Identification of the Problem Discussed in the Article
The article “Organisational change and employee turnover” by Morrell et al. provides an investigation of the relationship between organizational change and employee turnover. The problem identified in the article is the tendency of employees to make individual decisions to leave their job. There is no typical or conventional reason why people choose to quit work. However, the article provides insight into voluntary turnover, which leads to increased direct costs on labor requirements. It also results in indirect costs on self-motivation, increased work pressure on the remaining workforce, and reduced product or service quality.
The article reveals that increased voluntary turnover in an organization can lead to dwindled performance. The best employees are inclined to seeking greener pastures; hence, they leave their job. The investigation into this problem involves a wide range of factors such as job satisfaction, trends in the labor market, equity, commitment, and psychological contract, which relate to varying organizational and occupational environments.
The Hypothesis formulated by the Authors in the Article
The first hypothesis explored the extent to which shocks led to a substantial number of cases of turnover. The authors found that treating anxiety amongst employees can compel them to leave the workplace. However, shock only influences the decision to quit work in addition to other factors. The second, hypothesis underpins the idea that shocks form a great constituent of the final decision to leave work. According to the authors, other decisions were perceived as more salient than shock itself in cases where employees leave their jobs.
The third hypothesis reveals that decisions that arise from shocks are not likely to cause employees to leave jobs as compared to those that are not. It means that shocks cannot solely develop into a decision to quit work since leavers can overcome inertia. The last hypothesis reveals that decisions arising from shocks are more preventable; hence, they are unlikely to compel an employee to leave work.
The Need for the Study in the Article
The need for this study was to establish the relationship between organizational change and employee turnover. It investigates the decisional aspect of employee turnover based on factors that instigate organizational change. The study focuses on the influence of shocks on employee decisions to quit the job. Most organizational changes are believed to create apprehension amongst the employees. As a result, some employees, feeling threatened, opt to leave the work or seek greener pastures in other organizations. This situation increases the turnover rate, which can result in unexpected loss of social capital.
This study is important for organizations as they stand a position to evaluate change management models with a view of choosing ones that pose the least shocks to employees. Thus, it aims at challenging organizations to reduce turnover rates by adopting more salient approaches to implementing change.
The Methodology employed in the Study
The methodology used entailed sufficient presentation of frequency data showing the number of shocks in H1 and H2. These two hypotheses were also answered using a histogram to show the responses to shock influence amongst employees. Hypotheses H3 and H4 entailed the assessment of whether the decisions to quit the job instigated by shocks were more salient than others. The analysis of hypothesis H3 involved a one-tailed, independent sample t-test while in a one-tailed independent sample t-test was conducted in H4. These methodologies have been used to assess the likelihood of shock to influence the decisions of employees on abandoning work.
Summary of Review of the Literature about the Problem in the Article
The paper applies the unfolding model to address the problem in the article. This model explains the role of a distinct, shuddering event that instigates the decision to quit work. The notion of the shock creates a framework for understanding the correlation between change in the structural setting of an organization and employee turnover. The article delves into understanding how organizational changes can affect employee turnover.
Various studies have shown that the understanding of this relationship helps in the selection of good change management models. The unfolding model has hinged on the premise that people have different reasons and ways of quitting work. Therefore, before implementing any change in an organization, it is important to explore its external context and internal resources than can influence turnover rates. The examination of change initiatives in the external context entails the determination of their suitability for the organization.
Based on the internal resources, it is important to determine the effects of such change on individual workers and whether it is possible to manage its probable consequences at various levels in the course of the implementation process. Furthermore, it is important to consider whether the intended change is likely to increase turnover, which can lead to a loss of social capital; hence, affecting the organization’s success.
Knowledge about the reaction of employees to shocks can help determine the best management models that can reduce the turnover rate. Organizational change plays an important role in influencing the decisions of employees to quit. In cases where the decisions to leave a job are preordained, unavoidable turnover is anticipated.
