To quit or not to quit

Abstract

Purpose To deepen our understanding about the development of turnover intention, the purpose of this paper is to develop a model that explains how ethical climate influences turnover intention based on the ethical climate theory and social identity theory. Design/methodology/approach The hypotheses of this study were statistically tested using a survey of working professionals from Taiwan’s high-tech industry. Of the 400 questionnaires distributed to the working professionals from five large high-tech firms in a well-known science park in Northern Taiwan, 352 usable questionnaires were returned for a questionnaire response rate of 88 percent. Findings The test results of this study first show that all three dimensions of ethical climate (i.e. instrumental, benevolent, and principled) are indirectly related to turnover intention via the mediation of firm attractiveness. Moreover, instrumental and benevolent climate directly relate to turnover intention, whereas benevolent climate negatively moderates the relationship between principled climate and firm attractiveness. Originality/value This study finds that benevolent climate plays a dual role as an antecedent and a moderator in the formation of turnover intention, complementing prior studies that merely concentrate on the single role of benevolent climate as either an antecedent or a moderator. The effect of principled climate on organizational identification complements the theoretical discussion by Victor and Cullen (1987) about deontology in which an ethical workplace climate (such as legitimacy) drives employees to invest in identity attachments to the organization and influences their future career decision (e.g. turnover).

How Responsible Leadership Improves Stakeholder Collective Performance in Construction Projects: The Empirical Research from China

“…Our study emphasizes the caring ethical climate’s benevolence characteristic and reveals the mechanisms of how the caring ethical climate functions in stakeholder management. Moreover, caring ethical climate has been found to promote organizational identification in extant research (Joe et al, 2018; Teresi et al, 2019), but it has not been validated as a constraint condition for organizational identification to operate. This study conducted a large-scale survey in construction project teams and found that interaction between organizational identification and caring ethical climate influences stakeholder collective performance significantly.…”

“…Most institutions in construction project teams still focus on the project goals and ignore the interests of the stakeholders, which is harmful to stakeholders’ benefit protection. Project teams can incorporate stakeholder benefit protection into their project performance management by leveraging evaluation institutions’ formal constraining power (Joe et al, 2018). Once the ethical climate and organizational institution that concern stakeholder benefits are established, ensuring stakeholder collective performance will be more accessible.…”

“…There are five organizational ethical climate types: caring, law and code, rules, instrumental, and independence (Newman et al, 2017; Weber & Opoku-Dakwa, 2022). The ethical climate can help determine outcomes such as higher customer satisfaction, improved job performance, and ethical voice (Gok et al, 2022; Joe et al, 2018). The caring ethical climate promotes the benefit of the collective and ensures the welfare of others both within and outside the organization (Wang & Xiao, 2021).…”

“…The caring ethical climate promotes the benefit of the collective and ensures the welfare of others both within and outside the organization (Wang & Xiao, 2021). Previous studies have shown that caring ethical climate can positively influence job satisfaction and organizational commitment, and it can reduce turnover intention and emotional exhaustion (Joe et al, 2018; Li & Peng, 2022; Newman et al, 2017). Chen et al (2013) found that caring ethical climate helps to reduce the negative affectivity that causes workplace deviance.…”

Exploring the moderating effects of perceived alternative job opportunities and work experience on the relationship between job satisfaction and turnover intentions: A study among educators in Lebanon

“…Therefore, organizations must comprehend the factors contributing to turnover intention. Elevated turnover rates not only impact the organization's morale and sense of cohesion (Joe et al, 2018), but they can also result in adverse financial consequences, including recruitment and training expenses, loss of valuable expertise, and reduced productivity (Belete, 2018). The success of an organization hinges upon effectively managing employee turnover and ensuring the retention of highperforming employees and key personnel.…”