Full Text Available
Note: Clicking the button above will open the full text document at the original institutional repository in a new window.
Exploring the relationship between workplace trust, psychological ownership and turnover intent
Dissertation (MCom (Industrial Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2015.
Saved in:
| Other Authors: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2026
|
| Subjects: | |
| Tags: |
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1867613662371381248 |
|---|---|
| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author2 | Olckers, Chantal |
| author_browse | Olckers, Chantal |
| author_facet | Olckers, Chantal |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | Dissertation (MCom (Industrial Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2015. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/110079 |
| institution | University of Pretoria (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:39:42.666Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| spelling | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/110079 Exploring the relationship between workplace trust, psychological ownership and turnover intent Olckers, Chantal claireenslin@gmail.com Enslin, Claire Workplace trust psychological ownership turnover intent mediating effect structural equation modelling Dissertation (MCom (Industrial Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2015. Introduction In order for organisations to remain competitive in an ever-changing world characterised by extreme competition and a myriad of external forces the acquisition and retention of top talent is essential. Organisations have to deal with the anomaly that offering a higher remuneration package than their competitors does not guarantee the acquisition and retention of top talent. This state of affairs can be ascribed to a change in the mind-set of a new generation of employees who no longer only look at the monetary package offered, but also at the possibility of forming a strong psychological connection with their employer. This psychological connection is vital to ensure top talent engagement and retention, and it is known as psychological ownership. Psychological ownership is described as the state of mind of individuals in which they feel as though an object of ownership or a portion of it is “theirs”. - v - Research purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between workplace trust, psychological ownership, and turnover intent within a South African professional services firm. Motivation for the study Trust is the foundation of any relationship. Without trust an individual does not feel inclined to share his or her thoughts or emotions, or engage fully in a relationship. This is evident even more so in an organisation where trust between employee and employer regulates employees’ intent to stay with or leave the organisation. Thus, if organisations have a better understanding of the level of workplace trust, they could create a workplace trust model to promote psychological ownership, which could enhance the intention to stay in the organisation. In previous studies, it has been found that possessing psychological ownership leads to intentions to remain in the organisation. Several factors enhance the development of psychological ownership within a work environment. Since trust plays a pivotal role in any relationship, it is worthwhile looking at whether there is a positive relationship between workplace trust and psychological ownership, and how this impacts on employees’ turnover intent. Research design, approach and method A cross-sectional survey design was used in this study to collect data. The following questionnaires were used: a biographical survey, the Psychological Ownership Questionnaire, the South African Psychological Ownership Questionnaire, the Workplace Trust Survey, and the Turnover Intentions Scale. A purposive sample (N = 302) was drawn from skilled, highly skilled and professional employees in a professional services industry. - vi - Descriptive statistics, such as means and standard deviations as well as Pearson correlations, were derived via the SPSS program to examine the basic features of the data. In order to determine the reliability of the measuring instruments used, Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were calculated. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to test the measurement and structural models via Mplus. In order to test the hypothesised model in this study, two SEM approaches were followed. Firstly, a measurement model was used to evaluate the fit of the observed variables, and to determine the hypothesised latent constructs. Secondly, a structural model was used to describe the interrelations between the latent constructs. Main findings The findings of the study indicated that workplace trust was strongly positively related to psychological ownership. In addition, the study showed that psychological ownership was significantly negatively related to turnover intent. Although workplace trust was found to be negatively related to turnover intent, the path was not significant. The finding was that psychological ownership fully mediated (large effect) the relationship between workplace trust and turnover intent. By implication, work environments that fostered workplace trust would increase the level of psychological ownership that employees experienced, which in turn would reduce employees’ intent to leave the workplace. Limitations / future research In this study a few limitations were identified, which could point to topics requiring further research. Firstly, the sample used was homogeneous and only collected from one organisation, meaning that the results cannot be generalised to other South African organisations. Furthermore, any results obtained would only reflect a brief moment in time of the organisational dynamic, as the organisation under study was investigated by means of a cross-sectional design. Finally, self-reported questionnaires were used, which limited the richness of responses. - vii - Conclusion Having evaluated the results of the study it was concluded that workplace trust, psychological ownership, and turnover intent were correlated. When an employee had a positive trust relationship in organisation, higher levels of psychological ownership were experienced, leading to lower turnover intent. It is recommended that organisations put policies in place that will foster workplace trust, which leads to higher levels of psychological ownership, and reduces turnover intent. In achieving these objectives, organisations would suffer less disruption caused by losing key talent in key positions and a downturn in productivity. Human Resource Management MCom (Industrial Psychology) 2026-05-15T17:26:15Z 2026-05-15T17:26:15Z 15/12/01 2015 Dissertation http://hdl.handle.net/2263/110079 en application/pdf |
| spellingShingle | Workplace trust psychological ownership turnover intent mediating effect structural equation modelling Exploring the relationship between workplace trust, psychological ownership and turnover intent |
| title | Exploring the relationship between workplace trust, psychological ownership and turnover intent |
| title_full | Exploring the relationship between workplace trust, psychological ownership and turnover intent |
| title_fullStr | Exploring the relationship between workplace trust, psychological ownership and turnover intent |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring the relationship between workplace trust, psychological ownership and turnover intent |
| title_short | Exploring the relationship between workplace trust, psychological ownership and turnover intent |
| title_sort | exploring the relationship between workplace trust psychological ownership and turnover intent |
| topic | Workplace trust psychological ownership turnover intent mediating effect structural equation modelling |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/2263/110079 |