Psychological Contract Violation in IT Megaprojects in the Context of Public Private Partnerships: The German TollCollect Case

Prior research in the context of public private partnerships has mainly focused on organizational and risk management aspects. Because there is a growing number of IT megaprojects in the context of public private partnerships, recent work concentrates on the explanation of the relationship between public and private partners and the success factors for these relations. However, we still have a lack of understanding on the causes and consequences for IT megaproject failure in the context of public private partnerships. In this exploratory, qualitative single-case study from the German TollCollect IT megaproject we draw on findings from the psychological contract theory to explain psychological contract violation as a threat to IT megaproject success. Our research model suggests that the management of common understanding and expectations, moderated by political and public pressure of a public-private environment, affects the stability of the psychological contract and therefore the success of an IT megaproject in the context of public private partnerships.