Employee Intention to Stay in an Organization: Examining the Role of Calling and Perceived Supervisor Support Through the Theoretical Lens of Work as Calling

Abstract

This study offers new perspectives on employees’ intention to stay in organizations by examining the role of calling and perceived supervisor support (PSS). Drawing from work as calling theory (WCT) and utilizing survey data collected in the Philippines (Study 1; n = 338), we found that perceiving a calling is positively and significantly related to intention to stay and that PSS serves as a moderating variable. To further assess the mechanism that links perceiving a calling with intention to stay, we conducted a second study, after 6 months, focusing on the employee’s state of living out the calling. Using another survey data set collected in the Philippines (Study 2; n = 379), we found that living a calling serves as a mediating variable that influences the relationship between perceiving a calling and intention to stay, which is further strengthened by PSS. Theoretical and practical implications are fully discussed.

Keywords

employee intention to stay living a calling perceiving a calling perceived supervisor support

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Aiken

L. S.

West

S. G.

Reno

R. R.

(1991). Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Aldamoe

F. M. A.

Yazam

Ahmid

K. B.

(2012). The mediating effect of HRM outcomes (employee retention) on the relationship between HRM practices and organizational performance. International Journal of Human Resource Studies, 2, 75–80. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/d2ad/e14e12c353adbf85ca97b1c4bd9b37f87368.pdf

Bernardo

A. B. I.

(2004). McKinley’s questionable bequest: Over 100 years of English in Philippine education. World Englishes, 23, 17–31. doi:10.1111/j.1467-971X.2004.00332.x

Chew

Chan

C. C.

(2008). Human resource practices, organizational commitment and intention to stay. International Journal of Manpower, 29, 503–522. doi:10.1108/01437720810904194

DeConinck

J. B.

(2010). The effect of organizational justice, perceived organizational support, and perceived supervisor support on marketing employees’ level of trust. Journal of Business Research, 63, 1349–1355. doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2010.01.003

Dik

B. J.

Duffy

R. D.

(2009). Calling and vocation at work: Definitions and prospects for research and practice. Counseling Psychologist, 37, 424–450. doi:10.1177/0011000008316430

Dik

B. J.

Eldridge

B. M.

Steger

M. F.

Duffy

R. D.

(2012). Development and validation of the calling and vocation questionnaire (CVQ) and brief calling scale (BCS). Journal of Career Assessment, 20, 242–263. doi:10.1177/1069072711434410

Douglass

R. P.

Duffy

R. D.

Autin

K. L.

(2016). Living a calling, nationality, and life satisfaction: A moderated, multiple mediator model. Journal of Career Assessment, 24, 253–269. doi:10.1177/1069072715580324

Duffy

R. D.

Allan

B. A.

Autin

K. L.

Douglass

R. P.

(2014). Living a calling and work well-being: A longitudinal study. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 61, 605–615. doi:10.1037/cou0000042

10.

Duffy

R. D.

Autin

K. L.

Douglass

R. P.

(2016). Examining how aspects of vocational privilege relate to living a calling. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 11, 416–427. doi:10.1080/17439760.2015.1092570

11.

Duffy

R. D.

Bott

E. M.

Allan

B. A.

Torrey

C. L.

Dik

B. J.

(2012). Perceiving a calling, living a calling, and job satisfaction: Testing a moderated, multiple mediator model. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 59, 50–59. doi:10.1037/a0026129

12.

Duffy

R. D.

Dik

B. J.

(2013). Research on calling: What have we learned and where are we going? Journal of Vocational Behavior, 83, 428–436. doi:10.1016/j.jvb.2013.06.006

13.

Duffy

R. D.

Dik

B. J.

Douglass

R. P.

England

J. W.

Velez

B. L.

(2018). Work as calling: A theoretical model. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 65, 423–440. doi:10.1037/cou0000276

14.

Duffy

R. D.

Dik

B. J.

Steger

M. F.

(2011). Calling and work-related outcomes: Career commitment as a mediator. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 78, 210–218. doi:10.1016/j.jvb.2010.09.013

15.

Duffy

R. D.

Douglass

R. P.

Autin

K. A.

England

J. W.

Dik

B. J.

(2016). Does the dark side of a calling exist? Examining potential negative effects. Journal of Positive Psychology, 11, 634–646. doi:10.1016/j.jvb.2010.09.013

16.

Duffy

R. D.

Douglass

R. P.

Gensmer

N. P.

England

J. W.

Kim

H. J.

(2019). An initial examination of the work as calling theory. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 66, 328–340. doi:10.1037/cou0000318

17.

Duffy

R. D.

England

J. W.

Douglass

R. P.

Autin

K. L.

Allan

B. A.

(2017). Perceiving a calling and well-being: Motivation and access to opportunity as moderators. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 98, 127–137. doi:10.1016/j.jvb.2016.11.003

18.

Duffy

R. D.

Torrey

C. L.

England

Tebbel

E. A.

(2017). Calling in retirement: A mixed methods study. Journal of Positive Psychology, 12, 399–413. doi:10.1080/17439760.2016.1187201

19.

Dysvik

Kuvaas

(2013). Perceived job autonomy and turnover intention: The moderating role of perceived supervisor support. European Journal of Work & Organizational Psychology, 22, 563–573. doi:10.1111/j.2044-8309.2011.02090.x

20.

