?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Adc&rft.title=The+formation+of%2C+and+change+in%2C+the+psychological+contracts+of+graduates+entering+the+Queensland+public+sector&rft.creator=Puchala%2C+Naomi+Margaret&rft.subject=Queensland+public+sector%2C+psychological+contract%2C+motivation%2C+Generation+Y&rft.description=The+workplace+is+evolving+and+the+predicted+impact+of+demographic+changes+(Salt%2C+2009%3B+Taylor%2C+2005)+has+seen+organisations+focus+on+strategic+workforce+planning.+As+part+of+this%2C+many+organisations+have+established+or+expanded+formalised+graduate+programs+to+attract+graduates+and+transition+them+effectively+into+organisations+(McDermott%2C+Mangan%2C+%26+O'Connor%2C+2005%3B+Terjesen%2C+Freeman%2C+%26+Vinnicombe%2C+2007).+The+workplace+context+is+also+argued+to+be+changing+because+of+the+divergence+in+preferences+and+priorities+across+the+different+generations+in+the+workplace+-+a+topic+which+is+prolific+in+the+popular+culture+media+but+is+yet+to+be+fully+developed+in+the+academic+literature+(Jorgenson%2C+2003).+The+public+sector+recruits+large+numbers+of+graduates+and+maintains+well+established+graduate+programs.+Like+the+workplace+context%2C+the+public+sector+is+seen+to+be+undergoing+a+transition+to+more+closely+align+its+practices+and+processes+with+that+of+the+private+sector+(Haynes+%26+Melville+Jones%2C+1999%3B+N.+Preston%2C+1995).+Consequently%2C+questions+have+been+raised+as+to+how+new+workforce+entrants+see+the+public+sector+and+its+associated+attractiveness+as+an+employment+option.+++This+research+draws+together+these+issues+and+reviews+the+formation+of%2C+and+change+in%2C+the+psychological+contracts+of+graduates+across+ten+Queensland+public+sector+graduate+programs.+To+understand+the+employment+relationship%2C+the+theories+of+psychological+contract+and+public+service+motivation+are+utilised.+Specifically%2C+this+research+focuses+on+graduates'+and+managers'+expectations+over+time%2C+the+organisational+perspective+of+the+employment+relationship+and+how+ideology+influences+graduates'+psychological+contract.+A+longitudinal+mixed+method+design%2C+involving+individual+interviews+and+surveys%2C+is+employed+along+with+significant+researcher-practitioner+collaboration+throughout+the+research+process.++A+number+of+important+qualitative+and+quantitative+findings+arose+from+this+study+and+there+was+strong+triangulation+between+results+from+the+two+methods.+Prior+to+starting+with+the+organisation%2C+graduates+found+it+difficult+to+articulate+their+expectations%3B+however%2C+organisational+experience+rapidly+brought+these+to+the+fore.+Of+the+expectations+that+became+salient%2C+most+centred+on+their+relationship+with+their+supervisor.+Without+experience+and+quality+information+on+which+to+base+their+expectations%2C+graduates+tended+to+over-rely+on+sectoral+stereotypes+which+negatively+impacted+their+psychological+contracts.+++Socialisation+only+limited+affected+graduates'+psychological+contracts+and+public+service+motivation.+The+graduate+survey%2C+measured+thrice+throughout+the+first+12+months+of+the+graduate+program%2C+revealed+that+the+psychological+contract+and+public+service+motivation+results+followed+a+similar+trajectory+of+beginning+at+mediocre+levels%2C+declining+between+times+one+and+two+and+increasing+between+times+two+and+three+(although+this+is+not+back+to+original+levels).+Graduates+attributed+these+to+a+number+of+sectoral%2C+organisational%2C+team%2C+supervisory+and+individual+factors.++On+a+theoretical+level%2C+this+research+provides+support+for+the+notion+of+ideology+within+the+psychological+contract+although+it+raises+some+important+questions+about+how+it+is+conceptualised.+Additionally%2C+support+is+given+for+the+manager+to+be+seen+as+the+primary+organisational+counterpart+to+the+employee+in+future+theoretical+and+practical+work.+The+research+also+argues+to+extend+current+notions+of+time+within+the+psychological+contract+as+this+seems+to+be+the+most+divergent+and+combustible+issue+across+the+generations+in+terms+of+how+the+workplace+is+perceived.+A+number+of+practical+implications+also+transpire+from+the+study+and+the+collaborative+foundation+was+highly+successful.+++It+is+anticipated+that+this+research+will+make+a+meaningful+contribution+to+both+the+theory+and+practice+of+the+employment+relationship+with+particular+regard+to+graduates+entering+the+public+sector.&rft.publisher=Queensland+University+of+Technology&rft.date=2010&rft.type=Thesis&rft.format=application%2Fpdf&rft.relation=https%3A%2F%2Feprints.qut.edu.au%2F39340%2F1%2FNaomi_Puchala_Thesis.pdf&rft.rights=free_to_read&rft.relation=Puchala%2C+Naomi+Margaret+(2010)+The+formation+of%2C+and+change+in%2C+the+psychological+contracts+of+graduates+entering+the+Queensland+public+sector.+PhD+thesis%2C+Queensland+University+of+Technology.&rft.id_number=https%3A%2F%2Feprints.qut.edu.au%2F39340%2F&rft.identifier=QUT+Business+School