Person-Organization Fit and Turnover Intentions: Organizational Trust as a Moderator

Compatibilidade Indivíduo-Organização e Intenção de Rotatividade: Moderação da Confiança na Organização

Compatibilidad Individuo-Organización y la Intención de Salida: Moderación de La Confianza en la Organización

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between person-organization fit and turnover intentions, along with the moderating effect of organizational trust. The sample consisted of 381 workers of both genders (61% female) and average age of 39.23, who answered the on-line versions of organizational values, organizational trust and turnover intention measures. The results showed that the higher the person-organization fit related to conservatism and harmony values, the lower the turnover intention. Trust in the organization’s ethical standards moderated the relationship between person-organization fit related to dominance and autonomy values and turnover intention. It was concluded that a reduced trust in the organization’s ethical standards contributes to accentuate the negative relation between person-organization fit associated with such values and turnover intention.

Keywords:
values; organizational behavior; trust; employee turnover

Resumo

O estudo investigou a relação da compatibilidade indivíduo-organização com a intenção de rotatividade, e o efeito moderador da confiança do empregado na organização. A amostra compôs-se de 381 trabalhadores de ambos os sexos (61% do sexo feminino), com idade média de 39,23 anos, que responderam às versões on-line de medidas de valores organizacionais, de confiança do empregado na organização e de intenção de rotatividade. Os resultados indicaram que quanto maior a compatibilidade entre o indivíduo e a organização, relacionada aos valores de conservadorismo e harmonia, menor a intenção de rotatividade. A confiança nos padrões éticos da organização moderou a relação da compatibilidade indivíduo-organização associada aos valores de autonomia e de domínio com a intenção de rotatividade. Concluiu-se que a baixa confiança nos padrões éticos da organização contribui para acentuar a relação negativa entre a compatibilidade associada a tais valores e a intenção de rotatividade.

Palavras-chave:
valores; comportamento organizacional; confiança; rotatividade de pessoal

Resumen

El estudio examinó la relación entre la compatibilidad individuo-organización e la intención de salida, moderada por la confianza en la organización. La muestra fue compuesta por 381 trabajadores de ambos sexos (61% sexo femenino) con edad media de 39,23 años. Los participantes respondieron a la versión online de los instrumentos de valores organizacionales, confianza del empleado en la organización e intención de salida. Los resultados indicaron que cuanto mayor es la compatibilidad individuo-organización en lo que se refiere a valores de conservadurismo y armonía, menor es la intención de rotatividad. La confianza en los patrones éticos de la organización moderó la relación de la compatibilidad individuo-organización asociada a los valores de autonomía y dominio y la intención de rotatividad. Se concluyó que la baja confianza en los patrones éticos de la organización contribuye a acentuar la relación negativa entre la compatibilidad asociada a tales valores y la intención de rotatividad.

Palabras clave:
valores; conducta organizacional; confianza; rotatividad de personal

Introduction

The study of congruence between the employee and his work environment constitutes one of the most traditional topics in the area of organizational and work psychology (Su, Mardock, & Rounds, 2015). The central principle of such a conception is that people tend to prefer and thrive in environments that are aligned with their own interests, skills, values and other individual characteristics (Millingman, Gatling & Bradley-Geist, 2017). One of the constructs that investigates such congruence is the person-organization fit, which is dedicated to investigating the alignment between individual and organizational characteristics, as well as their effects (Talbot & Billsberry, 2010). Although such fit can be analyzed in several ways (for example, through the person-job, person-group, leader-followers fit, etc.), the fit between the values of the employees and the values of their organization has been the one that has received more attention from researchers (Kristof-Brown, Li & Schneider, 2016).

Person-organization fit differs in terms of objective and subjective fit (Millingman et al., 2017). In the objective fit, such congruence is identified through the description of personal values by individuals and the estimation of organizational values through other sources, such as supervisors’ reports (or their aggregation from the perceptions of individual members), with the subsequent comparison of personal and organizational values. Subjective fit, in turn, consists of the adjustment measure between the individual and the environment in the way it is perceived by the individual, being, therefore, measured from the individual’s description of his/her personal values and the values he/she perceives in the organization in which it operates (Cavanaugh, 2016).

