Job Characteristics, Affective Commitment, and Turnover Intentions: A Dual-Theory Examination of Generation Z
Downloads
This study investigates the extent to which core job characteristics—autonomy, task identity, task significance, and skill variety—influence affective commitment and turnover intentions among Generation Z employees in Vietnam. Based on the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) and Conservation of Resources (COR) theoretical frameworks, the study seeks to elucidate how early-career employees interpret job resources within a collectivist, hierarchical, and resource-constrained environment. A structured quantitative design was employed, drawing on survey data from 312 Gen Z respondents across diverse organizational settings. Measurement validity and reliability were established via Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Cronbach’s Alpha, while hypotheses were tested using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Empirical findings reveal that task identity exerts a negative influence on affective commitment, whereas autonomy, task identity, and skill variety are positively associated with turnover intentions. Task significance demonstrates no significant effect on either outcome. Conversely, affective commitment emerges as a strong inverse predictor of turnover intentions, underscoring its role as a stabilizing psychological resource. This research contributes to the existing literature by integrating JD-R and COR theories to challenge the presumed universality of job resource effects. It underscores the contextual sensitivity of job design, particularly for younger cohorts in emerging markets. The findings offer practical implications for designing culturally and generationally responsive retention strategies.
Downloads
[1] Barhate, B., & Dirani, K. M. (2022). Career aspirations of generation Z: a systematic literature review. European Journal of Training and Development, 46(1–2), 139–157. doi:10.1108/EJTD-07-2020-0124.
[2] Waworuntu, E. C., Kainde, S. J., & Mandagi, D. W. (2022). Work-life balance, job satisfaction and performance among millennial and Gen Z employees: a systematic review. Society, 10(2), 384-398. doi:10.33019/society.v10i2.464.
[3] Sakdiyakorn, M., Golubovskaya, M., & Solnet, D. (2021). Understanding Generation Z through collective consciousness: Impacts for hospitality work and employment. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 94, 102822. doi:10.1016/j.ijhm.2020.102822.
[4] Hackman, J. R., & Oldham, G. R. (1980). Work Re-Design. In Group & Organisation Management. Addison-Wesley, Boston, United States.
[5] Zedeck, S. E. (2011). APA handbook of industrial and organizational psychology, Vol 1: Building and developing the organization. American Psychological Association, Washington D.C., United States.
[6] Lyubomirsky, S. (2012). Hedonic Adaptation to Positive and Negative Experiences. The Oxford Handbook of Stress, Health, and Coping, 221–248. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195375343.013.0011.
[7] Twenge, J. M., Campbell, S. M., Hoffman, B. J., & Lance, C. E. (2010). Generational differences in work values: Leisure and extrinsic values increasing, social and intrinsic values decreasing. Journal of Management, 36(5), 1117–1142. doi:10.1177/0149206309352246.
[8] Schullery, N. M. (2013). Workplace Engagement and Generational Differences in Values. Business Communication Quarterly, 76(2), 252–265. doi:10.1177/1080569913476543.
[9] Hobfoll, S. E. (1989). Conservation of Resources: A New Attempt at Conceptualizing Stress. American Psychologist, 44(3), 513–524. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.44.3.513.
[10] Demerouti, E., Nachreiner, F., Bakker, A. B., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2001). The job demands-resources model of burnout. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(3), 499–512. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.86.3.499.
[11] Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2007). The Job Demands-Resources model: State of the art. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 22(3), 309–328. doi:10.1108/02683940710733115.
[12] Kim, H. D., & Epstein, N. B. (2021). Racism, stress and health in Asian Americans: A structural equation analysis of mediation and social support group differences. Stress and Health, 37(1), 103–115. doi:10.1002/smi.2979.
[13] Sessions, H., Nahrgang, J. D., Newton, D. W., & Chamberlin, M. (2020). I’m Tired of Listening: The Effects of Supervisor Appraisals of Group Voice on Supervisor Emotional Exhaustion and Performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 105(6), 619–636. doi:10.1037/apl0000455.
[14] Tran, P. N. T., Gorton, M., & Lemke, F. (2021). When supplier development initiatives fail: Identifying the causes of opportunism and unexpected outcomes. Journal of Business Research, 127, 277–289. doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.01.009.
[15] Hackman, J. R., & Oldham, G. R. (1976). Motivation through the design of work: test of a theory. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 16(2), 250–279. doi:10.1016/0030-5073(76)90016-7.
[16] Bakker, A. B., Demerouti, E., & Sanz-Vergel, A. (2023). Job demands–resources theory: Ten years later. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 10(1), 25-53. doi:10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-120920-053933.
