A Global Perspective on Information Systems Personnel Turnover

Although extensive academic studies have examined various factors that influence the turnover intention of information technology (IT) professionals, one of the critical limitations is the lack of a global perspective in them. Anchored in the theory of human capital, the equity theory, and the theory of planned behavior (TPB), this research attempts to fill the gap in the current turnover studies. Using a comprehensive dataset of 15,554 IT professionals in two developed countries (the U.S. and the EU)1 and two developing countries (India and China), we examine the similarity and dissimilarity in the factors that affect the turnover likelihood of IT professionals. Empirical results based on logistic regression show that the universal factors affecting turnover intention across national boundaries include the number of new IT certifications, turnover history, perceived organization support, and concerns about IT outsourcing. However, we also found that certain factors that are important in one country are not applicable in other countries. For example, monetary rewards and the length of company tenure have different impact in turnover intention in the developed and developing countries. In addition to making theoretical contributions to turnover research by adding a global perspective, our results offer several important managerial implications, which may help guide global firms to formulate effective human resource management and retention policies and strategies.