Subjective fit can be assessed in two ways. The first, and most popular in the literature, consists of direct measurement, in which individuals are asked explicitly whether they believe there is a good fit between their characteristics and those of the organization (Cavanaugh, 2016). The second, which has proven to be more reliable, is based on the indirect measurement of the construct, through a separate assessment of preferred organizational values (personal values) and perceived organizational values (Kristof-Brown, Zimmerman & Johnson, 2005). In this study, the subjective fit approach, measured indirectly, was adopted.

According to the person-organization fit theory, the alignment between the employee’s and the organization’s values allows the employee to satisfy his/her needs and reach his/her goals (Arthur, Bell, Doverspike, & Villado, 2006). For this reason, such fit constitutes a desirable state, which leads to positive results for individuals and organizations (Ostroff & Schulte, 2007). In this sense, the Social Construction Theory advocates that as employees realize that their values are congruent with those of the organization, they usually experience more positive perceptions and attitudes (Ravlin & Ritchie, 2006).

Considering these assumptions, empirical studies have pointed out that person-organization fit is associated with different organizational attitudes and behaviors, such as, for example, job satisfaction, job well-being, job performance, organizational commitment and turnover (Kristof-Brown et al., 2005; Peng, Pandey, & Pandey, 2015). Among them, it is important to highlight the turnover intention, which has gained prominence in the organizational scenario (Abdalla, Elsetouhi, Nagm & Abdou, 2017), and is characterized as a psychological phenomenon, associated with the probability that the individual will leave the organization permanently at some point in time (Wong, Wong, & Wong, 2015).

Empirical investigation has pointed out that the turnover intention is the cognition that precedes the behavior of the voluntary departure of professionals (Steil, Floriani, Zilli & Rubio, 2019). Such an effective departure of professionals represents a critical factor for organizational effectiveness (Oliveira, Gomide, Poli & Oliveira-Silva, 2018), due to its potential in incurring direct costs (replacement of professionals) and indirect costs (loss of intellectual capital). Furthermore, it is configured as one of the elements of the equation that links the success of human resource management practices with organizational performance (Santos, 2016).

In view of this relevance, many international studies have focused their analysis on factors that influence turnover intention, in order to seek strategies capable of reducing it (Hom, Lee, Shaw & Hausknecht, 2017). Despite such efforts by the international scientific community, however, Steil, Floriani and Bello (2019), in a recent systematic review on the subject, emphasize that little is known about turnover intention and its relations in the Brazilian context, especially when considering the dynamics of the development of behavioral intentions in different contexts and cultures.

Based on such considerations, the current study had as one of its objectives the analysis of the relations of person-organization fit with turnover intention, in a Brazilian sample. Studies on the relationships between person-organization fit and the turnover intention, in international samples, have shown that employees who perceive a good fit between their values and those of their organization show a greater intention to remain in the organization (Abdalla et al., 2017; Cavanaugh, 2016; Memon, Salleh, Noor, Baharom & Harun, 2014). Such results can be explained by the Attraction-Selection-Attrition model (Schneider, Goldstein, & Smith, 1995), according to which individuals feel attracted to binds to and remain in the organizations with which their values are congruent. In light of such literature, the hypothesis that the person-organization fit will be significantly and negatively related to the turnover intention was formulated (H1).

Despite the observed relationships between fit and the turnover intention, some meta-analytical studies have reported weak relationships between these constructs (Memon et al., 2014), which may demonstrate the need to investigate the presence of moderating variables in the relationship between them. In this sense, the current study also aimed to review the moderating role of organizational trust in the aforementioned relationship.

Organizational trust can be defined as a set of interdependent cognitions, which comprise beliefs about ethical standards, the credibility of communication, the economic power of the organization and its ability to recognize employee‘s performance, both financially and professionally (Oliveira & Tamayo, 2008). The authors also point out that trust is manifested through five factors: fostering of employee‘s growth (concrete actions of the organization aimed at encouraging employee‘s growth), organizational robustness (financial stability, ability to overcome crises and fulfillment of their obligations), the rules regarding termination of employees (definition of termination rules, so that the employee can predict whether or not he/she will remain in the organization), the organizational financial recognition (financial valuation of the employees’ efforts through salaries and promotions) and ethical standards (honesty, equality, transparency, sustained commitments and respect).

