Career anchors, organisational commitment and employee turnover intention in the retail sector

Abstract

The study explored the link between the career anchors, organisational commitment and turnover intention of a sample of individuals employed in the South African retail sector. A non-probability purposive sample (N = 343) of employees from an organisation in the South African retail sector was utilised. The participants were represented by predominantly women (72%) and black people (94%) between the ages of 25 and 45 years (80%). Following a cross-sectional quantitative research approach, correlational and stepwise regression analysis was performed to achieve the objective of the study. The results showed that the entrepreneurial creativity-anchored individuals were likely to have low organisational commitment and high turnover intention, while the lifestyle-anchored individuals had high levels of organisational commitment and high turnover intention. The dominant affective/normative commitment profile of the sample of participants significantly predicted low turnover intention. The findings of the study and practical implications provide useful information to managers interested in retaining staff in the retail sector.