The Relationship Between Faultlines and Collective Voluntary Turnover

Abstract

This study examines the link between demographic faultlines and collective voluntary turnover to provide contributions to both literatures. Based on social identity theory and job embeddedness, we further propose that business unit tenure moderates the faultline-collective voluntary turnover relationship. We test the hypotheses using data drawn from a sample of government employees nested within 356 business units over the course of two years. The results suggest that demographic faultlines (age, gender, ethnicity) are associated with an increase in collective turnover. These effects hold, even after controlling for the independent dimensions of diversity, which suggests that the faultline construct captures variance distinct from the individual elements. Furthermore, the results suggest this relationship is moderated by the average organizational tenure of the business unit. Overall, we contribute to the literature on collective turnover and faultlines and demonstrate that the effects of demographic faultlines on collective voluntary turnover are conditional on contextual factors.