Such a construct has been considered a key factor in understanding the employee’s identification with the organization (Rueda, Serenine & Meireles, 2014) and was pointed out as a mechanism capable of promoting the reduction of uncertainties in work relationships, caused by the turbulent scenarios in which organizations have been operating (Oliveira & Souza, 2014). Although some Brazilian studies have investigated the perception of organizational values as antecedents of the organizational trust (Oliveira & Souza, 2014), research on the moderating role played by the organizational trust in the job relations and organization aspects with work results is still scarce, especially with regard to the relations of person-organization fit with such results.

In this sense, different studies have observed the moderating role of organizational trust in the relationship of perceived organizational support with turnover intention (Erturk, 2014); in the relationship between psychological empowerment and turnover intention (Erturk & Vurgun, 2015); in the relationship of person-organization fit with work engagement (Alfes, Shantz & Alahakone, 2016); and in the relationship of the sense of fit with the organization with positive results at work (Ho & Astakhova, 2018). Relevant to note that no investigations were identified on the moderation of organizational trust in the relationship of person-organization fit with turnover intention.

It is possible, however, to assume that organizational trust can diminish the negative relationship between fit and the turnover intention, since employees who trust their organization may be more susceptible to translating the sense of fit that they experience at work at lower levels of turnover intention (Yu, 2013). In other words, fit and organizational trust are likely to interact with each other in their effects on the turnover intention. Based on these considerations, the hypothesis was formulated that organizational trust will moderate the negative relationship between person-organization fit and the turnover intention, in the sense that this relationship is weaker when the organizational trust is higher and stronger when the organizational trust is lower (H2).

In summary, the present study aimed to analyze the relationship between the person-organization fit and the turnover intention, as well as the moderating role of organizational trust in such a relationship, in order to expand knowledge about the mechanisms that condition the effects of the person-organization fit on the turnover intention in the Brazilian context.

Method

Participants

The convenience sample consisted of 381 workers, 61% of whom were women, with ages ranging from 20 to 69 years (M = 39.23; SD = 9.67). With regard to marital status, the majority was married (58%), and 57.7% had children. Regarding education, the majority stated they had a postgraduate degree (61.2%), followed by 21.5% with complete higher education. Most of the sample consisted of workers from the private sector (85%), located predominantly in the southeastern region (87%), with total working time ranging from 1 to 53 years (M = 18.17; SD = 9.28). As an inclusion criterion, it was considered that participants had been working formally in some type of organization for at least six months.

Instruments

Person-organization fit was measured by the Porto and Ferreira (2017) Scale of Organizational Values, composed of 24 items, distributed in six dimensions of four items each, evaluated from an eleven-point Likert scale, ranging between zero (not important) and ten (extremely important). Item example: “Equal opportunities for all employees”. For the indirect measurement of subjective fit, the participants initially responded to the scale indicating their perception of the degree in which the listed organizational values were important to the organization in which they worked (organizational values). The internal consistency coefficients (Cronbach’s alpha) of this scale were: 0.80 (dominance), 0.83 (conservatism), 0.88 (autonomy), 0.81 (hierarchy), 0.90 (egalitarianism) and 0.92 (harmony). Then, they responded to the same scale, considering how important it was for them to have these values present in their work environment (personal values). The internal consistency coefficients (Cronbach’s alpha) of this scale were: 0.76 (dominance), 0.84 (conservatism), 0.82 (autonomy), 0.88 (hierarchy), 0.90 (egalitarianism) and 0.92 (harmony).

The turnover intent was assessed by the Siqueira, Gomide, Oliveira and Polizzi (2014) Turnover Intention Scale (TIS). It consists of three items (for example: “I think about leaving the company where I work”), to be answered on a five-point Likert scale, ranging from never (1) to always (5). The precision index, calculated by the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, was 0.96.

Organizational trust was assessed by the reduced version of the Oliveira and Tamayo (2008) Scale of Organizational Trust (ECEO, Escala de Confiança do Empregado na Organização). It consists of 28 items (for example: “This organization follows standards to promote its employees”), to be answered on a five-point Likert scale, ranging from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5). Such items are subdivided into the following factors: fostering of employee growth (five items), organizational robustness (five items), rules regarding employee‘s termination (six items), organizational financial recognition (five items) and ethical standards (seven items). The precision indices for these factors, calculated by Cronbach’s Alpha, were, respectively: 0.94; 0.92; 0.82; 0.91 and 0.94. In addition to the aforementioned scales, the participants responded to the Survey of Sociodemographic Data, with information concerning gender, education, marital status, age, State in which they lived and total time of work.

