizations utilizing co-working arrangements, we employed structural equation modeling to test our hypotheses. Results demonstrate that co-working environmental characteristics significantly influence psychological contract reconstruction (β = 0.247, <i>p</i> < 0.001), which in turn affects affective, continuance, and normative commitment dimensions through differentiated pathways. The findings reveal that psychological contract reconstruction has the strongest impact on affective commitment (β = 0.563, <i>p</i> < 0.001), moderate effects on normative commitment (β = 0.431, <i>p</i> < 0.001), and weaker but significant influences on continuance commitment (β = 0.189, <i>p</i> < 0.01). Work autonomy moderates the relationship between co-working environment and reconstruction processes (β = 0.156, <i>p</i> < 0.01). This study makes three key theoretical contributions: first, it is the first empirical investigation to identify psychological contract reconstruction as a critical mediating mechanism between co-working environments and organizational commitment; second, it extends psychological contract theory from traditional organizational settings to shared workspace contexts where multiple organizational affiliations coexist; third, it demonstrates the differential impact pathways through which reconstruction influences distinct commitment dimensions. Practically, organizations implementing co-working strategies should prioritize supporting psychological contract reconstruction processes through clear communication protocols, adequate organizational support systems, and enhanced employee autonomy to maintain engagement and organizational effectiveness in shared workspace environments.