The systems psychodynamics of voluntary turnover
McComb, Calum Bruce
The cost of voluntary turnover to organisations has prompted extensive research into the
phenomenon over the past 70 years. Much of the initial research focused on predicting why
individuals leave, with limited studies done on how the process is experienced. Many of the
antecedents that researchers identified to predict voluntary turnover suggest it to be a
psychologically challenging experience, yet little understanding exists to support groups,
organisations, and individuals to adjust through it. Most process models furthermore focus on
rational decision-making, and very little is known about the unconscious processes of
voluntary turnover. Research has also focused on the individual as the primary subject of
voluntary turnover, with antecedents and processes located in the individual, while limited
understanding of group and organisational influences and processes exists.
The study aimed to explore and describe seven cases of lived voluntary turnover experiences
and analyse them using systems psychodynamics as a meta-theoretical lens. The study
sought to create a depth of understanding of the phenomenon that would enable groups,
organisations, and individuals to better adjust and develop psychologically through the
voluntary turnover process. Hermeneutic phenomenology and the use of the theoretical
framework of systems psychodynamics enabled me to provide in-depth descriptions and
formulate abductive working hypotheses about the lived experiences of voluntary turnover.
Triple hermeneutics allowed for the exploration of the transpersonal experiences of the
researcher and the researched to inform the findings. The research strategy comprised case
studies which were analysed individually before integrating findings across the cases into
themes.
The study revealed the unconscious psychodynamic processes of voluntary turnover at the
levels of the group (meso), the organisation (macro), and the individual (micro). The themes
that emerged at the level of the group included conflict, identity, boundaries, power, authority,
role, task, and themes relating to toxic leadership dynamics. Themes at the level of the
organisation included a culture of devalued people, a culture of cruelty shrouded in niceness,
a messiah culture, a stagnated culture, a detached culture, and a paranoid-schizoid culture.
The themes that emerged at the individual level included desire and trauma, emotional
responses to the trauma, defences against anxiety, and coming to awareness. Themes
culminated into three working hypotheses about the systems psychodynamics of voluntary
turnover, one for each of the meso, macro and micro-levels. Triple hermeneutics themes that
emerged included anxiety, shame, loss, idealisation, boundary, and phases of voluntary
turnover. The triple hermeneutics themes were mirrored in the working hypotheses and
informed the findings. The findings culminated in two systems psychodynamics models of
voluntary turnover with recommendations for applying them to the fields of consulting and
coaching psychology.
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