Exploring the Moderating Roles of Perceived Person-Job Fit and Person-Organisation Fit on the Relationship between Training Investment and Knowledge Workers' Turnover Intentions

Abstract

Previous studies have documented inconsistent results in terms of the relationship between knowledge workers' perceived training investment and their turnover intentions. In order to clarify the inconsistencies, the present study extends previous research by exploring the moderating roles of perceived demand-ability (D-A) job fit and person-organisation (P-O) fit. Data were collected from 303 research and development (R&D) engineers from 30 high-technology firms in Taiwan. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to test the hypotheses. The results show that perceived D-A fit, P-O fit, and perceived training investment interact jointly to predict knowledge workers' turnover intentions. Specifically, while the main effect of perceived training investment on turnover intentions was negative, under situations of extremely high perceived D-A fit and extremely low P-O fit, the relationship between knowledge workers' perceived training investment and their turnover intentions became positive, and under situations of low perceived D-A fit and high P-O fit, the relationship between knowledge workers' perceived training investment and their turnover intentions remained negative. Theoretical and practical implications are also discussed. © 2009 The Authors. Applied Psychology: An International Review © 2009 International Association of Applied Psychology.