Andreia Carneiro Leiria¹ *

Patrícia Jardim da Palma¹

Miguel Pina e Cunha²

¹Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada, Lisboa

²Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Faculdade de Economia

Resumo. Este estudo apresenta como primeiro objectivo, definir o conteúdo do Contrato psicológico segundo as perspectivas dos empreendedores e da sua equipa, e como segundo objectivo identificar os factores responsáveis pela formação do Contrato psicológico numa organização empreendedora. É um estudo de caso exploratório, tendo sido realizado numa organização empreendedora do ramo financeiro. Os dados demonstraram que o Contrato psicológico dos colaboradores se aproxima do pólo relacional, enquanto que o dos empreendedores se aproxima do pólo transaccional, existindo, no entanto, alguma convergência entre ambas as perpectivas no que toca ao conteúdo do mesmo. Emergiram como factores que contribuem para a formação do Contrato psicológico o compromisso estabelecido pela organização, o conhecimento prévio dos colegas, a experiência profissional prévia e a experiência anterior de incumprimento, os quais se parecem enquadrar na literatura vigente. Para além destes emergiu um novo factor, a orientação empreendedora da organização, que demonstra a influência do contexto macro-organizacional no desenvolvimento do Contrato psicológico. Limitações e estudos futuros são igualmente discutidos.

Abstract. Our study has two purposes: first, to define the content of the psychological contract perceived by both the entrepreneur and his team, and second, to identify the factors that are responsible for the development of the psychological contract in an entrepreneurial organization. Our research is an exploratory case study and it was conducted in an entrepreneurial organization that operates in the financial market. The results showed that the psychological contract perceived by the employees is closer to the relational kind, while that perceived by the entrepreneur is closer to the transactional kind of psychological contract. However, some convergent points between both perspectives appear to exist. The agreement established by the organization, the previous acquaintanceship between employees, the previous work experience and the previous experience of unfulfilled promises emerged as factors that contribute to the development of the psychological contract. The entrepreneurial orientation has also emerged as an important factor, showing the importance of the macro-organizational context on the development of the psychological contract. Limitations and future directions are also addressed.

Key words: Psychological contract, entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial orientation.

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* Endereço: Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada, Rua Jardim do Tabaco, 34, 1149-041 Lisboa, Portugal. E-mail: andreia.leiria@iol.pt