Relevance of organisational support on academics’ affective commitment and turnover intentions

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide an indication as to the motivation of people to remain in academic positions where substantial economic inequity is present and more favourable alternative employment is possible. This is important for the retention of qualified academic staff in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and for the supply of well-educated workers in this developing country.Design/methodology/approachThe authors surveyed 94 national (indigenous) academic staff at a prominent PNG university for their perceptions of organisational justice and management support, with an aim determining if these variables were related to workers’ affective commitment (AC) and intentions to turnover. The surveyed staff members are all employed on an inequitable basis in that their salaries and living conditions are inferior to those of equally qualified expatriate academic staff.FindingsThe research found that staff members’ emotional connection (affective commitment (AC)) to their work was predicted by organisational support, whereas lack of organisational support predicted academic staff turnover.Practical implicationsUniversities must provide supportive environments to enable staff to remain focussed and committed in order to maintain high morale and reduce turnover in academic staff.Originality/valuePrevious research on this topic has emphasised the economic inequity faced by national academic staff members in PNG’s high education institutions. The current research applies motivation theory to people experiencing this obvious inequity. It finds that an environment where workers experience management support and a sense of intrinsic reward can effectively influence their intention to remain at their place of work as well as their emotional connection to their institution and their students.