An integrative model of turnover intention : Antecedents and their effects on employee performance in Chinese joint ventures

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to attempt to fill a research gap by proposing an integrative model for studying employees’ turnover intention in Chinese joint ventures (JVs). The authors also examine the antecedents of turnover intention and its impact on employees’ performance. Design/methodology/approach – A data set consisting of 247 employees in 3 JVs in the Peoples’ Republic of China is used to test the hypotheses. Findings – The LISREL results support all hypotheses. The model examines how the contextual experiences of perceived organizational support and affective commitment might affect the turnover intention. It is proposed that employees’ perceived distributive justice, trust in management and job security are related to the organizational experience of perceived organizational support and affective commitment, which will affect turnover intention and, in turn, to job performance. The empirical results show that turnover intention has a significant and negative impact on employees’ performance, and both perceived organisational support (POS) and affective commitment have partial mediation effects between trust in management and employees’ turnover intention. Research limitations/implications – The Western POS scale was used in this study. It may not fully capture the meaning of POS in the Chinese setting. Future research may develop indigenous POS measurement. Additionally, the scale on turnover intention only showed employees’ intention to leave, it did not reveal their subsequent actual turnover. Future research should use a longitudinal design to study the actual employee turnover. It contributes to the literature by offering insights on how Chinese human resource management practices in JVs affect employees’ turnover intention and the impact of turnover intention on employees’ performance in Chinese JVs. Originality/value – This study enhances the authors' understanding of the relationship among POS, affective commitment and turnover intention of Chinese JV employees.