Occupational commitment, industrial relations and turnover intention: Empirical evidence from China
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this research is to study the relationships between occupational commitment, industrial relations and turnover intention, as well as the moderating role of turnover intention.
Design/methodology/approach
Empirical data for this study were collected using a questionnaire survey method. A total of 600 copies of the questionnaire were sent out by post or email to firms and 429 valid responses were finally obtained, yielding a response rate of approximately 71.5 per cent.
Findings
Except for the limited choices commitment, affective commitment, normative commitment and cumulative costs commitment are found to be significantly and positively related to industrial relations. Employees’ turnover intention may be detrimental to industrial relations, as our results show that it has a negative correlation with industrial relations. We also find that it negatively moderates the relationship between occupational commitment and industrial relations.
Practical implications
Our results shed light on human resource management practices in Chinese firms, and managerial implications are made to enhance Chinese employees’ occupational commitment.
Originality/value
This study extends the current literature and provides new insights into the relationship between the four dimensions of occupational commitment and industrial relations in the Chinese context. It also provides an understanding that this relationship is conditioned on employees’ turnover intention.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the Guest Editor Song Lin and two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments. Jian Li appreciates the fund supported by the High-level University Graduate Student Overseas Program of the China Scholarship Council (CSC). The authors are responsible for the remaining errors.
Citation
Yuan, L., Yu, Y., Li, J. and Ning, L. (2014), "Occupational commitment, industrial relations and turnover intention: Empirical evidence from China", Chinese Management Studies, Vol. 8 No. 1, pp. 66-84. https://doi.org/10.1108/CMS-08-2011-0065
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited