One of the most common factors that researchers focus on when examining job turnover intention is organizational commitment. This is often conceptualized as the attitude towards the organization, but according to the theory of planned behavior, the attitude toward the behavior itself (leaving) should predict behavioral intentions better than the attitude toward the object (the organization). In our study, we were therefore interested in how the intention to leave the organization, selected constructs of the theory of planned behavior and dimensions of organizational commitment relate to each other, and what is the role of constructs of the theory of planned behavior, organizational commitment and selected demographic variables in intention to leave. The sample included 465 full-time employees. We developed scales for measuring intention to leave and constructs of the theory of planned behavior, while the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire – OCQ version for the 4-dimensional model was used to measure organizational commitment. We found low to high correlations between constructs of the theory of planned behavior and dimensions of organizational commitment. The regression model (multiple linear regression) explained 59.1% of the variability observed in the intention to leave the organization. The following variables emerged as significant predictors of the intention to leave: attitude toward leaving, subjective norm about leaving, affective commitment, perceived sacrifice, lack of alternatives, and level of education. The results support the theory of planned behavior as a reasonable model for explaining the intention to leave, but also point to opportunities for further research, which are presented in more detail in the discussion.
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