Faculty Autonomy & Retention Done By: Foong Chi Hou Yu Jierong Victor Tan Jin Yuan Steven Rusli Yao Xiaohui (Sylvia)

Agenda Introduction Background Hypotheses Data Implications Limitations Conclusion

Topic Autonomy is the most important structural factor among 3 other factors: communication openness, distributive justice and lack of role conflict in affecting SMU professors’ intent to stay.

Introduction

Retention

Effects of Turnover - Barry M. Staw

Retention

Definition of Communication Openness Degree to which information is transmitted among the members of an organization (Price, 1997, p. 349)

Definition of Distributive Justice Perceived fairness Amounts of compensation employees receive (Folger & Konovsky, 1989, p. 115)

Definition of Role Conflict Degree of incongruity or incompatibility of expectations communicated, To a particular role incumbent by his or her role sender (Kahn,Wolfe, Quinn, & Snoek, 1964)

Hypothesis Autonomy is the most important structural factor among 3 other factors: communication openness, distributive justice and lack of role conflict in affecting SMU professors’ intent to stay.

Why Autonomy? Three types of variables: Psychological Environmental Structural Research has been done in the US that autonomy is the most important structural factor.

Methodology (Survey 1) Purpose: Assess the current situation in SMU Find correlation between the factors and intent to stay Sample size: 30

Results: Survey 1 Results:

Methodology (Survey 2) Purpose: Faculty perception of factors affecting intent to stay. Determine relative importance of autonomy to another factor. Sample size = 30

Survey 2 1. Do you think that autonomy is more important than lack of role conflicts in affecting your intent to stay in SMU?

Survey 2 2.Do you think that autonomy is more important than distributive justice in affecting your intent to stay in SMU?

Survey 2 3. Do you think that autonomy is more important than communication openness in affecting your intent to stay in SMU?

4. Do you think that autonomy is the most important factor among than lack of role conflict, distributive justice, communication openness, in affecting your intent to stay in SMU?

5. RANK the following factors in order of the relative importance to you in affecting your intent to stay.  

Relative importance of factors Mean Value Index ∑ individual points sample size. =

Autonomy is NOT the most important factor influencing faculty intent to stay. Distributive justice is.

Implications “Managers can better deal with such issues by setting goals that are agreed upon, increasing transparency in the evaluation process, and by explaining the merit-based decisions to employees.” - Dr Gary Greguras, Ph.D., Organizational Psychology Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior, SMU

Implications To increase perceptions of distributive justice in SMU.

Limitations Survey 1 Correlation does not mean causation. Survey 2 Our attitudes Demographic changes

Conclusion In SMU context, contrary to US research, distributive justice is more important than autonomy. Based on our findings, we can institute structural changes to increase faculty intent to stay.