Exploring the relative and combined influence of masteryapproach goals and work intrinsic motivation on employee turnover intention

• Published in: Personnel review Vol. 39; no. 5; pp. 622 - 638
• Main Authors: Dysvik, Anders, Kuvaas, Brd
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Emerald Group Publishing Limited 03.08.2010
• Subjects: Employee behaviour; Employee turnover; Motivation psychology
• ISSN: 0048-3486
• DOI: 10.1108/00483481011064172

Purpose Mastery goals and intrinsic motivation have separately been found to predict employee turnover and turnover intention, respectively. The purpose of the present study was to examine their relative and combined influence on turnover intention in terms of a direct model and a moderated model. Designmethodologyapproach A crosssectional survey was conducted among employees representing more than 400 organizations from a wide range of industrial sectors. The theoretical or subject scope of the paper was to integrate motivational antecedents for employee turnover. Findings When assessed jointly, intrinsic motivation was the strongest predictor of turnover intention. Masteryapproach goals were positively related to turnover intention, but this relationship was moderated by intrinsic motivation. The relationship between masteryapproach goals and turnover intention was only positive for employees low in intrinsic motivation. Research limitationsimplications The two most important limitations are the crosssectional nature of the study and the reliance on selfreported questionnaire data. Consequently, experimental andor longitudinal studies are needed to examine causality issues. Practical implications The results suggest that intrinsic motivation holds a salient role for predicting turnover intention. For managers and organizations, then, emphasis should be placed on facilitating work environments supportive of intrinsic motivation in order to maintain employees' turnover intention at low levels. Originalityvalue The most interesting finding is that intrinsic motivation held a substantially stronger relationship with turnover intention than that of masteryapproach goals. In addition, support for the buffering role of intrinsic motivation was found, as masteryapproach goals were unrelated to turnover intention when intrinsic motivation was high.