[go: up one dir, main page]

skip to main content
10.1145/3647722.3647745acmotherconferencesArticle/Chapter ViewAbstractPublication PagesicsimConference Proceedingsconference-collections
research-article
Open access

What Really Matters? Turnover Intention Factors of Software Developers

Published: 17 April 2024 Publication History

Abstract

This study's purpose is to identify the factors influencing turnover intention in software developers. Its relevance is related to the shortage of software developers in the labor market both within and outside the EU, and their relatively short employment periods in individual companies, which causes high costs and knowledge outflow. This study therefore aims to analyse the links between different combinations of causal conditions: human resource management climate, affective and calculative commitment, work engagement - dedication, horizontal trust, gender and tenure of software developers. In addition, the study analyses the outcome [the presence or absence of turnover intention] among software developers tested, using a qualitative comparative analysis and fuzzy-sets method. Thus far, scholars have assumed that affective commitment is a fundamental factor in discouraging turnover intention. However, this study shows that calculative commitment, rather than affective commitment, plays such a role in case of software developers. Still, it is worth noting that HRM process, affective commitment, and work engagement are noticeably lower among individuals planning to change their job. The study shows that the relationship between factors is nonlinear, highlighting the need for a nuanced understanding of the interplay among various conditions. The findings offer valuable insights for organizations seeking to tailor strategies to retain software development professionals.

