The Role of Effective Leadership on Turnover in Work groups: Evidence from a Government Agency

Abstract

Much of previous research on employee turnover in government agencies has examined intended rather than actual turnover behavior of public employees. The limited research that has examined turnover behavior of public employees has not thoroughly examined the influence of managerial leadership on turnover behavior in government agencies. The present study examined how a task-oriented leader behavior—role clarification—may enhance overall work satisfaction and reduce actual turnover in workgroups in government agencies. These linkages were examined with data collected in two time periods and from multiple sources—personnel records and organizational survey of 1699 employees working in 45 geographically distributed offices in a state agency with 11 distinct divisions of operation. The results indicated that role clarification by managers enhance overall work satisfaction and a reduce turnover rates in the offices, although these effects are mediated by the overall role clarity perceived in the offices. Implications of these findings for leadership and human resource management in public agencies are discussed.