Procedures

Initially, the investigation was submitted to the Research Ethics Committee of the authors’ institution, and has been approved under number CAAE 92586418.3.0000.5289 (Plataforma Brasil). After approval, the instruments were applied in a digital format using the Google Forms tool, and the workers were contacted through the investigators’ contact network and accessed via WhatsApp, e-mail, Facebook or Linkedin. The participants initially received information about the investigation objectives and the invitation to participate. Those who voluntarily opted to participate filled out the Free and Informed Consent Form and then completed the scales that, at the end, were recorded and forwarded to the investigators. Confidentiality about the information provided was ensured to all participants.

Data Analysis

Initially, the fit scores were calculated using the programming language for statistical computing R, version 3.6 (R Core Team, 2018), by adding the absolute values of the differences between the measurement of personal values and that of organizational values. Such a procedure, however, reveals that the smaller the differences between the scores, the greater the fit. To avoid such an inverse scale and to facilitate the future interpretation of the results, such differences were multiplied by minus one (-1), so that the scale was interpreted in the sense that the higher the result of the sum of the score difference, the greater the fit, in accordance with the procedure adopted by Leung and Chaturvedi (2011).

Spearman’s correlations between the different scales of the study were then calculated. The choice for this type of non-parametric calculation was motivated by the fact that the variable person-organization fit consists of a composite that presented, in all its dimensions, an asymmetric distribution on the left, violating the assumptions of normality. Subsequently, a moderate hierarchical multiple regression analysis was performed for each dimension of person-organization fit, using the JMV package (Selker & Dropman, 2018). In the first block (model one), the control variables gender and age were inserted; in the second (model two), the independent variable person-organization fit, in the third (model three), the dimensions of the moderating variable organizational trust and finally, in the fourth block (model four), the terms of moderation created from the multiplication of the fit dimension under analysis by each of the dimensions of organizational trust. It should be noted that in the regression analyses, the independent and moderating variables were centered, considering that this procedure allows obtaining less affected coefficients by multicollinearity (Erturk, 2014).

Results

The analysis of correlations showed the presence of negative correlations between all fit dimensions and the turnover intention (rho ranging from -0.23 to -0.39; all with p<0.001). In addition, with the exception of the trust dimension in the termination rules, whose relationship with the turnover intention was not statistically significant (p>0.05), all other trust dimensions correlated in a negative and significant way (p<0.001) with the turnover intention (rho ranging from -0.30 to -0.47). It should be noted that the trust dimension in the termination rules, despite failing to show a significant relationship with the turnover intention, was maintained in the different regression models presented below, to the extent that such inclusion had theoretical support, as pointed out in the introduction of the present work. Additionally, it should be noted that this absence of association could have occurred as a result of a suppression effect that may no longer be present, when considering the other elements of control present in the regression, as warned by MacKinnon, Krull and Lockwood (2000).

In the regression analysis, the first model, common to all dimensions of fit, explained 5% of the variability of the turnover intention scores and was statistically significant (R ² adjust=0.05; F _{(2, 378)} =11.90; p<0.001). As expected, this model exhibited the low predictive power of the control variables gender and age over the turnover intention.

Regarding the fit autonomy dimension, the second model explained 16% of the variance in the turnover intention scores and was significant (R ² adjust=0.16; F _{(3, 377)} =25.10; p<0.001). The third model, in turn, was responsible for explaining 32% of the variability in the scores for the turnover intention and was also significant (R ² adjust=0.32; F _{(8, 372)} =23.30; p<0.001). Finally, model four explained 33% of the variance in the turnover intention scores and was significant (R ² adjust=0.33; F _{(13, 367)} =15.20; p<0.001). In this model, significant effects were obtained from the dimensions of the organizational trust construct referring to the rules regarding employees’ termination (β = 0.12; CI_95% [βinf = 0.03 and βsup = 2.06]; p<0.01 ) and fostering employees’ growth (β = -0.25; CI_95% [βinf = -0.40 and βsup=-0.10]; p<0.001), as well as the interaction between the fit autonomy dimension and the ethical standards dimension of organizational trust (β = 0.14; CI_95% [βinf = 0.02 and βsup= 0.26]; p<0.05).

