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Withdrawal cognitions

HR & WorkReliability: alpha 0.86–0.913 sample items

About this scale

A 3-item composite of thinking about quitting, intention to search, and intention to quit derived from the classic Mobley withdrawal-cognitions sequence. Used as the strongest cognitive predictor of voluntary turnover in meta-analyses (Griffeth, Hom & Gaertner, 2000).

Sample item(s)

“I often think about quitting this organization.”
“I am actively searching for an alternative to this organization.”
“As soon as I find a better job, I will leave this organization.”

Reliability

Reported internal consistency: alpha 0.86–0.91. As a rule of thumb, Cronbach’s α ≥ .70 is considered acceptable, ≥ .80 good, and ≥ .90 excellent for established measures.

Notes

Often used as a proximal mediator between job attitudes and actual turnover. Not the same as Mobley (1978) — operationalizes the full cognitive sequence.

Source & citation

Hom, P. W., & Griffeth, R. W. (1991): Structural equations modeling test of a turnover theory: Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 76, No. 3, pp. 350–366.

Hom & Griffeth (1991): Structural equations modeling test of a turnover theory. JAP, 76(3), 350–366.

Source. Scale details are summarised from the publication cited above. Always consult the original source for the full item set, scoring, and permission to use.

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