1. Psyc. 440 - Spring, 2014
Summary & Critique of
"How Career Orientation Shapes the Job-Satisfaction-Turnover Intention Link" by Cécile Tschopp, Gudela Grote,
and Marius Gerber (2014)
Review by: Staci Muraske
Summary
Background
Topic & importance. Career Orientation refers to the way a person considers their career, even though the
attitudes and values of their preferences are not necessarily reflected in actual behavior resulting in the consequence
of job satisfaction and turnover intention (Tschopp, Grote, & Gerber, 2014). Job satisfaction, and eventually
turnover intention is better understood when taking into account antecedent variables such as the type of worker
(Wilkin, 2013). Research has found that depending on the attitudes and values preferred by different types of
workers, job satisfaction is related positively to the experience of positive emotions, information acquisition, and is
moderated by task conflicts from different functional areas (Tordorova, Weingard & Bear, 2013).
Prior research. A meta-analysis by Wilkin (2012) summarized 72 primary studies focusing mainly on reports
of overall job satisfaction for permanent and contingent workers. There were several types of contingent workers
that were tested to determine whether or not workers were satisfied. Wilkin (2012) found that as a group,
contingent workers are less satisfied with their jobs slightly more than permanent workers, although the mean
difference is small. It was also noted that regardless of the type of worker, information acquired from task conflict
produces more positive active emotions in employees, making them more satisfied with their jobs, regardless of
their career orientation (Tordorova, et al., 2013).
Knowledge gap. Tschopp et al. (2014) noted that including an extension in research based on additional
antecedents of turnover intention and their relationships with career orientation and job satisfaction would help to
determine the correlation between the two. Wilkins (2012) recognizes that the type of worker you are matters in
relation to job satisfaction, however variables such as where you work, who you work with, and what your own
attitudes and beliefs are should be greatly considered in determining job satisfaction. Tschopp et al. (2014) suggests
that studying the changes in perceived employability would offer higher additional insights into job satisfaction and
that studying the role of career orientation in the extension of the relationship between employability and job
satisfaction would show the impact that career orientation has on the job satisfaction-turnover intention link.
Hypotheses
Tschopp et al. (2014) proposed two hypotheses.
H1. Career orientation moderates a static relationship between job satisfaction and turnover intention
similarly and less negatively for independent employees and loyalty-focused employees than for
promotion-focused and disengaged employees.
H2. Career orientation moderates a dynamic relationship between job satisfaction and turnover intention
more negatively for independent than loyalty-focused employees,
Methods
Research design. This is a sample survey with repeated measurement. Variables were measured via annual
random telephone survey of employees at three times (T1, T2, & T3). Data came from single-item satisfaction,
questionnaire, and choosing which statement applies best out of 4 different career orientations. These surveys were
conducted in the spring of 2007, 2008, and 2009.

2. Psyc / Mgt 440 • Spring, 2015
Setting. The study was done based off of employees in the German-and French-speaking parts of Switzerland.
Neither the organization nor the physical environments were described.
Participants. The participants were randomly drawn from all those registered in Switzerland. Self-employed
individuals and those in apprenticeship were excluded as well as those unattainable, retired, or lacking interests. For
T1, N=1370, T2, N=431 and T3, N=255. Out of 255 participants 40% between the ages of 16-65; 43% were
female.
Measures & variables. Measures of variables Tschopp et al. (2014) named in their hypotheses were included
in the questionnaires or surveys distributed via phone call all three times of measurement, consisting of a single-
item response, questionnaire using the German translation of a Likert Scale, and choosing which statement applies
best, out of two, depending on 4 different assigned orientations: independent, promotion-focused, disengaged, or
loyalty-focused employees based on the answers to nine binary items developed by Guest and Conway. The single-
item response scale had 1 to 10 items ranging from “not at all satisfied” to “extremely satisfied”, the Likert Scale
had 4 choices ranging from “very unlikely” to “very likely”.
• Job Satisfaction. At all 3 times, a single item scale ranging from 1 to 10 was used. A sample item:
“How satisfied are you with your job?” (Tschopp et al., 2014 p. 157). Coefficient beta was =.11 forβ
T1, and = -.13 for T3β
• Turnover Intention. A 4-item Likert scale was used at all 3 times. A sample item: “How likely is it that
you will voluntarily leave this organization in the following year?” (Tschopp et al., 2014, p. 157).
Crobach’s alpha was .77 (T1), .74 (T2), and .66 (T3).
• Career Orientation. At all 3 times, per assigned orientation, participants were asked to choose between
two statements based on the question, “Looking ahead at your work life, which of the following would
you choose?” A sample item: “Managing your own career” and “Having your organization manage your
career for you” (Tschopp et al., 2014, p. 158) Coefficient beta was = .23.β
Control variables also measured in the questionnaire included demographic factors, age, sex, educational level, and
language.
Results
H1. Career Orientation & Static Relationship. A similar and weak negative link was expected for
independent and loyalty-focused employees compared with promotion-focused and disengaged employees, but it
was shown that there was a negative relationship between job satisfaction and turnover intention was stronger for
the independent than for the loyalty focused employees, making H1 only partially supported. Job satisfaction was
significant ( =.11, p <.05), while turnover intention and career orientation were without effect on T1. None of theβ
interaction terms reached significance at T2, and contrary to the hypothesis, at T3 job satisfaction reached
significance ( = -.13, p<.05) meaning the relationship between job satisfaction T3 and turnover intention T3β
different between independent and loyalty-focused employees.
H2. Career Orientation & Dynamic Relationship. As predicted, the interaction term was significantly
related to turnover intention change ( =.23, p<.05) and an increase (decline) in job satisfaction was more stronglyβ
related to a decline (increase) in turnover intention for independent employees than for loyalty-focused employees

