6. Engagement & Culture
The psychological contract
The ledger employees already keep
Use when
Imposing any constraint; diagnosing quiet quitting or sudden regretted exits
- 1
Implicit promises
Beliefs about the reciprocal deal: effort and loyalty for security, growth, flexibility.
- 2
Breach
The employer falls short of the perceived deal. Often unannounced: a mandate, a frozen band, a broken hint.
- 3
Violation
The emotional response to breach: trust drops, the deal is re-read as transactional.
- 4
Withdrawal
Discretionary effort goes first, then citizenship, then the person. Exit interviews say 'career growth'.
“Breach of the unwritten contract is one of the best-evidenced predictors of withdrawal.”
How to use it
Before any constraint lands, ask what implicit promise it contradicts and say that out loud first. The Open Ledger exists to make this contract explicit, priced, and disputable.
Card details
- Model type
- Sequence
- Origin status
- Established
- Content last reviewed
- 28 July 2026
Origin
EstablishedDenise Rousseau, 1989; Psychological Contracts in Organizations, 1995.