Turnover of Junior Officers

A current major problem facing Air Force managers is retention of junior officers. Little research has been directed toward the development of a conceptual framework of organizational turnover in military organizations. The present research developed a conceptual model of turnover by synthesizing existing theoretical frameworks from the sociological and industrial psychology literature. The model was tested using data from the 1977 Air Force Quality of Life survey focusing on a sample of male officers with less than seven years active service. The basic structure of the conceptual model was confirmed. However, several modifications were indicated and were incorporated in a revised conceptual model. The functions in the model of the variables tenure, satisfaction with pay, and perceived equity of the promotion system were found to be significantly different from those hypothesized. Additionally, perceived opportunity for civilian employment was confirmed as a significant intervening variable between job satisfaction and expressed intention to make the Air Force a career. Recommendations are made for modification and further development of the model as a possible aid for personnel policy decisions.