Explaining Perceived Turnover in Open Source Software Projects based on Hygiene Factors

The success of open source software (OSS) projects heavily depends on sustained participation of project members. However, turnover of members and the ensuing instability have become very common. To better understand the turnover of members in OSS projects, we base our study on Herzberg´s two-factor theory to investigate whether hygiene factors will lead to members´ dissatisfaction. At the same time, we draw on Mobley´s model of withdrawal decision process to hypothesize the relationship between dissatisfaction and perceived turnover. We develop a research model and present hypotheses that should be tested in the future. To empirically assess this model, we intend to survey OSS project members through the largest development platform Sourceforge. This study will provide a new insight into how the turnover of members emerges in OSS projects. The findings of this progressive research will have implications for both practice and theory

Strategies to Reduce Employee Turnover in the Hotel Industry

Hotel leaders face reduced profitability because of high employee turnover. Using Herzberg\u27s 2-factor theory as the conceptual framework, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies that some hotel human resources managers used to reduce employee turnover. Data were collected from 5 hotel human resources managers in Massachusetts through face-to-face, semistructured interviews and a review of company documents. Data analysis using Yin\u27s 5-step process of compiling, disassembling, reassembling, interpreting, and developing data-based conclusions resulted in 3 emergent themes: a retention strategy, a compensation strategy, and a training and development strategy. The findings indicated that the employee recruitment process, fair employee compensation and benefits, a focus on employee development, and recognition and appreciation of employees were pivotal strategies human resources managers used to reduce employee turnover. The findings may be valuable to hotel general managers, human resources managers, authors of training manuals, and hiring managers for creating strategies to reduce employee turnover. The implications for positive social change include the potential for hotel general managers to lower unemployment rates and improve the quality of life for the local community through lower employee turnover

Strategies for Reducing High Turnover Among Information Technology Professionals

Organizations globally are spending millions of dollars replacing information technology (IT) professionals. IT professionals, who possess technical skills and competencies that interconnect business processes, are costly to replace. There are direct and indirect costs associated when an IT professional leaves, such as advertising fees, headhunting fees, and project delays. Lacking a firm understanding of the reasons why IT professionals leave their positions, many business leaders do not have strategies for reducing turnover rates. Building on Herzberg\u27s motivation-hygiene theory and March and Simon\u27s process model of turnover, this exploratory multiple case study sought to identify the strategies that business leaders view as essential for retaining IT professionals. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 10 IT managers in the Houston, Texas, area; participants were selected using a purposive sampling technique. Thematic analysis revealed eight strategies for addressing turnover: compensation, opportunity and advancement, rewards and recognition, relationship with the supervisor and coworkers, training and development, communications, meaningful work, and flexible work schedule. Findings from this study may contribute to positive social change by providing business leaders with more insight about how they can retain IT professionals. The high turnover among IT professionals affects individuals, families, communities, organizations, and the economy. Implementing strategies to reduce turnover rates can help keep individual employees and their family members together and reduce the unemployment rates

An assessment of factors influencing technician turnover rates in agriculture

Master of AgribusinessDepartment of Agricultural EconomicsVincent R Amanor-BoaduAgriculture Producers all around the world rely on technicians to diagnose and repair their equipment. Long after the sale, technicians are working with customers to keep their equipment investment operating as it should. Technicians are, therefore, crucial to SmartAg and vital to their long run success. Figuring out how to attract and retain good technicians is a critical strategic imperative for dealership organizations and for their supplier companies. This study focused on improving understanding about the factors that determined the retention of technicians at farm equipment dealerships. It is an important study because although retention has been studied extensively in many industries, it has not received particular attention in the agricultural equipment industry. Where it has been studied in the industry, the focus has not been on service technicians. The study used data from 87 sample dealerships of a major multinational manufacturer distributed across the United States. The data covered technician related factors over the last 12 months of dealership operations. Although turnover is normal in any business and in the economy, the study’s results showed that the number of technicians quitting exceed the number being hired during August through November. From December through July, the dealerships hired more technicians than lost them. In the United States, demand for technical services increase during August through November when producers are harvesting their crops. This cycle of events suggests a need to reduce the pressure the dealerships experience when they have technician deficits. The study shows that technician retention is positively influenced by training. As well as Smart Tech Assistance Center Score (STACS), a measure of how well technicians completed their case when seeking assistance from SmartAg, and parts and training credit goal achievement scores, which measure the dealerships’ actual to planned training credit hours, all increase retention with statistically significant coefficients. Additionally, increasing average labor efficiency, which is also influenced by training, also reduces technician turnover. Although salaries and other financial compensations were not considered in this work because they have been shown to have a mixed impact on retention across many industries, this study directs dealerships’ attention to enhancing the capacity of their technicians to do their work. And it would seem that by equipping them with the knowledge to do their work, they feel a higher level of commitment and loyalty to their employer, encouraging them to stay longer

