Are adaptable employees more likely to stay? Boundaryless careers and career ecosystem perspectives on career adaptability and turnover

Abstract

Employees with higher career adaptability (CA) have been shown in previous research to be more likely to build high‐quality social exchange relations with current employers, thereby displaying a lower intention to leave. Based on boundaryless careers and career ecosystem perspectives, this study aimed to challenge and enrich the extant understanding of this important question by examining the mixed effects of CA on turnover behavior. Results from a three‐wave survey study with 179 Chinese employees show that after controlling the baseline turnover intention (Time 1), CA (Time 1) predicted both affective commitment and relative deprivation at Time 2 (6 months after Time 1), which in turn produced opposite effects on voluntary turnover behavior at Time 3 (12 months after Time 1). Moreover, the boundaryless career mindset positively moderated the relationship between CA and relative deprivation and strengthened the indirect positive effect of CA on turnover behavior via relative deprivation. These results offer a more comprehensive and balanced view of the mixed role of CA in employees' turnover behavior and carry important implications for human resource management.

Career adaptability and proactive work behaviour: A relational model

“…They would search for external opportunities to keep flexibility in their careers and perceive high external marketability (Spurk et al, 2016). Keeping at current jobs would make people feel that they are deprived of external potential (Wang et al, 2021). In this sense, career adaptability might harm interpersonal relationships and proactive work behaviour, because people might not want to devote themselves to the current organization.…”

“…Spurk et al (2016) showed that career adaptability also improved perceived internal marketability. Wang et al (2021) showed that career adaptability reduced turnover behaviour through affective commitment. Meta-analyses showed a significant negative relationship between career adaptability and turnover intention (Rudolph et al, 2017).…”

Employee perceptions of disruption knowledge: the influence on career attitudes and behaviors

“…The boundaryless careera career choice that "enables individuals to continuously engage in the cycle of learning and adaptation" (Wang et al, 2022(Wang et al, , p. 1327)has gained a new focus due to career adaptability. Other similar career approaches have also emerged, including the self-directed career and the protean career (Hall, 2002).…”

Technological transformation and human resource development of early career talent: Insights from accounting, banking, and finance

“…This theory brings together different actors that interact and are inter‐related, each one of them influences the path, progress and direction of other actors (Bhaskar et al, 2022). Empirical studies indicate the usefulness of the theory in terms of explicating career adaptation processes (Wang et al, 2022). Specific studies looked at the transition from higher education to the labor market (Donald et al, 2021; Healy et al, 2022).…”