How does negative mood affect turnover intention? The interactive effect of self-monitoring and conflict perception

Abstract

We propose that conflict perception mediates the relationship between negative mood and turnover intention and that trait self-monitoring is a moderator of this mediated relationship. To test our hypotheses, we conducted a repetitive-measure survey over 3 months with a total of 234 observations. We used a two-level hierarchical linear modelling (HLM) technique with measures of the previous time interval as controls. Our findings supported our hypothesis: for high self-monitors, the higher the person’s negative mood, the more frequent his or her perceived workgroup conflict, which results in a higher intention to leave. This relationship does not occur for low self-monitors. We conclude that, although negative mood may activate perceptions of negative work experiences, it leads to differential attitudinal outcomes for high versus low self-monitors.