Retention in the Armed Forces: Past Approaches and New Research Directions (2002)

Reference:

Military Family Research Institute. (2002). Retention in the Armed Forces: Past approaches and new research directions. West Lafayette, IN: Weiss, H., MacDermid, S., Strauss, R., Kurek, K., Le, B., & Robbins, D.

Summary:

This report summarizes and reviews research in organizational retention and turnover. It is divided into four sections:

  • past and current turnover and retention models utilized by the military are reviewed;
  • different theoretical frameworks outline the processes by which individuals leave organizations;
  • social psychological theories related to group attachment and attitudes are discussed to supplement the reviewed military and organizational literature; and
  • a new conceptual framework is offered as a tool to synthesize the literature and guide future research.

Included in this new framework are commitment, environmental shocks and non-work factors.