You Really Affect Me: The Role of Social Influence in the Relationship between Procedural Justice and Turnover Intention

This research aims to test the impact of procedural justice on employees’ turnover intention via their intention to stay or give up their positions by putting social influence in the spotlight as a mediating variable. Although the topic dealing with the relationship linking organizational justice to turnover intention has taken some wrinkles, there has been no published research, to the best of researchers’ knowledge, that integrates social influence as a mediating variable between the aforementioned relationships. A questionnaire survey was administered to 558 employees working in a renowned banking institution located in the capital city of Tunis, Tunisia. Structural equation modeling (SEM) results using AMOS software, IBM, version 23, showed that social influence partially mediated the relationship between procedural justice and turnover intention. More specifically, procedural justice has a significant negative effect on turnover intention (β = −0.30, p < 0.01) and a significant positive effect on social influence (β = +0.54, p < 0.01), which will have a significant positive effect on turnover intention (β = +0.91, p < 0.01). The results confirm that procedural justice is necessary for any organization; however, it is not enough to eliminate the turnover intention, especially with the presence of social influence. Social influence alters the judgments of those caught in its nets. This intangible aspect and power is even more enigmatic and harmful, which can lead to a change in cognitive references and behaviors. Social influence heavily affects the spontaneity of individuals and they became subject to dominant forces, which has to be properly controlled by management.