The Elites-Mutual-Attraction Effect: How Relative Reputation Influences Employee Flows between Organizations

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer review

Authors

  • David Antons
  • Erk P. Piening
  • Torsten Oliver Salge

External Research Organisations

  • RWTH Aachen University
View graph of relations

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1498-1535
Number of pages38
JournalJournal of management studies
Volume61
Issue number4
Early online date6 May 2023
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2024

Abstract

In this study, we draw on signalling theory to examine the organization-level relationship between reputation and employee movement in and out of organizations. Focusing on organizations’ media reputations relative to their peers, we map all employee flows between organizational dyads in a population of English hospitals. We find support for our main argument that an organization's relative reputation predicts employee mobility above and beyond what can be explained by its absolute level of reputation. In particular, our findings suggest that the number of employees moving between two organizations is highest when both organizations have a high reputation. We refer to this as the elites’ mutual attraction effect (EMA-effect). We also find that the motives of voluntary leavers and geographical distance between two organizations influence the strength of this EMA-effect. Overall, this study shows that developing and testing dyadic theory can extend research on organizational reputation and collective turnover in meaningful ways.

Keywords

    dyadic perspective, media coverage, organizational reputation, voluntary turnover

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Cite this

The Elites-Mutual-Attraction Effect: How Relative Reputation Influences Employee Flows between Organizations. / Antons, David; Piening, Erk P.; Salge, Torsten Oliver.
In: Journal of management studies, Vol. 61, No. 4, 06.2024, p. 1498-1535.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer review

Antons D, Piening EP, Salge TO. The Elites-Mutual-Attraction Effect: How Relative Reputation Influences Employee Flows between Organizations. Journal of management studies. 2024 Jun;61(4):1498-1535. Epub 2023 May 6. doi: 10.1111/joms.12935
Antons, David ; Piening, Erk P. ; Salge, Torsten Oliver. / The Elites-Mutual-Attraction Effect : How Relative Reputation Influences Employee Flows between Organizations. In: Journal of management studies. 2024 ; Vol. 61, No. 4. pp. 1498-1535.
Download
@article{9c542c11cd1a40399496b0c8a4e852b9,
title = "The Elites-Mutual-Attraction Effect: How Relative Reputation Influences Employee Flows between Organizations",
abstract = "In this study, we draw on signalling theory to examine the organization-level relationship between reputation and employee movement in and out of organizations. Focusing on organizations{\textquoteright} media reputations relative to their peers, we map all employee flows between organizational dyads in a population of English hospitals. We find support for our main argument that an organization's relative reputation predicts employee mobility above and beyond what can be explained by its absolute level of reputation. In particular, our findings suggest that the number of employees moving between two organizations is highest when both organizations have a high reputation. We refer to this as the elites{\textquoteright} mutual attraction effect (EMA-effect). We also find that the motives of voluntary leavers and geographical distance between two organizations influence the strength of this EMA-effect. Overall, this study shows that developing and testing dyadic theory can extend research on organizational reputation and collective turnover in meaningful ways.",
keywords = "dyadic perspective, media coverage, organizational reputation, voluntary turnover",
author = "David Antons and Piening, {Erk P.} and Salge, {Torsten Oliver}",
note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023 The Authors. Journal of Management Studies published by Society for the Advancement of Management Studies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.",
year = "2024",
month = jun,
doi = "10.1111/joms.12935",
language = "English",
volume = "61",
pages = "1498--1535",
journal = "Journal of management studies",
issn = "0022-2380",
publisher = "Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd",
number = "4",

}

Download

TY - JOUR

T1 - The Elites-Mutual-Attraction Effect

T2 - How Relative Reputation Influences Employee Flows between Organizations

AU - Antons, David

AU - Piening, Erk P.

AU - Salge, Torsten Oliver

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Authors. Journal of Management Studies published by Society for the Advancement of Management Studies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

PY - 2024/6

Y1 - 2024/6

N2 - In this study, we draw on signalling theory to examine the organization-level relationship between reputation and employee movement in and out of organizations. Focusing on organizations’ media reputations relative to their peers, we map all employee flows between organizational dyads in a population of English hospitals. We find support for our main argument that an organization's relative reputation predicts employee mobility above and beyond what can be explained by its absolute level of reputation. In particular, our findings suggest that the number of employees moving between two organizations is highest when both organizations have a high reputation. We refer to this as the elites’ mutual attraction effect (EMA-effect). We also find that the motives of voluntary leavers and geographical distance between two organizations influence the strength of this EMA-effect. Overall, this study shows that developing and testing dyadic theory can extend research on organizational reputation and collective turnover in meaningful ways.

AB - In this study, we draw on signalling theory to examine the organization-level relationship between reputation and employee movement in and out of organizations. Focusing on organizations’ media reputations relative to their peers, we map all employee flows between organizational dyads in a population of English hospitals. We find support for our main argument that an organization's relative reputation predicts employee mobility above and beyond what can be explained by its absolute level of reputation. In particular, our findings suggest that the number of employees moving between two organizations is highest when both organizations have a high reputation. We refer to this as the elites’ mutual attraction effect (EMA-effect). We also find that the motives of voluntary leavers and geographical distance between two organizations influence the strength of this EMA-effect. Overall, this study shows that developing and testing dyadic theory can extend research on organizational reputation and collective turnover in meaningful ways.

KW - dyadic perspective

KW - media coverage

KW - organizational reputation

KW - voluntary turnover

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85159892095&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1111/joms.12935

DO - 10.1111/joms.12935

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85159892095

VL - 61

SP - 1498

EP - 1535

JO - Journal of management studies

JF - Journal of management studies

SN - 0022-2380

IS - 4

ER -