Boundary conditions for turnover intentions: exploratory evidence from China, Jordan, Turkey, and the United States

1. An earlier version of this article was presented at the Eastern Academy of Management International Conference, Managing in a Global Economy, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, June 21–25, 2009.

Abstract

This article examines the boundary conditions for the formation of turnover intention. We propose that the environment, both at the firm level and at the societal level, moderates the relationships among organizational commitment, job satisfaction, and turnover intention. Our findings show support for our model using professional employees from China, Jordan, Turkey, and the USA and reveal the similarities/differences across cultures. The results call for our attention in taking into consideration the environmental conditions (organizational, cultural, and economic) when studying antecedent factors of turnover intention. We also provide implications for researchers and practitioners in the human resource management (HRM) field and suggestions for giving attention to countries and regions that have been understudied.

Keywords:

• boundary factors
• job satisfaction
• organizational commitment
• organizational, cultural, and economic environment
• turnover intention

Notes

1. An earlier version of this article was presented at the Eastern Academy of Management International Conference, Managing in a Global Economy, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, June 21–25, 2009.

2. The mediation results are not shown here but are available from the authors upon request. Baron and Kenny's (1986) mediation test was used to examine this relationship.