Kusi, S.Y., Li, F. orcid.org/0000-0002-4883-1730 and Leonidou, L.C. (2025) Using metaverse in the workplace and marketplace: Its impact on the psychological contract of employees and customers. Journal of Managerial Psychology. ISSN 0268-3946
Abstract
Purpose
Despite growing research on metaverse, the way this is associated with psychological contracts in business is virtually absent. In this paper, we aim to provide a conceptual exploration of this association between metaverse and the psychological contracts of both employees and customers.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a conceptual article that examines the implications of metaverse as a workplace and marketplace on frontline employees’ and customers’ psychological contracts. In doing so, we develop a conceptual model and make propositions, while we also offer recent examples of firms that have moved to metaverse.
Findings
Although we do not provide empirical results, we indicate through a set of propositions how changes in the workplace and marketplace caused by the firm’s use of metaverse influence the psychological contract of its employees and customers, as well as how these are interrelated. We further explain that the accomplishment of these psychological contracts in a metaverse context can favorably affect business performance.
Practical implications
Companies need to anticipate, monitor and adjust to the changing pattern of psychological contracts of both employees and customers as they move to metaverse because this will have serious implications on their business performance.
Originality/value
We introduce metaverse, a recently introduced phenomenon that is gaining momentum in the business world, causing significant changes in the workplace and marketplace and seriously affecting the nature of psychological contracts of both employees and customers.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | This is an author produced version of an article published in the Journal of Managerial Psychology, made available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Keywords: | Metaverse; Psychological contract; Employee relationships; Customer relationships |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Business (Leeds) > Marketing Division (LUBS) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 23 Jan 2025 13:16 |
Last Modified: | 26 Mar 2025 15:28 |
Published Version: | https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.110... |
Status: | Published online |
Publisher: | Emerald |
Identification Number: | 10.1108/JMP-01-2024-0008 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:222210 |