[17] Little, T. D., Ernst, K. C., Hinojosa, S. T., Ring, K. A., & Curry, L. J. (2017). The Impact of Job Autonomy on Job Satisfaction: The Mediating Role of Intrinsic Motivation. Journal of Business and Psychology, 32(4), 501–514. doi:10.1108/ER-04-2021-0352.
[18] Maertz, C. P., Boyar, S. L., & Maloney, P. W. (2019). A theory of work-family conflict episode processing. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 115, 103331. doi:10.1016/j.jvb.2019.103331.
[19] Meyer, J. P., & Alien, N. J. (1991). A three-component conceptualization of organizational commitment. Human Resource Management Review, 1(1), 61–89. doi:10.1016/1053-4822(91)90011-Z.
[20] Konya, V., Matić, D., & Pavlović, J. (2016). The influence of demographics, job characteristics and characteristics of organizations on employee commitment. Acta Polytechnica Hungarica, 13(3), 119-138.
[21] Trifan, V. A., & Pantea, M. F. (2024). Shifting priorities and expectations in the new world of work. Insights from millennials and generation Z. Journal of Business Economics and Management, 25(5), 1075-1096. doi:10.3846/jbem.2024.22469.
[22] Moore, S., & Krause, A. (2021). Working with generationally similar or different colleagues: Impacts on perceptions of generational stereotypes and work-related attitudes. The Psychologist-Manager Journal, 24(2), 115.
[23] Yılmaz, B., Dinler Kısaçtutan, E., & Gürün Karatepe, S. (2024). Digital natives of the labor market: Generation Z as future leaders and their perspectives on leadership. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1378982. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1378982.
[24] Benítez-Márquez, M. D., Sánchez-Teba, E. M., Bermúdez-González, G., & Núñez-Rydman, E. S. (2022). Generation Z within the workforce and in the workplace: A bibliometric analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 736820. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.736820
[25] Abdolmaleki, G., Naismith, N., Ghodrati, N., Poshdar, M., & Babaeian Jelodar, M. (2024). An analysis of the literature on construction employee turnover: drivers, consequences, and future direction. Construction Management and Economics, 42(9), 822-846. doi:10.1080/01446193.2024.2337084.
[26] Jogi, S., Vashisth, K. K., Srivastava, S., Alturas, B., & Kumar, D. (2025). Job satisfaction and turnover intention: A comprehensive review of the shared determinants. Human Systems Management, 44(3), 379-395. doi:10.1177/01672533241303286.
[27] Burn, N. L., Weston, M., Atkinson, G., & Weston, K. L. (2021). Using focus groups and interviews to inform the design of a workplace exercise programme. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 63(2), E63–E74. doi:10.1097/JOM.0000000000002092.
[28] Johari, R. J., Alam, M. M., & Said, J. (2018). Assessment of management commitment in Malaysian public sector. Cogent Business & Management, 5(1), 1469955. doi:10.1080/23311975.2018.1469955.
[29] Agarwal, U. A., Datta, S., Blake-Beard, S., & Bhargava, S. (2012). Linking LMX, innovative work behaviour and turnover intentions: The mediating role of work engagement. Career Development International, 17(3), 208–230. doi:10.1108/13620431211241063.
[30] Oedzes, J. J., Van der Vegt, G. S., Rink, F. A., & Walter, F. (2019). On the origins of informal hierarchy: The interactive role of formal leadership and task complexity. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 40(3), 311–324. doi:10.1002/job.2330.
[31] Lance, C. E. (1988). Job performance as a moderator of the satisfaction — turnover intention relation: An empirical contrast of two perspectives. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 9(3), 271–280. doi:10.1002/job.4030090307.
[32] Khatri, N., Fern, C. T., & Budhwar, P. (2001). Explaining employee turnover in an Asian context. Human Resource Management Journal, 11(1), 54–74. doi:10.1111/j.1748-8583.2001.tb00032.x.
[33] Meyer, J. P., Allen, N. J., & Smith, C. A. (1993). Commitment to Organizations and Occupations: Extension and Test of a Three-Component Conceptualization. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78(4), 538–551. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.78.4.538.
[34] Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., Sarstedt, M., Danks, N. P., & Ray, S. (2021). An Introduction to Structural Equation Modeling. Springer, Cham, Switzerland. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-80519-7_1.
[35] Littman-Ovadia, H., Oren, L., & Lavy, S. (2013). Attachment and Autonomy in the Workplace: New Insights. Journal of Career Assessment, 21(4), 502–518. doi:10.1177/1069072712475282.
[36] Anh Do, D., Diem Doan, Q., Khanh Vu, L., Thi Le, T., Minh Tran, N., & Linh Nguyen, G. (2023). Antecedents of turnover intention among Gen z in Vietnam: The mediating role of affective commitment. Cogent Business and Management, 10(3), 2267811. doi:10.1080/23311975.2023.2267811.
- This work (including HTML and PDF Files) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
