Organizational Context, Staffing Events, and Work Outcomes: A Dynamic Analysis Approach

Abstract

This study investigates how human capital flows, either through HR-initiated staffing events or employee-initiated events can influence workplace outcomes over time and in relation to various internal and external workplace contextual factors. This study is mainly motivated by research and theories that call for a temporal, dynamic, and holistic examination of the interactions between staffing, work outcomes, and contextual factors. We draw on Context-Emergent Theory (CET), which conceives of human capital flow as a dynamic and holistic process and accounts for the moderating effects of context on the link between collective turnover and work outcomes. To empirically evaluate our research questions, we use longitudinal personnel, financial, and pulse survey data collected from 1,837 stores (work units) of a large national retailer. This study provides insight to the relationship between human capital flow and workplace outcomes. Moreover, it shows how contextual factors–both internal and external to the workplace–modify these relationships over time. This research expands the scope of existing studies by considering the reciprocal and dynamic nature of staffing events, context, and workplace outcomes. Our results show that staffing events impact subsequent unit performance and voluntary turnover rates. These effects change over time and differ under varied contextual situations.