Job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and intention to leave: A study on visiting lecturers in Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM)

• Main Authors: Abu-Jarad, Ismael, Al-Qolaq, Ammar, Nibkbin, David
• Format: Conference or Workshop Item
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: HD28 Management. Industrial Management
• Online Access: http://repo.uum.edu.my/16310/1/14.pdf; http://repo.uum.edu.my/16310/
• Institution: Universiti Utara Malaysia

Employee retention, the opposite of turnover, has been of importance to both researchers and practitioners. This study intended to answer the following questions (1) how satisfied are the visiting lecturers of UUM, (2) how committed are they to UUM, (3) do they have intention to leave in the short or the long run, and (4) do job satisfaction and organizational commitment impact intention to leave?.The study implemented a mixed methodology where both quantitative data and qualitative data were collected.Ninety eight (98) questionnaires were distributed and four interviews were conducted. Out of the 98 questionnaires, only 35 were returned and analysed.The quantitative data results showed that the majority of the visiting lecturers are satisfied (mean=6.2), quite committed (mean=5.7), their intention to stay is also noticeably high (mean5.2), and their intention to leave is quite low (mean3.05). In addition, the qualitative results also showed that the visiting lecturers were satisfied with their job. However, the interviewees showed some concern about the working culture (the absence of integration between local staff and visiting lecturers) and bureaucracy (time wasted to get things done). This study could serve as a reminder to UUM top management that taking care of the working culture and bureaucracy could contribute to more commitment and less turnover intention.It is worth mentioning that satisfying foreign lecturers who came from different cultures and who have different expectations could be a point of concern to UUM top management.It is important to merge the visiting lecturers into the system and make them feel they are part of the family so that they could be more committed and hence deliver more.