ABSTRACT
So far we have explored what is meant by the term the psychological contract, and viewed it as a personal deal. This chapter explores the types of personal deals that have evolved in organisations. In particular we will explore how the personal deal has evolved from an essentially static and unitary notion to something which today takes different and diverse forms and continues to evolve. These changes are significantly driven by the shift in the global economy from a predominantly industrial base to an increasingly knowledge base. A related reason for the increase in diversity of personal deals is the global trend for labour laws and trade unions to have less impact on the shape and content of employment relationships. 1 The final part of the chapter proposes a framework for understanding the different types of personal deals and also the behaviour that is most associated with each.