References

[1]
Zhang, L. and Jones, M.C. (2011), „A social capital perspective on IT professionals’ work behavior and attitude”, Journal of Organizational and End User Computing (JOEUC), 23 (1), 64-78. https://doi.org/10.4018/joeuc.2011010104
[2]
Forrest, C. (2018), „Software had the highest job turnover rate of any industry in 2017”, available at: https://www.techrepublic.com/article/software-had-the-highest-job-turnover-rate-of-any-industry-in-2017/ (accessed 17 June 2021)
[3]
Ertürk, A. (2014), "Influences of HR practices, social exchange, and trust on turnover intentions of public IT professionals", Public Personnel Management, 43 (1), 140–175. https://doi.org/10.1177/0091026013517875
[4]
Miller, J.L. (2018), „Why Do Software Engineers Change Jobs So Frequently?”, available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2018/02/06/why-do-software-engineers-change-jobs-so-frequently/?sh=1e9e50ed48a7 (accessed 17 June 2021)
[5]
Ramos E. and Joia L. A. (2013). „An investigation into turn-away among information technology professionals in Brazil”, The Journal of High Technology Management Research, 24 (1), 30–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hitech.2013.02.005
[6]
Harden, G., Boakye, K.G. and Ryan, S. (2018), "Turnover Intention of Technology Professionals: A Social Exchange Theory Perspective", Journal of Computer Information Systems, 58 (4), 291-300. https://doi.org/10.1080/08874417.2016.1236356
[7]
Cohen, G., Blake, R.S. and Goodman, D. (2015), „Does Turnover Intention Matter? Evaluating the Usefulness of Turnover Intention Rate as a Predictor of Actual Turnover Rate”, Review of Public Personnel Administration, 36 (3), 240-263. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0734371X15581850
[8]
Semmer, N.K., Elfering, A., Baillod, J., Berset, M. and Beehr, T.A. (2014), „Push and pull motivations for quitting”’ Zeitschrift fur Arbeits- und Organisationspsychologie, 58 (4), 173-185. https://doi.org/10.1026/0932-4089/a000167
[9]
Rusi Sun & Weijie Wang (2017) Transformational leadership, employee turnover intention, and actual voluntary turnover in public organizations, Public Management Review, 19:8, 1124-1141.
[10]
Sharma, G.G. and Stol, K.-J. (2020), „Exploring onboarding success, organizational fit, and turnover intention of software professionals”, Journal of Systems and Software, 159, 110442. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2019.110442
[11]
Wickramasinghe, V. (2010), „Impact of time demands of work on job satisfaction and turnover intention: Software developers in offshore outsourced software development firms in Sri Lanka”, Strategic Outsourcing: An International Journal, 3(3), 246-255. https://doi.org/10.1108/17538291011093820
[12]
Maier, C., Laumer, S. and Eckhardt, A. (2015), „Information technology as daily stressor: pinning down the causes of burnout”, Journal of Business Economics, 85 (4), 349-387. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11573-014-0759-8
[13]
Saeed, M. (2020), "Mediation effect of psychological contract between personality dimensions and turnover intention", Journal of Economics, Finance and Administrative Science, 25 (50), 205-219. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEFAS-06-2019-0101
[14]
Eckhardt, A., Laumer, S., Maier, C. and Weitzel, T. (2016), „The effect of personality on IT personnel's job-related attitudes: Establishing a dispositional model of turnover intention across IT job types”, Journal of Information Technology, 31 (1), 48-66. https://doi.org/10.1057%2Fjit.2014.27
[15]
Lewicka, D. (2019), Zarządzanie kapitałem ludzkim a zaangażowanie pracowników, [Human Capital Management and Employee Commitment] Warszawa: Wydawnictwo C.H. Beck
[16]
Buhari, M.M., Yong, C.C. and Lee, S.T. (2020), „I am more committed to my profession than to my organization: Professional commitment and perceived organizational support in turnover, International Journal of Human Capital and Information Technology Professionals,11 (3), 37-58. https://doi.org/10.4018/IJHCITP.2020070103
[17]
Rubenstein, A.L., Eberly, M.B., Lee, T.W. and Mitchell, T.R. (2018), „Surveying the forest: A meta-analysis, moderator investigation, and future-oriented discussion of the antecedents of voluntary employee turnover”, Personnel Psychology, 71(1), pp. 23-65. https://doi.org/10.1111/peps.12226
[18]
Lo, J. (2015), „The information technology workforce: A review and assessment of voluntary turnover research”, Information Systems Frontiers, 17 ( 2), 387–411. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10796-013-9408-y
[19]
Pawlowski, S.D., Kaganer, E.A. and Cater J.J. (2007), „Focusing the research agenda on burnout in IT: social representations of burnout in the profession”, European Journal of Information Systems, 16 (5), 612–627. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.ejis.3000699
[20]
Ghapanchi, A.H. and Aurum, A. (2011), "Antecedents to IT personnel's intentions to leave: A systematic literature review"' Journal of Systems and Software, 84 (2), 238 – 249. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2010.09.022
[21]
Steil, A.V., Floriani, E.V. and Bello, J.S.A. (2019), "Antecedents of Intention to Leave the Organization: A Systematic Review", Paidéia (RibeirãoPreto), . 29, e2910. https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-4327e2910
[22]
Hom, P., Shen, W., Shapiro, D.L., Seo, J., Guzzo, R.A. and Nalbantian, H. (2020), „When leader departures invoke employee turnover”, Academy of Management, 2020 (1). https://doi.org/10.5465/AMBPP.2020.14092abstract
[23]
Macky, K. and Boxall, P. (2007), "The relationship between 'high-performance work practices and employee attitudes: An investigation of additive and interaction effects", The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 18 (4), 537-567. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585190601178745
[24]
Ramaprasad, B.S., Lakshminarayanan, S. and Pai, Y.P. (2021), „Exploring the Mediating Role of Employee Attitudes in the Relationship between High-Performance Work Systems and Turnover Intention among IT Professionals in India: A Serial Mediation Approach”, Global Business Review, 22 (1), 197-218. https://doi.org/10.1177/0972150918795354
[25]
Bowen, D.E. and Ostroff, C. (2004), "Understanding HRM-Firm Performance Linkages: The Role of the "Strenght" of the HRM System", Academy of Management Review, 29 (2), 203-221. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2004.12736076
[26]
