Expectational Noncomplementarity and Style of Interaction Between Professional and Organization

The perception of expectational unfulfillment (noncomplementarity) was highly correlated with cynicism (loss of control over career advancement) and activity (rejection of conformity in favor of changing the organization's expectations).

Abstract

The question prompting this study was what happens when professionals find that the organization employing them is not fulfilling their research and career expectations. The study was based on 121 professionals from two divisions of a research organization. The results were twofold. First, the perception of expectational unfulfillment (noncomplementarity) was highly correlated with cynicism (loss of control over career advancement) and activity (rejection of conformity in favor of changing the organization's expectations). Second, cynical active professionals (called insurgents) received the lowest promotion eligibility rankings from their supervisors. In contrast, idealistic passive professionals (called ritualists) tended to receive the highest promotion eligibility rankings. Some implications of these results are discussed.