Rewards and faculty turnover: An individual differences approach

Abstract

The perception of dissatisfaction with rewards is associated with the growing number of faculty members who express their intention to leave the university (TI). Our study has two aims. First, to analyze the phenomenon of TI based on faculty members’ perception of both extrinsic as intrinsic rewards (EIR), considering the moderating effect of age, seniority, and education level. Secondly, to analyze whether the relationships among the EIR are stronger or weaker for specific faculty members, considering their individual differences. We developed and tested a hypothetical model using binary logistic regression with full-time faculty members working in business schools in Colombia. As for age, seniority and education level, no moderator effect was found between EIR and TI. However, we found support for the idea that some specific extrinsic and intrinsic variables impact TI and reveal individual perceptions of faculty members’ satisfaction increasing the probability of staying or withdrawing from university. We also used multiple correspondence analyses and found support for the idea that there are different levels of association between extrinsic and intrinsic rewards for certain groups of faculty members in relation to TI. The propensity of TI was characterized in three scenarios made of different groups of faculty members. Our findings illustrate that, to fully understand the EIR and TI relationship, scholars must adopt a perspective and methodology that distinguishes the forces of association between EIR from the perspective of individual difference. Practical implications, limitations and future studies are discussed.

Keywords

• higher education
• faculty turnover
• turnover intention
• rewards
• individual differences