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When it rains, it pours: A triple-pathway model of collective turnover based on causal mapping analysis

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Abstract

As modern organizations become increasingly knowledge intensive, collective turnover, a phenomenon of knowledge spillover or transfer, is gradually receiving greater attention from scholars. Given that most studies have focused on the detrimental organizational consequences of collective turnover, this paper proposes a relational perspective to explore three distinct process models of dispersed, translocated, and entrepreneurial collective turnover. Based on a causal mapping analysis conducted in China of 25 collective turnover events that can demonstrate complex turnover processes over time, this study found that dispersed collective turnover, in which a group of members quit and scatter, is more likely to be triggered by shared job dissatisfaction. While translocated collective turnover, in which organizational members collectively mobilize in the same organization, is highly associated with attractive external lures. In contrast, entrepreneurial collective turnover, in which a group of members leave to start a new business together, is developed through a group process of entrepreneurial passion contagion. The ensuing triple-pathway model helps to enrich the theoretical understanding of collective turnover by clarifying the contextual differences regarding the effects of turnover destination on the important process of collective turnover.

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Notes

  1. Five events involved two or more participants, indicating that we collected two or more similar causal maps for a single event. During further analysis, two experts were invited to integrate these into a single causal map per event.

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Acknowledgment

We sincerely appreciate the editor and two anonymous reviewers for their great advice on this paper. We thank Yefeng Zhou for her help in data collection. This study is supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (#71402164 and #71372059).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Strategy, School of Management, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310058, China

    Song Wang, Steven X. Si & Junsheng Dou

  2. Department of Leadership and Organization Management, School of Management, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310058, China

    Bowen Dong

  3. College of Business, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, Bloomsburg, PA, 17815, USA

    Steven X. Si

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  1. Song Wang
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  2. Bowen Dong
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Correspondence to Steven X. Si or Junsheng Dou.

Appendices

Appendix 1

Table 2

Table 2 Demographic profile of the employee sample
Full size table

Appendix 2 List of constructs

  1. 1.

    Pessimism about the company’s prospects

  2. 2.

    Difficulty identifying with the corporate culture

  3. 3.

    Unacceptable leadership style

  4. 4.

    Dissatisfaction with the job content (low sense of achievement, tired of job, etc.)

  5. 5.

    Ineffective incentive system

  6. 6.

    Poor interrelationships with colleagues

  7. 7.

    Potential job alternatives (actual offers in hand, entrepreneurial opportunities, etc.)

  8. 8.

    Entrepreneurial intentions

  9. 9.

    Encounter with unexpected events (company relocation, merger, etc.)

  10. 10.

    Seeking career opportunities

  11. 11.

    Turnover inclination of colleagues

  12. 12.

    Persuasion from quitting colleagues

  13. 13.

    Discussion of existing company problems

  14. 14.

    Negative response from supervisors

  15. 15.

    Expression of dissatisfaction among colleagues

  16. 16.

    Entrepreneurial passion contagion

  17. 17.

    Discussion about why colleagues leave

  18. 18.

    Admiration of the jobs of former colleagues

  19. 19.

    Suggestions of former colleagues

  20. 20.

    Search for outside opportunities

  21. 21.

    Discussion about potential job opportunities

  22. 22.

    Social norms in the team

  23. 23.

    Anger

  24. 24.

    Disappointment

  25. 25.

    Unfairness

  26. 26.

    Lack of safety

  27. 27.

    Frustration

  28. 28.

    Strong group cohesiveness

  29. 29.

    Positive team morale

  30. 30.

    Work well in the team

  31. 31.

    Trust in the team competency

  32. 32.

    Shared optimism about departure prospects

  33. 33.

    Positive feedback about leaving from others

  34. 34.

    Close relationship with those leaving

  35. 35.

    Trust in turnover leaders

  36. 36.

    Shared aspirations among those leaving

  37. 37.

    Complementary competencies among those leaving

  38. 38.

    Maintenance of life–work balance

  39. 39.

    To join a different company

  40. 40.

    To start a new business

  41. 41.

    To join the same firm as the other leavers

Appendix 3 Interview questions for this study

Interview protocol

General questions

  1. 1.

    Please provide your information including your job tasks, job position, educational background, and work experience.

  2. 2.

    Please describe the organizational structure, culture, and other aspects of your former company.

  3. 3.

    Please describe your process of collective turnover. For example, when did you decide to leave the company? Why did you make this decision? Did you hesitate about quitting together at that time?

Detailed questions:

  1. 1.

    Did your coworkers share similar thoughts to yours? Why did they decide to move?

  2. 2.

    Did you communicate with the others about your decision? With whom did you prefer to discuss this? Did your decision to move jobs influence the others? Please provide an example.

  3. 3.

    When you searched for a new job, did you communicate with others? Did you share this information with others? Please provide an example.

  4. 4.

    What do you think was the most important factor in your process of deciding to move? Please provide an example.

  5. 5.

    Ask more specific questions to elicit detailed information when necessary.

Additional questions:

  1. 1.

    Why do you think this collective resignation occurred in your former company? Can you specify other factors that may have resulted in this collective resignation?

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Wang, S., Dong, B., Si, S. et al. When it rains, it pours: A triple-pathway model of collective turnover based on causal mapping analysis. Asia Pac J Manag 34, 461–486 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10490-017-9504-5

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