Relevance of organisational support on academics’ affective commitment and turnover intentions

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide an indication as to the motivation of people to remain in academic positions where substantial economic inequity is present and more favourable alternative employment is possible. This is important for the retention of qualified academic staff in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and for the supply of well-educated workers in this developing country. Design/methodology/approach The authors surveyed 94 national (indigenous) academic staff at a prominent PNG university for their perceptions of organisational justice and management support, with an aim determining if these variables were related to workers' affective commitment (AC) and intentions to turnover. The surveyed staff members are all employed on an inequitable basis in that their salaries and living conditions are inferior to those of equally qualified expatriate academic staff. Findings The research found that staff members' emotional connection (affective commitment (AC)) to their work was predicted by organisational support, whereas lack of organisational support predicted academic staff turnover.