Managers receive numerous signals from their organizations regarding future career possibilities. Such signals can be interpreted in a variety of ways and can have important implications for future behavior on the job. In a field experiment, four organizational signals were presented to 157 middle-level managers in Fortune 500 companies. The effects of those signals on perceptions of reputation and the subsequent effect of reputation on turnover intentions were examined. Results of repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance indicated that both signal characteristics examined, the sign and level of publicity of the signal, as well as their interaction, had significant effects on perceived internal and external reputation. Multiple regression analyses found that perceptions of external reputation were significantly associated with an increased probability of search and probability of leaving, but not with intentions to leave the present organization. Implications for organizations concerning the communication of feedback to managers are discussed.
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