A relational perspective on turnover: Examining structural, attitudinal, and behavioral predictors

This study examined whether structural, attitudinal, and behavioral variables of a relational nature were predictive of employee turnover. Participants were a sample of 176 health care employees from a large public medical center. Using survival analysis over a five-year time frame, we found that two such variables, network centrality and interpersonal citizenship behavior, predicted turnover. Implications of taking a rela-tional perspective toward turnover and other withdrawal behaviors found in organi-zations are discussed. Much of the research examining turnover has grown fromMarch and Simon’s (1958) notions con-cerning the perceived desirability and ease of leav-ing one’s job. Reviews of this research stream (Grif-feth, Hom, & Gaertner, 2000; Maertz & Campion, 1998) confirm that perceived desirability, often measured as job satisfaction or other job-related attitudes, is negatively associated with turnover