Thus, it was found that the greater the organizational trust with regard to the dimension of the employees’ termination rules, the greater their turnover intention. On the other hand, the greater their organizational trust in terms of fostering employee’s growth, the lower their turnover intention. It was also observed that the effects of fit regarding the autonomy value on the turnover intention remain low and practically unchanged when the employee’s trust in the organization’s ethical standards is higher. However, when the employee’s trust in the organization’s ethical standards is lower, it is noticed that the lower the fit with regard to autonomy, the greater the employees’ turnover intention (Figure 1).

Figure 1
Moderating effect of the ethical standards dimension in the relationship between the autonomy dimension of person-organization fit and turnover intentions.

Regarding the dominance fit dimension, the second model was significant and responsible for 11% of the variance explained in the turnover intention scores (R2adjust=0.11; F _{(3, 377)} =17.00; p<0.001) . The third model, also significant, explained 31% of the scores variability for the turnover intention (R2adjust=0.31; F _{(8, 372)} =22.90; p<0.001). Finally, model four explained 32% of the variance in the turnover intention scores and was significant (R2adjust=0.32; F _{(13, 367)} =15.20; p<0.001). This model had as statistically significant variables the dimensions of trust regarding the employees’ termination rules (β = 0.12; CI_95% [βinf = 0.03 and βsup = 2.05]; p<0.01) and the fostering of employees’ growth (β = -0.29; CI_95% [βinf = -0.44 and βsup = -0.06]; p<0.001), as well as the interaction between the dominance dimension of fit and the organizational trust dimension associated with the organization’s ethical standards (β = 0.13; CI_95% [βinf = 0.02 and βsup = 2.26]; p<0.05).

Thus, it was found that the greater the organizational trust in the rules on employees’ termination, the greater their turnover intention, but the greater their trust in fostering employees’ growth, the lower their turnover intention. It was also observed that the effects of fit regarding the dominance value remain low and practically unchanged, when the employee’s trust in the organization’s ethical standards is higher, but when this trust is lower, the lower the fit concerning the dominance value, the greater the turnover intention (Figure 2).

Figure 2
Moderating effect of the ethical standards dimension in the relationship between the domain dimension of person-organization fit and turnover intentions.

With regard to the fit conservatism dimension, model two was responsible for 17% of the variability in the turnover intention scores and was significant (R2adjust=0.18; F _{(3, 377)} =28,20; p<0,001). The third model, in turn, explained 32% of the variance of the turnover intention, being also significant (R2adjust=0,32; F _{(8, 372)} =23,90; p<0,001). Model four was significant, but did not contribute to the explanation of the criterion variable (R2adjust=0.32; F _{(13, 367)} =15.00; p<0.001), because none of the interaction variables has reached statistical significance.

This model presented statistically significant results from the conservatism dimension of person-organization fit (β = -0.11; CI_95% [βinf = -0.23 and βsup= -0.001] and the dimensions of organizational trust associated with the rules regarding termination of employees (β = 0.12; CI_95% [βinf = 0.03 and βsup= 2,01]; p<0.01) and fostering employees’ growth (β = -0.25; CI_95% [βinf = -0.41 and βsup= -0.105]; p<0.001). It was found, therefore, that the greater the fit with regard to the conservatism value, as well as the employee’s trust in fostering growth in the organization, the lower their turnover intention. In contrast, the greater their trust in the rules regarding employees’ termination, the greater their turnover intention.

The fit hierarchy dimension, in model two, accounted for 12% of the variability in the scores of the turnover intention, and the model was significant (R2adjust=0.12; F _{(3, 377)} =18.20; p<0.001). The third model explained 32% of the variance of the turnover intention and was also significant (R2adjust=0.32; F _{(8, 372)} =23.30; p<0.001). Finally, model four was also statistically significant and explained 33% of the variance in the turnover intention scores (R2adjust=0.33; F _{(13, 367)} =15.20; p<0.001). However, none of the interaction variables was significant. In this way, the dimensions of the organizational trust associated with the rules regarding the employees’ termination (β = 0.12; CI_95% [βinf = 0,03 and βsup= 2.05]; p<0.01) and the fostering of employees’ growth (β = -0.29; CI_95% [βinf = -0.44 and βsup= -0.06]; p<0.001) presented statistically significant results, an indication that the greater their trust in the rules regarding employees’ termination, the greater their turnover intention. On the other hand, the greater the employee’s trust in the fostering of growth within the organization, the lower their turnover intention.

