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Polychronicity fit and turnover intentions in projects: the mediating roles of exhaustion and work overload

Syed Waqas Shah (Department of Economics, Macquarie Business School, Sydney, Australia)
Denise Mary Jepsen (Department of Management, Macquarie Business School, Sydney, Australia)
Sarah Bankins (Department of Management, Macquarie Business School, Sydney, Australia)

International Journal of Manpower

ISSN: 0143-7720

Article publication date: 6 May 2024

Issue publication date: 29 August 2024

330

Abstract

Purpose

Despite the deployment of state-of-the-art methodologies for project management, employee turnover in projects remains high. Such turnover has significant costs in terms of replacing personnel, potential deadline overruns and financial expenditure. Employee turnover in project contexts may stem from time-related issues associated with multiple parallel projects and short deadlines. Using person–environment fit and time congruence theories, this research examines the relationship between employee turnover intentions and individual–organizational (I–O) polychronicity fit, which captures the degree of match between individuals’ and organizational preferences for focusing on multiple tasks simultaneously.

Design/methodology/approach

Survey data were collected from 309 software project employees in Pakistan. Hypotheses were tested using polynomial regressions and response surface modeling.

Findings

I–O polychronicity fit is related to turnover intentions. Turnover intentions are lower when I–O polychronicity fit occurs on the lower end of the polychronicity continuum, whereas turnover intentions are higher when fit is observed on the higher end of the polychronicity continuum. The relationship between I–O polychronicity fit and turnover intentions is significantly explained by exhaustion and perceptions of work overload.

Practical implications

The study’s insights provide recommendations for organizations to optimally manage multitasking to help retain project employees.

Originality/value

These findings extend our understanding of the underlying mechanisms between I–O polychronicity fit and turnover intentions. Furthermore, this research expounds on how employee exhaustion and perceptions of work overload explain the relationship between I–O polychronicity fit and turnover intentions.

Keywords

Citation

Shah, S.W., Jepsen, D.M. and Bankins, S. (2024), "Polychronicity fit and turnover intentions in projects: the mediating roles of exhaustion and work overload", International Journal of Manpower, Vol. 45 No. 7, pp. 1350-1364. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJM-06-2023-0309

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited

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