Exploring the Relationship Between Exploitative Leadership and Employee Turnover Intentions: The Role of Affective Commitment, Length of Service and Organizational Tenure
Master thesis
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Date
2024Metadata
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- Master of Science [1729]
Abstract
This study's purpose was to examine exploitative leadership's negative effect on turnover intentions and whether this expected relationship was mediated by lower affective commitment and moderated by shorter length of service, or lower organizational tenure.
To test our hypotheses, we conducted a longitudinal study using a quantitative survey, distributed at two measurement points, with a three-month time lag. Our respondents were recruited from Norwegian working life using students and researchers at BI Norwegian Business Schools´ networks, which resulted in a sample size of N = 822. Consistent with previous research, we found exploitative leadership to have a negative effect on turnover intentions. Additionally, the results showed that the relationship between exploitative leadership and turnover intentions was mediated by reduced affective commitment. However, the hypothesized interaction between exploitative leadership, length of service and organizational tenure was not supported.
Our findings aligned with stress theories, attributing the perception of exploitative leaders as a demand that depletes employees' resources, thereby making it difficult to restore a positive resource balance. By raising awareness about exploitative leadership, it can stimulate further research in the field. This holds significance as it can provide organizations with the necessary knowledge to prevent such behavior.
Keywords: Exploitative leadership, destructive leadership, affective commitment, turnover intentions, length of service, organizational tenure.
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Masteroppgave(MSc) in Master of Science in Leadership and Organizational Psychology - Handelshøyskolen BI, 2024