With regard to the fit harmony dimension, the second model explained 23% of the variance in the turnover intention scores and was significant (R2adjust=0.23; F _{(7, 373)} =38.60; p<0.001). The third model, in turn, explained 33% of the turnover intention scores variability and was also significant (R2adjust=0.33; F _{(8, 372)} =24.80; p<0.001). Model four explained 34% of the variance in the turnover intention scores and was significant (R2adjust=0.34; F _{(13, 367)} =15.20; p<0.001). However, none of the interaction variables reached statistical significance. In this model, the harmony dimension of person-organization fit (β = -0.14; CI_95% [βinf = -0.27 and βsup= -0.005]; p<0.05), the dimension of trust about the rules regarding the employees’ termination (β = -0.11; CI_95% [βinf = 0.02 and βsup= 1.94]; p<0.01) and the dimension of fostering employees’ growth (β = -0.28; .CI_95% [βinf = -0.44 and βsup= -0.06]; p<0.001) were statistically significant. Such results indicate, therefore, that the greater the fit with regard to the harmony value, as well as the employee’s trust regarding the fostering of growth in the organization, the lesser their turnover intention. Furthermore, the greater their trust in the rules regarding employees’ termination, the greater their turnover intention.

Finally, the egalitarian dimension of fit, in model two, accounted for 21% of the variability in the turnover intention scores, and the model was significant. (R2adjust=0.21; F _{(3, 377)} =34.40; p<0.001). The third model explained 32% of the variance of the turnover intention scores and was also significant (R2adjust=0.32; F _{(8, 372)} =23.80; p<0.001). Model four was also statistically significant and explained 33% of the variance in the turnover intention scores (R2adjust=0.33; F _{(13, 367)} =15.30; p<0.001). However, none of the interaction variables reached statistical significance. This model showed statistically significant results only with regard to the dimensions of organizational trust associated with the rules regarding employees’ termination. (CI_95%[inf = 0.02 and sup= 1.97]; p<0.01) and fostering of employees’ growth ( CI_95% [inf = -0.41 and sup= -0.05]; p<0.001). Thus, it was observed, that the greater the trust in the rules regarding employees’ termination, the greater their turnover intention. Furthermore, the greater the trust in fostering of employees’ growth within the organization, the lower their turnover intention.

Discussion

The aim of this article was to analyze the relationship between person-organization fit and the turnover intention, as well as the moderating role of organizational trust in such a relationship. The regression analyses indicated that the greater the fit with respect to the values of conservatism and harmony, the lower the turnover intention, which partially confirmed hypothesis 1, according to which there would be a negative fit impact on the turnover intention. Such findings converge with those of previous studies in which it was also observed that when employees realize that there is a greater fit between their values and those of their organization, they tend to demonstrate an increased intention to remain in the company (Abdalla et al., 2017; Cavanaugh, 2016; Memon et al., 2014).

These findings are also supported by the theory of person-organization fit, according to which the alignment between the employee’s values and the organization’s contributes to the satisfaction of the employee’s needs and to the achievement of their work goals (Arthur et al., 2006 ), leading them to experience more positive results in their work (Ostroff & Schulte, 2007; Ravlin & Ritchie, 2006). Among these positive results is the lower turnover intention. Thus, according to the Attraction-Selection-Attrition model (Schneider et al., 1995), the person-organization fit makes individuals feel attracted to bind to and remain in their organizations.

A possible explanation for the fact that only two of the fit dimensions (conservatism and harmony) have shown negative relationships with the turnover intention, as predicted, may be that such congruence is less important for positive or negative results at work in conditions of reduced employment opportunities, than in more promising economic circumstances (Kalliath, Bluedorn & Strube, 1999). In other words, in an economic crisis, having a job or not is more important than having a job in an organization in which the individual will achieve a high congruence of values. In addition, as highlighted by Talbot and Billsberry (2010), the fit of values between the individual and the organization is characterized as a complex phenomenon, which is why individuals can experience fit in some dimensions, but not in others.

Hypothesis 2 predicted that the organizational trust would moderate the relationship between fit and the turnover intention, in the sense that such a relationship would prove weaker the higher the organizational trust and stronger when the trust was lower. This hypothesis was partially confirmed, insofar as the recommended effects were observed only with regard to the interaction of trust in the organization’s ethical standards with the fit associated with the values of autonomy and dominance. Thus, it was observed that the low trust in the organization’s ethical standards contributed to strengthen the negative relationship between the fit associated with the values of autonomy and dominance and the turnover intention, while in the condition of high confidence such effects remained lower.

