Good Example Of Essay On Psychological Contract

Human Resource Management

Introduction
The Abu Dhabi Police Department is the central law enforcement agency in Abu Dhabi. Thanks to a proactive leadership and excellent public interface, the Abu Dhabi Police Department has retained a positive image with the people and has maintained Abu Dhabi as a crime free city state. It is every young man’s dream to be a part of this elite organization.
I am a police officer in the Abu Dhabi police department. I have three years of experience. I began as an investigator for two years, and then moved to Intelligence. My initial journey into the Abu Dhabi Police Department has been a story of trials and tribulations. In these initial years, I had a set of expectations from the organization. I think many of them varied from what the organization had to offer. Similarly, there were demands from the organization that I could not fully meet. Over these years of mutual burnishing, my psychological contract with the Abu Dhabi Police Department has stabilized and has developed deep roots. Today, I am an established leader of men and a good communicator with the different strata of society. I owe my present avatar to the clarity in my psychological contract. What follows is my story of how I developed a psychological contract with the Abu Dhabi Police Department.

My Expectations from The Organization

It was my first Commanding Officer who cemented my sense of belonging and my sense of meaning and purpose in my career with the Abu Dhabi Police Department. A team man, my CO kept the unit tightly bonded. Every one looked after the welfare of the others. We were on duty during a desert safari, when one of the cars in the safari turned turtle. There was panic in the crowds. The passengers of the car were injured. Under the calm supervision of my CO, we managed to keep the crowds under control, and also ferried the injured to the hospital. That incident made me very proud for having chosen the Abu Dhabi Police Department. My training and my initial stint in the force thus cemented my sense of purpose.
The Abu Dhabi Police Department gave me huge opportunities to grow. The initial training and orientation exams had revealed my innate love for languages and my curiosity. Accordingly, I was given language training, and I became and expert in communication and negotiation skills. In my third year, I was exposed to intelligence collection methods, and was moved to the Intelligence Wing in recognition of my skills in gathering and analyzing intelligence inputs.
The Department has given me interesting and varied work. My involvement with the local communities ensured that I was always mentally stimulated and engaged. I was never tired, and found each day pleasurable and interesting.
At times, I found that the work content would reduce in quantum, and life would become dreary. This is essentially because Abu Dhabi is a crime free city state, and therefore many times, the cut and thrust of a major city police department is missing. I bridged this gap in my psychological expectations by switching to intelligence. In the Intelligence department, there is no lack of action. Because of timely detection, most incidences of crime and arson are nipped in the bud, and Abu Dhabi remains crime free. I thus addressed a gap in my psychological contract, and remain engaged with the organization.
When I was in the section that dealt with the public, I had a sense of real power. This sense receded when I switched to the Intelligence department, primarily because the Intelligence men remain in the background. However, this feeling of becoming devoid of power was soon compensated with a massive increase in a sense of responsibility, as I now knew that my success as an intelligence man would ultimately ensure that there would be no crime on the streets of Abu Dhabi.
I received an award for the best forensic investigation in my third year of service, and earned the respect of my peers and superiors. I feel that my job has earned me substantial respect in society, which regards my profession as one worthy of adulation.
I did not have very high expectations about my salary. I knew that the Abu Dhabi Police Department was not about to pay me as much as the private sector would. In this regard, my expectations were matched by the organization, as the pay relatively less. However, the lack of pay was more than compensated by the respect I got in society.
I expect my job to last the entire span of my working life. The work conditions of the Abu Dhabi Police Department match my expectations in this regard. I can rise to be the Chief of Police, and this scope matches my ambition.
I am given an annual feedback of my performance in an appraisal report. My superiors also render informal feedback if they feel that I am slackening in my work. Regular feedback helps me to retain focus and improve on the job.

The Organization’s Expectations from Me

The Abu Dhabi Police Department has high standards of physical fitness. I went through a rigorous training period. While I had met the entry standards, I was slightly lacking in stamina, and had to struggle initially. However, I never lacked in spirit. The exhortations of the instructors that I would need to keep up with the others if I wanted to have the privilege of wearing the insignia of the Abu Dhabi Police kept me going through my training. I have now become physically fit and can meet the standards the organization wants of me.
The organization expects me to be proficient in the intelligence gathering and analysis tasks, and I am proficient in the same, having been awarded for my performance. There is, therefore, a match in the expectations of the organization and my performance. I am expected to learn all nuances of my job. I have met this expectation of my organization, as I have learnt all facets of Intelligence gathering and analysis to perfection.
I have not made much progress in innovation in the intelligence field. I am slated to go through an Advanced Intelligence Module to bridge this gap in my psychological contract.
I am a good worker, and contribute well to my team. My peers are happy when I join hands with them in sharing work. I have sound leadership qualities. I have led intelligence missions in the Department. I have represented the Department in the UAE and led multinational intelligence gathering efforts as part of regional intelligence cooperation initiatives. I display a lot of initiative in my work. I can take decisions in the absence of supervision. Because of my tolerance for ambiguity, I have become an important member of crisis teams.
I am a family man. I like to spend my off duty hours with my family. However, there are occasions when I am called to work while off duty. While I am not very enthusiastic about this aspect, I make the compromise because of the other positive aspects of my job.
We have a vibrant officers club, where I meet my colleagues off duty. Meeting off duty helps us to bond with one another, and ultimately helps us to perform our jobs in a more efficient and effective manner.
I am quite engaged with the day-to-day activities of my job. I have not really thought about pursuing further education off company time. I might get around to it after the tempo of my job reduces a bit more.
I have imbibed the credo and ethos of the Abu Dhabi Police Department in my life. I would endeavor to transform my family and my immediate society into model citizens.
I have always displayed initiative, have realized what must be done and have initiated action accordingly. My sense of initiative has brought me accolades and added responsibility. I remain a brand ambassador for the Abu Dhabi Police Department wherever I go. My sense of pride and affiliation to the Department is visible, and creates a good impression in society.

Conclusion

I have a good psychological fit with the Abu Dhabi Police Department. I have learnt a lot from the Abu Dhabi Police Department. I have improved in my physical prowess and expanded my skill set in my service with the Abu Dhabi Police Department. Most of my requirements have been met by my job. I, on my part, have been giving my bit to rise up to the requirements of the organization. I hope to continue to work with the same zeal, and expect that the Department would similarly hold up its end of the bargain for a happy employer-employee relationship throughout my working life.

Reference

Kotter, J.P. (1973). The psychological contract: Managing the joining-up process. California Management Review 15/3: 91-99.