Although researchers have theorized that there exists a curvilinear relationship between job performance and voluntary turnover, their research has been tested in the United States or culturally similar Switzerland. Through a study of the performance-turnover relationship from a multinational service-oriented organization in 24 countries, we demonstrate that the general relationship between performance and turnover is similar across countries but the details of that relationship change across countries. Using 4 cultural dimensions--in-group collectivism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and performance orientation--we find that cultural factors alter the overall probability of voluntary turnover and influence the degree of curvilinearity in the performance-turnover relationship. Our findings have implications for research on the performance-turnover relationship, turnover research, and practice.

Considering the impact of culture on the generalization of leadership theory, we offer a replication of Judge and Bono's [Judge, T.A., Bono, J.E. (2000), Five-factor model of personality and transformational leadership. J Appl Psychol 85 (5) 751-765.] study "Five-Factor Model of Personality and Transformational Leadership" to examine the applicability of the findings in the Chinese culture. Our study shows that certain personality traits positively associated with transformational leadership behavior in the North American context are not evident in the Chinese environment. Hofstede's four cultural dimensions, cultural tightness and self-monitoring theory are used to explain the differences between our outcomes and those of Judge and Bono.