Multi-factor motivation model in software engineering environments

In software engineering environments, motivation has become an imperative tool for increasing the productivity and creativity levels of projects. The aim of this research is to develop a validated conceptual multifactor and motivating model that represents the interaction between the organisational, occupational and interpersonal factors in software engineering environments. However, the application of well-known motivation tools cannot guarantee high motivational levels among the members of software engineering teams. Therefore, several phenomena have been monitored and empirically tested related to the daily practices in the software engineering industry. Reviewing the literature on motivation in software engineering uncovered a list of influential factors that could motivate individuals in the workplace. These factors have been suggested as being grouped into three categories (interpersonal, occupational and organisational). The literature review stage was followed by a preliminary study to discuss and validate these factors in greater detail by interviewing eight experts drawn from the software engineering industry. The preliminary study provided this research with an initial conceptual model that could broaden the understanding of the recent state of motivation in software engineering environments. The initial model was validated and expanded by conducting two types of research (quantitative and qualitative) based on the type of information gleaned. Accordingly, 208 experienced software engineers and members of teams in the software development industry were involved in this research. The results from this research revealed a statistically significant interaction between factors from different categories (interpersonal, occupational and organisational). This interaction has helped in developing an updated new model of motivation in software engineering. In addition, the application of motivation theories in software engineering could be affected by some work-related factors. These factors were found in this research to be member role, contract types, age, organisational structure and citizenship status. Thus, all these factors have been given a high consideration when designing rewards systems in software engineering

Strategies to Reduce Maquiladora Employee Absenteeism in Mexico

Employee absenteeism is a costly problem, affecting organizations\u27 ability to deliver products and services. Finding strategies managers use to help reduce employee absenteeism is critical to sustain operational capacity, control labor costs, and to achieve organizational success. Drawing from the Herzberg 2-factors theory, the purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore strategies implemented by six business organizations to reduce employee absenteeism in the maquiladora industry in Mexico. Through semistructured interviews, 11 management participants shared strategies implemented to reduce absenteeism. In addition, other data sources, such as organizational policies, management graphs, and meeting minutes were used. Data were coded and analyzed revealing 7 themes: (a) organizational support, (b) leadership quality, (c) compensation and benefits, (d) disciplinary actions, (e) recognition, (f) work environment, and (g) staffing policies. The research findings may contribute to business practice by providing organizational managers broader perspectives for the development of strategies to effectively manage employee absenteeism. These findings might also contribute to social change by improving organizational communication, supporting workers\u27 personal needs, recognizing employees\u27 contributions, enhancing relationships with supervisors, improving the work environment, and raising employee take-home pay

Motivation and Satisfaction of Software Engineers

Context: The proper management of people can help software organisations to achieve higher levels of success. However, the limited attention paid to the appropriate use of theories to underpin the research in this area leaves it unclear how to deal with human aspects of software engineers, such as motivation and satisfaction. Objectives: This article aims to expose what drives the motivation and satisfaction of software engineers at work. Methods: A multiple case study was conducted at four software organisations in Brazil. For 11 months, data was collected using semi-structured interviews, diary studies, and document analyses. Results: The Theory of Motivation and Satisfaction of Software Engineers (TMS-SE), presented in this article, combines elements from well established theories with new findings, and translates them into the software engineering context. Conclusion: The TMS-SE advances the understanding of people management in the software engineering field and presents a strong conceptual framework for future investigations in this area

Models of motivation in software engineering

Motivation in software engineering is recognized as a key success factor for software projects, but although there are many papers written about motivation in software engineering, the field lacks a comprehensive overview of the area. In particular, several models of motivation have been proposed, but they either rely heavily on one particular model (the job characteristics model), or are quite disparate and difficult to combine. Using the results from our previous systematic literature review (SLR), we constructed a new model of motivation in software engineering. We then compared this new model with existing models and refined it based on this comparison. This paper summarises the SLR results, presents the important existing models found in the literature and explains the development of our new model of motivation in software engineering

Retail Store Managers’ Strategies to Reduce Employees’ Voluntary Turnover

Employee voluntary turnover can adversely affect the retail industry workforce and business success. Retail managers are concerned with high voluntary turnover as it leads to high hiring costs, poor customer service, and low productivity for store managers. Grounded in Vroom’s expectancy theory and Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies retail store managers use to reduce employees’ voluntary turnover. The participants were five store managers from five Delaware retail stores who successfully reduced employee voluntary turnover. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and a review of publicly available company documents. Using thematic analysis, four themes emerged: (a) effective training, (b) competitive wages and compensation, (c) building relationships and trust between employees and their managers, and (d) empowering employees. A key recommendation is for retail managers to prioritize building relationships with employees by actively listening to their concerns and providing career development to foster inclusiveness in the workplace. The implications for positive social change include the potential to lower unemployment rates and reduce economic instability. Additionally, increased profits support local projects, such as building roads and providing educational opportunities for underprivileged citizens