Turnover and Related Processes

Job search

• Blau, G. (1993). Further exploring the relationship between job search and voluntary individual turnover. Personnel Psychology, 46, 313–330.

Turnover Intention

• Cook, T. D., Hepworth, S. J., Wall, T. D., & Warr, P. B. (1981). The experience of work: A compendium and review of 249 measures and their use. New York: Academic.
  • The three item measure of turnover intention has been used very frequently.
• Seashore, S. E., Lawler, E. E., Mirvis, P., & Cammann, C. (1982). Observing and measuring organizational change: A guide to field practice. New York: Wiley.
  • Another frequently used three item measure of turnover intention.
• Mitchell, T.R., Holtom, B.C., Lee, T.W., Sablynski, C.J. & Erez, M. (2001). Why people stay: Using job embeddedness to predict voluntary turnover. Academy of Management Journal, 44, 1102-1121.
  • Contains a three item scale purely focused on thoughts about leaving (no job search items).
• Jaros, S. J. (1997). An assessment of Meyer and Allen's (1991) three-component model of organizational commitment and turnover intentions. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 51, 319-337.
  • Contains a three item scale indexing thoughts about quitting a job and job search.
• Larwood, L., Wright, T. A., Desrochers, S., & Dahir, V. (1998). Extending latent role and psychological theories to predict intent to turnover and politics in business organizations. Group & Organization Management, 23(2), 100–123. 2 items to determine turnover intention
  • Used in Orvis, Karin A.; Dudley, Nicole M.; Cortina, Jose M. (2008). Conscientiousness and reactions to psychological contract breach: A longitudinal field study. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93:5, 1183-1193. Cronbach's alpha=.97.
• This is one researcher's subjective opinion, but it seems that most turnover intention scales are very similar to one another (most contain items like "do you want to leave in the next year," or "how likely do you think it is that you'll be leaving this job in a year").

Perceived alternatives

• Price, J. L., & Mueller, C. W. (1981). A causal model of turnover for nurses. Academy of Management Journal, 24, 543-565. This contains a widely used scale of perceived alternatives. More information on the measurement of perceived employment alternatives can be found in Steel, R. P., & Griffeth, R. W. (1989). The elusive relationship between perceived employment opportunity and turnover behavior: A methodological or conceptual artifact? Journal of Applied Psychology, 74, 846-854.

Job embeddedness

• Mitchell, T.R., Holtom, B.C., Lee, T.W., Sablynski, C.J. & Erez, M. (2001). Why people stay: Using job embeddedness to predict voluntary turnover. Academy of Management Journal, 44, 1102-1121.
  • Scales describing fit with one's community, organization, community, and organization were developed.

• Additional scales related to the process of turnover and work withdrawal can be found at the Performance: Counterproductive and work withdrawal page.