Relational Demography in the Service Sector: How the "Work Community" Influences Employee Transfer and Turnover

Abstract

Studies of relational demography examine the relationship between the extent to which employees' demographic characteristics differ from their co-workers' and employees' behaviors. In this dissertation, I examined not only the effects on employee withdrawal behavior of an employee's demographic differences from his or her coworker's demographic characteristics, but also the effects on employee withdrawal behavior of an employee's demographic differences from his or her supervisor and customers' demographic characteristics. I examined the influence of several demographic characteristics (age, gender, race, tenure, part-time/full-time status) on two employee withdrawal behaviors: turnover and transfer. Based on similarity-attraction theory, self-categorization theory, and social identity theory, I tested three potentially competing models of the relationship between relational demography and withdrawal behaviors. These three models - the linear model, the asymmetric model, and the moderated model - suggest distinctly different relationships between relational demography and withdrawal behavior. Performing these analyses longitudinally, I found support for all three relationship models, depending on the demographic characteristic, the referent group (i.e., coworkers, supervisor, or customers), and the outcome (i.e., transfer or turnover). While I did find some support, these relationships added little predictive power above and beyond the simple demographic characteristics and control variables.