These results converge with the previous findings of Erturk and Vurgun (2015), who obtained evidence that the lower the organizational trust, the more negative is the relationship between psychological empowerment and the turnover intention, and that of Erturk (2014), in which the lower organizational trust contributed to increase the negative relationship of perceived organizational support with the turnover intention. Such findings can be explained by the fact that the organizational trust is able to reduce uncertainties in work relationships (Oliveira & Souza, 2014). In this sense, when trust is low, employees are less likely to translate the beneficial effects of person-organization fit into lower turnover intention (Yu, 2013).

An unforeseen result was the direct association of some dimensions of the organizational trust with their turnover intention. Although no hypotheses have been formulated about such relationships, because the research interest is focused on the interactive effects of trust with fit, it would be expected that the trust relationships with the turnover intention would be negative. Consistently with this assertion, it was observed that the greater the trust in fostering employee’s growth and in the organization’s ethical standards, the lower the turnover intention.

Such results are consistent with the data obtained in different previous studies (Erturk, 2014; Erturk & Vurgun, 2015; Rueda et al., 2014). In addition, they are an indication that when employees perceive their organization as a means to grow and fulfill themselves, they usually develop a sense of self-realization that can contribute to reducing their turnover intention (Siqueira & Gomide Jr., 2004). Similarly, when employees believe that their organization is guided by the principles of honesty, equality, commitment and respect, they tend to be more proud of it, which may increase their desire to remain in the company (Barros, 2011).

Contrary, however, to what would be expected in terms of a direct relationship between the organizational trust and turnover intention, it was observed that the greater the trust in the rules on employees’ termination, the greater the turnover intention. It should be noted that this effect was made possible with the control of the other sources of trust and fit, which allowed the suppressive effect observed in the calculation of correlations to be no longer present.

It was found, therefore, that greater clarity on the criteria for termination contributed to increase the desire to leave the organization, which is in contrast with previous studies such as that of Araújo and Oliveira (2008), who verified the existence of an inverse relationship between the trust in the rules on employees’ termination and satisfaction, involvement with work and affective commitment of employees. One possible explanation for such result is that greater clarity about the organization’s termination rules can give rise to a feeling of insecurity and frustration in employees, especially when they realize, for example, that those rules are very strict, which could contribute to increasing their intention to leave the organization (Rueda et al., 2014).

Despite the contributions presented here, this study has some limitations. The first one refers to the cross-sectional desing of the study, which made it impossible to determine causality. Future studies could correct this limitation with the adoption of longitudinal studies, allowing a greater understanding about the relationships between the variables included in the current investigation. In addition, the fact that the sample was concentrated in the southeastern region and in private companies may limit the possibility of generalizing the findings. Despite the limitations now presented, the findings of this research present a contribution to the literature on person-organization fit, by gathering additional evidence on the moderation brought by organizational trust in the relationship between fit and the turnover intention and, further, on the direct influence of organizational trust in the turnover intention.

Further investigations may be aimed at comparing the direct and indirect fit measures, which are still scarce in this thematic area. In addition, studies that observe the dynamic character of fitting, considering its change over time, can elucidate questions about the impact of such changes on the individuals’ perceptions and experiences and, consequently, on their attitudes in the workplace (Jansen & Shipp, 2013). Finally, it is suggested that, in future studies on person-organization fit and turnover intention, trust in the organization be controlled, as this variable better explains the turnover intention than fit.

With regard to the practical implications of the study, it would be interesting for organizations to seek greater alignment between their values and the values of their employees, thus aiming to reduce the turnover intention. The results now obtained can also serve as subsidies for organizations to strengthen employees’ trust, implementing practices that foster ethics, transparency, respect and endurance of assumed commitments assumed in order to reduce the turnover intention. Such practices have the potential to cause organizations to enjoy higher employees’ retention rates, which may contribute to organizational effectiveness. (Oliveira et al., 2018).

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Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  11 Mar 2022
• Date of issue
  Oct-Dec 2021

History

• Received
  23 Sept 2019
• Reviewed
  24 Aug 2020
• Accepted
  13 Oct 2020