3. Psyc / Mgt 440 • Spring, 2015
Conclusions
Tschopp et al. (2014) concluded that 1) static relationships between job satisfaction and turnover intention
was negative and stronger for independent than loyalty-focused employees and; 2) dynamic relationship was
significant and strongly related between independent and loyalty-focused employees. The results raise question for
a longer time span of research to be done.
Critique
Strengths
1. Methods. In going about the procedure Tschopp et al. (2014) used a large amount of longitudinal data to
try and support his hypotheses, which proved to be helpful in getting a similar amount of feedback regarding each
year the sample survey took place.
2. Established measures. The scales and measures that Tschopp et al. (2014) used were taken from a survey
carried out annually since 2005 and are reliable and valid.
3. Control variables. In analyzing their data, Tschopp et al. (2014) statistically controlled for the variables
demographic factors, sex, educational level, and language based on the different parts of Switzerland that are
characterized by different languages and cultures.
4. Repeated measures design. Different participants completed the measures in 3 different years, this proved
helpful to determine how the significance between the correlations change throughout the years using the same
career orientations as moderators of the job satisfaction-turnover intention link. For example, in the static
relationship in T1, the variables proved to be significant, but in T2 none of them were, and in T3, yet again only job
satisfaction was significant. This could be determined based off of how many people identify as a certain type of
employee with a particular career orientation at that time.
Limitations
1. Sample size. Tschopp et al. (2014) discussed that the sample size was a limiting factor for the moderation
tests because when combining variability in-group sizes for the career orientations, detecting the hypothesized
moderating effects was difficult.
2. Time span for longitudinal analyses. Tschopp et al. (2014) claimed that there were annual measurement
points spanning 2 years, whereas previous research occurred in weekly to tri-month intervals over 6 months. It was
said that it would be worth having more measurable points over a loner period.
3. 1-time Measurement. Tschopp et al. (2014) discusses that measuring job satisfaction by a single item
needs to be mentioned as a further limitation because the use of a multi-item scale would have strengthen the
results.
4. Low reliability scale. The low reliability scale used by Tschopp et al. (2014) to measure turnover
intentioned needs to be reworked. In T3, the reliability was slightly below.7, which is a low limit for acceptable
reliability. It is said that the inconsistences across measurement waves in the results of the static moderator analyses
for the static job satisfaction-turnover intention relationship might be attributable to this not fully satisfactory
measurement of turnover intention.

4. Psyc / Mgt 440 • Spring, 2015
Contribution
Many previous studies investigated the relationship job satisfaction has on different concepts. It has been
claimed that job satisfaction has a correlation to task conflict depending on coworkers, information acquisition, and
positive emotions (Tordorova et al. 2013) While it has also been argued in a meta-analysis that job satisfaction is
based on whether or not you’re a permanent or contingent worker and that type of concept would determine job
satisfaction (Wilkin 2013).
However, Tschopp et a. (2014) has claimed and proved that job satisfaction is not only linked to the
previously mentioned concepts, but also correlated with turnover intention and is moderated by career orientation
and what type of employee a person considers themselves to be. The findings by Tschopp et al. (2014) shed some
light on the role of career orientations in the differential dynamics involved in assessing work situations, whether
they are task conflicts, co-worker conflicts, or the type of worker you are, and how to respond to them. The findings
offer an opportunity to move the thoughts about job satisfaction and turnover intention towards a more dynamic,
career-sensitive understanding of underlying forces rather than just an assumption on whether or not people seem
satisfied with their jobs.
Applications
1. Fostering positive leader-subordinate relationships. The finding by Tschopp et al. (2014) foster the
importance of moving thoughts about job satisfaction and turnover intention towards a more career-sensitive
understanding of underlying forces and because of that importance, managers should be able to take those
understandings and administer them to their employees. That way their employees recognize fulfilling and
unfulfilling work environments and they are able to better understand what a positive, career oriented work place
looks like and how they can take certain events that happened and properly address them, thereby lowering the
possibility of turnover intention and raising the feeling of job satisfaction towards their jobs, themselves, and their
coworkers.
2. Leaders training. Managers can assess a leaders training course where employees can get the
opportunities to build positive relationships with fellow employees and continue to feel satisfied about their job and
their work environment. This way, if there ever is an issue it can be addressed properly.
Word Counts: Summary: 1,830. Critique: 765. Total: 2,595. Quotes (excluding sample items): 0
References [Labeled]
Todorova, G., Bear, J., & Weingart, L. (2013). Can Conflict Be Energizing? A Study of Task Conflict, Positive
Emotions, and Job Satisfaction. Journal of Applied Psychology, 99(3), 451-467. doi:
http://www.apa.org/journals/apl [Empirical Study]
Tschopp, C., Grote, G. & Gerber, M. (2014). How career orientation shapes the job satisfaction–Turnover intention
link. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 35,151–171. doi: 10.1002/job.1857 [Target Article]
Wilkin, C. (2012). I Can't Get No Job Satisfaction: Meta-analysis Comparing Permanent and Contingent Workers.
Journal of Organizational Behavior, 34(1), 47-64. [Meta-analysis]