Date of Degree

5-2019

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Program

Education

Advisor

Alfredo Ortiz

Advisor

Esmeralda de los Santos

Advisor

Mark S. Teachout

Abstract

This study focused on the persistent problem facing organizational leaders of voluntary turnover of professional staffs. The problem of turnover in general has been studied for decades from the perspective of those who left the organization. What is lacking in the body of research is an understanding, from the perspective of senior management, of why professionals abruptly leave the organization (Waldman, Carter, & Hom, 2015). The purpose of this exploratory qualitative research is to examine the phenomenon of sometimes abrupt, voluntary turnover of professionals in organizations from the perspective of organizational leaders. A more contemporary, less objective evolution of traditional grounded theory, constructivist grounded theory, was utilized which still retains the emergent, iterative process of traditional grounded theory but instead allows for and promotes the inclusion of the researcher’s point of view (Charmaz, 2014). Interview and transcription data were analyzed using open coding, focused coding, memoing, constant comparative analysis, and theoretical sampling. The proposed grounded theory that emerged from the responses of leader participants is described as a repeating cycle of leader experiences associated with the unplanned loss of a valuable employee. This cycle of leader experience (sequence) is composed of major phases of Trust, Shock, and Regret. Simultaneous to the Trust-Shock-Regret cycle are situational conditions related to the unplanned loss: high leader communication, ‘warning signs’, and management disconnect. This study adds a new dimension to our understanding about the role of leaders in unplanned turnover, from the context of experienced, senior-level organizational leaders of professional employees.

This study focused on the persistent problem facing organizational leaders of voluntary turnover of professional staffs. The problem of turnover in general has been studied for decades from the perspective of those who left the organization. What is lacking in the body of research is an understanding, from the perspective of senior management, of why professionals abruptly leave the organization (Waldman, Carter, & Hom, 2015). The purpose of this exploratory qualitative research is to examine the phenomenon of sometimes abrupt, voluntary turnover of professionals in organizations from the perspective of organizational leaders. A more contemporary, less objective evolution of traditional grounded theory, constructivist grounded theory, was utilized which still retains the emergent, iterative process of traditional grounded theory but instead allows for and promotes the inclusion of the researcher’s point of view (Charmaz, 2014). Interview and transcription data were analyzed using open coding, focused coding, memoing, constant comparative analysis, and theoretical sampling. The proposed grounded theory that emerged from the responses of leader participants is described as a repeating cycle of leader experiences associated with the unplanned loss of a valuable employee. This cycle of leader experience (sequence) is composed of major phases of Trust, Shock, and Regret. Simultaneous to the Trust-Shock-Regret cycle are situational conditions related to the unplanned loss: high leader communication, ‘warning signs’, and management disconnect. This study adds a new dimension to our understanding about the role of leaders in unplanned turnover, from the context of experienced, senior-level organizational leaders of professional employees.

Download

Share

COinS