The Study’s Assumptions, Limitations, and Potential for Future Research
At the outset, it is assumed that shocks feature in a substantial number of turnover cases. The notion of shock is deemed an exclusive factor in the determination for employee decisions on leaving work. The article fails to explain the particular feature of change that can lead to shock amongst employees. Indeed, the shock is just one of the factors that may influence employee decisions to quit the job. The limitation of this study is that it only focuses on one aspect of the impact of change on employees. It does not take into account other factors such as retirement and contract maturation that may also increase turnover rates.
There is a need to conduct future research on diverse aspects that result in either voluntary or involuntary turnover in organizations. It should also look into various ways in which change can be implemented effectively without creating shocks amongst the employees.
Conclusion of the Research Finding
Knowledge about voluntary turnover is paramount to the selection of particular management models that suit particular work environments. Employees are inclined to several personal reasons that compel them to leave the job. Unavoidable turnover is a big blow for organizations since it can result in both direct and indirect costs. Therefore, firms need to be aware of the impacts of change on employee decisions to quit work.
The role of shocks should not be underestimated as employees respond to change in unique ways. As a result, organizations need to understand the availability of events that result in increased turnover. Overall, they need to consider the unavoidability of turnover with a view of weighing the effects of change against its benefits. A control paradigm can play an important role in making decisions that pertain to change.
Student Team’s Critique on the Article
The linkage between organizational change and employee turnover is well presented using the mechanisms of shock. The article provides a heuristic approach to the development of strategic initiatives that can reduce turnover rates. Indeed, it provides a framework that can be adopted by organizations to reduce the likelihood of increased turnover rates in cases where they need to implement alternative ways of operation.
Change is an important activity in any organization that desires success. However, its implementation comes with various effects such as voluntary turnover that can result in a financial decrease or loss of social capital. The study carefully responds to four hypotheses that seek to determine the effect of shocks on employee behavior than can lead to quitting jobs. Although the hypotheses are testable, they lean too much on the assumption that shock is the only premise that influences employee decisions on leaving their jobs.
Nevertheless, the methodology used is too narrow for assessing the factors that influence employee decisions on deserting job. When dealing with individual factors that inspire subjective decisions, it is important to use various theoretical models for personality. This article focuses on the unfolding model to prove how organizational change can influence personal decisions to abandon work.
It emphasizes voluntary turnover, which depicts a discrepancy from traditional philosophies. The model has based on the premise that individuals quit organizations in diverse ways. However, the reason behind quitting is seen as based on a distinct, shocking event that initiates the decision to quit. Although the model acknowledges that people’s decisions are influenced by varied factors and concerns, it fails to provide a comprehensive approach to understanding both voluntary turnover and retention of employees in cases where change management models are implemented in organizations. At the outset, the article only involves a brief review of the literature on employee turnover to seek diverse ideas that are available on existing theory and research.
The unfolding model is seen as a retrospective approach to employee turnover. Although it gives a detailed approach to employee turnover based on the influence of shocks, it fails to consider whether job hopping is driven by a need to advance or escape. Future research on this topic should not only focus on the apprehension created by the implementation of change but also other individual factors such as proactivity, personality traits, impulsivity, self-concept, individual, development needs, and locus of control that can influence job turnover.
For instance, some individuals can decide to leave their organization owing to the execution of retrogressive change management models that can affect their careers. This inclination to liberal organizational strategies can compel some employees to quit a job; hence, increasing turnover.
Various studies have challenged the applicability of the unfolding model in generating accounts of voluntary turnover. The approach is absolutely on course, but in its existing form, it has limited suitability. Thus, there is a need to operationalize this model or develop it differently with a view of applying a broader choice of job circumstances that can influence voluntary turnover. This improvement will create a better opportunity to understand the relationship between the implementation of change in organizations and employee turnover. Then, the unfolding model of employee turnover will be more useful in understanding the causes of turnover behavior in today’s workplaces.