Eisenberger

Armeli

Rexwinkel

Lynch

P. D.

Rhoades

(2001). Reciprocation of perceived organizational support. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86, 42.

21.

Eisenberger

Huntington

Hutchison

Sowa

(1986). Perceived organizational support. Journal of Applied Psychology, 71, 500–507.

22.

Eisenberger

Stinghamber

Vandenberghe

Sucharski

I. L.

Rhoades

(2002). Perceived supervisor support: Contributions to perceived organizational support and employee retention. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87, 565–573.

23.

Guthrie

J. P.

(2001). High-involvement work practices, turnover, and productivity: Evidence from New Zealand. Academy of Management Journal, 44, 180–190. doi:10.5465/3069345

24.

Harman

H. H.

(1976). Modern factor analysis. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

25.

Hayes

A. F.

(2018). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach. New York, NY: Guilford Press.

26.

Hirschi

Herrmann

(2012). Vocational identity achievement as a mediator of presence of calling and life satisfaction. Journal of Career Assessment, 20, 309–321. doi:10.1177/1069072711436158

27.

Hirschi

Keller

A. C.

Spurk

D. M.

(2018). Living one’s calling: Job resources as a link between having and living a calling. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 106, 1–10. doi:10.1016/j.jvb.2017.12.001

28.

Hom

P. W.

Lee

T. W.

Shaw

J. D.

Hausknecht

J. P

. (2017). One hundred years of employee turnover theory and research. Journal of Applied Psychology, 102, 530–545. doi:10.1037/apl0000103

29.

Jiang

Hong

McKay

P. F.

Avery

D. R.

Wilson

D. C.

Volpone

S. D.

(2014). Retaining employees through anti-sexual harassment practices: Exploring the mediating role of psychological distress and employee engagement. Human Resource Management, 54, 1–21. doi:10.1002/hrm.21585

30.

Jung

J. H.

Tak

(2008). The effects of perceived career plateau on employees’ attitudes: Moderating effects of career motivation and perceived supervisor support with Korean employees. Journal of Career Development, 35, 187–201. doi:10.1177/0894845308325648

31.

Kirmeyer

S. L.

Dougherty

T. W.

(1988). Work load, tension and coping: Moderating effects of supervisor support. Personnel Psychology, 41, 125–139. doi:10.1111/j.1744-6570.1988.tb00635.x

32.

Koys

D. J.

(2001). The effects of employee satisfaction, organizational citizenship behaviour, and turnover on organizational effectiveness: A unit-level, longitudinal study. Personnel Psychology, 54, 101–114. doi:10.1111/j.1744-6570.2001.tb00087.x

33.

Larson

L. M.

Seipel

M. T.

Shelley

M. C.

Gahn

S. W.

S. Y.

Schenkenfelder

… Heitmann

M. M

. (2019). The academic environment and faculty well-being: The role of psychological needs. Journal of Career Assessment, 27, 167–182. doi:10.1177/1069072717748667

34.

Lindell

M. L.

Whitney

(2001). Accounting for common method variance in cross-sectional research designs. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86, 114–121. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.86.1.114

35.

Menguito

M. L. M.

(2017). Motivation. In Hechanova

M. R.

Teng-Calleja

Villaluz

(Eds.), Understanding the Filipino worker and organization (2nd ed.). Quezon, Philippines: Ateneo de Manila University Press.

36.

Meyer

J. P.

Allen

N. J.

Smith

C. A.

(1993). Commitment to organizations and occupations: Extension and test of a three-component conceptualization. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78, 538. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.78.4.538

37.

Meyer

J. P.

Stanley

D. J.

Herscovitch

Topolnytsky

(2002). Affective continuance, and normative commitment to the organization: A meta-analysis of antecedents, correlates, and consequences. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 61, 20–52. doi:10.1006/jvbe.2001.1842

38.

Nazir

Shafi

Qun

Nazir

Tran

Q. D.

(2016). Influence of organizational rewards on organizational commitment and turnover intentions. Employee Relations, 38, 596–619. doi:10.1108/ER-12-2014-0150

39.

Parkes

L. P.

Langford

P. H.

(2008). Work-life balance or work-life alignment? A test of the importance of work-life balance for employee engagement and intention to stay in organisations. Journal of Management & Organization, 14, 267–284. doi:10.1017/S1833367200003278

40.

Peterson

Park

Hall

Seligman

M. E.

(2009). Zest and work. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 30, 161–172. doi:10.1002/job.584

41.

Podsakoff

P. M.

MacKenzie

S. B.

Lee

J. Y.

(2003). Common method bias in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88, 879–903. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879

42.

Presbitero

Roxas

Chadee

(2016). Looking beyond HRM practices in enhancing employee retention in BPOs: Focus on employee–organisation value fit. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 27, 635–652. doi:10.1080/09585192.2015.1035306

43.

Ru Hsu

(2011). Work-family conflict and job satisfaction in stressful working environments: The moderating roles of perceived supervisor support and internal locus of control. International Journal of Manpower, 32, 233–248. doi:10.1108/01437721111130224

44.

Tracey

J. B.

Hinkin

T. R.

(2008). Contextual factors and cost profiles associated with employee turnover. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 49, 12–27. doi:10.1177/0010880407310191

45.

Xie

Xia

Xin

Zhou

(2016). Linking calling to work engagement and subjective career success: The perspective of career construction theory. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 94, 70–78. doi:10.1016/j.jvb.2016.02.011