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Promotion and employee turnover: Critique, meta-analysis, and implications

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Abstract

Qualitative reviews of the withdrawal literature have reached inconsistent conclusions regarding the strength of the relationship between promotion and turnover. Several issues were addressed in this study which may account for these inconsistencies. First, we differentiate among three distinct operationalizations of promotion: (1) promotion satisfaction; (2) perceptions of promotional opportunity; and (3) actual promotion. We then conduct quantitative reviews using meta-analytic procedures on turnover and the three operationalizations of promotion. We found no significant relationships between promotion satisfaction and turnoveror between perceived promotional opportunities and turnover. However, a significant negative relationship was found between actual promotion and turnover. Theoretical implication of these findings are presented.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Management & QM, University of Southwestern Louisiana, P.O. Box 43570, 70504-3570, Lafayette, Louisiana

    Paula Phillips Carson & Kerry D. Carson

  2. Georgia State University, USA

    Rodger W. Griffeth

  3. Air Force Institute of Technology, USA

    Robert P. Steel

Authors
  1. Paula Phillips Carson
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  2. Kerry D. Carson
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  3. Rodger W. Griffeth
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  4. Robert P. Steel
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Carson, P.P., Carson, K.D., Griffeth, R.W. et al. Promotion and employee turnover: Critique, meta-analysis, and implications. J Bus Psychol 8, 455–466 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02230960

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