Wright, Patrick M. and Nishii, Lisa Hisae,(2007) "Strategic HRM and Organizational Behavior: Integrating Multiple Levels of Analysis" (2007). CAHRS Working Paper Series. Paper 468.http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/cahrswp/468
[27]
Meyer, J.P. (2016), Part I, Conceptualization of commitment. In J. P. Meyer (Ed.), The handbook of employee commitment. Edward Elgar Publishing.
[28]
Cohen, A. (2007), "Commitment before and after: An evaluation and reconceptualization of organizational commitment", Human Resource Management Review, 17 (3), 336-354. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2007.05.001 
[29]
Ramalho- Luz, C.M.D,  Luiz de Paula, S. and de Oliveira, L. (2018), "Organizational commitment, job satisfaction and their possible influences on intent to turnover", Revista de Gestão, 25 (1) 84-101. https://doi.org/10.1108/rege-12-2017-008
[30]
Chakrabarti, S. and Guha, S. (2016), "Differentials in information technology professional category and turnover propensity: A study", Global Business Review, 17 (3), 90S-106S. https://doi.org/10.1177/0972150916631086 
[31]
Schaufeli W.B., Salanova M., González-Romá V., Bakker A.B. (2002), The measurement of engagement and burnout: A confirmative analytic approach, Journal of Happiness Studies, 3, 71–92.
[32]
Lewicka, Dagmara . (2020), „ Employee institutional trust as an antecedent of diverse dimensions of organisational commitment Argumenta Oeconomica 1 (44), 321-340 https://doi.org/10.15611/aoe.2020.1.13.
[33]
Blomqvist K. (2002), Partnering in the Dynamic Environment: The Role of Trust in Asymmetric Technology Partnership Formation, praca doktorska, Politechnika Lappeenranta
[34]
Costa A.C. (2003), Work team trust and effectiveness, Personnel Review, 32,( 5),605–622
[35]
Akgun A.E., Byene J.C., Lynn G., Keskin H. [2007], Organizational Unlearning as Changes in Beliefs and Routines in Organizations, Journal of Organizational Change Management, 20, (6), 794–812. https://doi.org 10.1108/09534810710831028
[36]
Becker H.S. [1960], Notes on the concept of commitment, American Journal of Sociology, 66, (32–40).
[37]
Lee, T. H., Gerhart, B., Weller, I., & Trevor, C. O. [2008].Understanding voluntary turnover: Path-specific job satisfaction effects and the importance of unsolicited job offers. Academy of Management Journal, 51,651-671. http://dx.doi.org/10.5465/AMJ.2008.33665124
[38]
Joseph F. Hair, William C. Black, Barry J. Babin, and Rolph E. Anderson. 2010. Multivariate Data Analysis: A Global Perspective, vol. 7. Pearson, Upper Saddle River, NJ.
[39]
Claes Fornell and David F. Larcker. (1981). Evaluating Structural Equation Models with Unobservable Variables and Measurement Error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39-50. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800104
[40]
Carsten Q. Schneider and Claudius Wagemann. 2012. Set-theoretic methods for the social sciences: A guide to qualitative comparative analysis. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139004244
[41]
Jan Dul. 2016. Identifying single necessary conditions with NCA and fsQCA. Journal of Business Research, 69(4), 1516–1523. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2015.10.134
[42]
Benoit Rihoux and Charles C. Ragin. 2009. Configurational Comparative Methods: Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) and Related Techniques. SAGE Publications, Inc. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781452226569
[43]
Arch G. Woodside, Catherine Prentice, and Anders Larsen. 2015. Revisiting problem gamblers’ harsh gaze on casino services: applying complexity theory to identify exceptional customers. Psychology & Marketing, 32(1), 65–77. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.20763
[44]
David Gligor and Siddik Bozkurt. 2020. FsQCA versus regression: the context of customer engagement. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 52, 101929. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2019.101929.
[45]
Rafał Kusa, Joanna Duda,  and Marcin Suder. 2021. Explaining SME performance with fsQCA: The role of entrepreneurial orientation, entrepreneur motivation, and opportunity perception. Journal of Innovation & Knowledge, 6(4), 234-245. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jik.2021.06.001
[46]
Ilias O. Pappas, Arch G. Woodside. 2021. Fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA): Guidelines for research practice in Information Systems and marketing. International Journal of Information Management, 58, June 2021, 102310, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2021.102310
[47]
Peer C. Fiss. (2011). Building better causal theories: A fuzzy set approach to typologies in organizational research. Academy of Management Journal, 54(2), 393–420. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMJ.2011.60263120
[48]
Lewicka D. and Rakowska A., (2017) “Calculative and affective commitment – the case study of the best Polish employer ‘Gaz Transmission Operator’ . Argumenta Oeconomica, 39 (2), pp. 213–235.
[49]
Lewicka, D. and K. Krot, (2015), The model of HRM-trust-commitment relationships, Industrial Management & Data Systems, 115(8): 1457-1480, https://doi.org/10.1108/IMDS-12-2014-0388

Recommendations

Comments

Information & Contributors

Information

Published In

cover image ACM Other conferences
ICSIM '24: Proceedings of the 2024 7th International Conference on Software Engineering and Information Management
January 2024
179 pages
ISBN:9798400709197
DOI:10.1145/3647722
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License.

Publisher

Association for Computing Machinery

New York, NY, United States

Publication History

Published: 17 April 2024

Check for updates

Author Tags

  1. HRM process
  2. horizontal trust
  3. organizational commitment
  4. software developers
  5. turnover intention
  6. work engagement

Qualifiers

  • Research-article
  • Research
  • Refereed limited

Conference

ICSIM 2024

Contributors

Other Metrics

Bibliometrics & Citations

Bibliometrics

Article Metrics

  • 0
    Total Citations
  • 306
    Total Downloads
  • Downloads (Last 12 months)306
  • Downloads (Last 6 weeks)40
Reflects downloads up to 08 Mar 2025

Other Metrics

Citations

View Options

View options

PDF

View or Download as a PDF file.

PDF

eReader

View online with eReader.

eReader

HTML Format

View this article in HTML Format.

HTML Format

Login options

Figures

Tables

Media

Share

Share

Share this Publication link

Share on social media