The effects of perceived organisational support and affective commitment on turnover intention : a test of two competing models

Purpose: China is experiencing a double-digit turnover rate and high turnover intention. This research aims to explore the relationships of turnover intention, perceived organisational support (POS) and affective commitment in China. Design/methodology/approach: Turnover intention and its antecedents, including POS, affective commitment, distributive justice, trust in organisation and job security, were studied in this research with a case study of a foreign-invested enterprise (FIE) manufacturing company in Guangdong of China. Based on the literature, two competing models were developed and investigated by using the technique of structural equation modelling. Findings: The results suggest that distributive justice, trust in organisation and job security have negative impacts on turnover intention. Moreover, affective commitment mediates the impact of job security on turnover intention. The results also indicate that POS has an impact on affective commitment instead of affecting turnover intention directly. In addition, POS and affective commitment mediate the impacts of both distributive justice and trust in organisation on turnover intention. Research limitations/implications: The scale of turnover intention used in this study only shows the employee’s intention to quit an organisation. It does not reveal their subsequent actual turnover. This study has research implications. It enhances our understanding of the relationships among POS, affective commitment and turnover intention of Chinese employees in FIEs. Practical implications: The findings of this study provide the management of organisations in China with a better understanding of how to facilitate human resources management so as to lower employee turnover intention. Originality/value: Inconsistent research findings have been reported about the relationships among turnover intention, POS and affective commitment in previous studies. The results of this study clarify all these relationships in Chinese FIEs.