Mediating influences of entrepreneurial leadership on employee turnover intention in startups

Abstract

We examined the relationship between entrepreneurial leadership and employee turnover intention in startups in China, through the mediating roles of work-to-family conflict and affective commitment. We collected survey data from ventures newly established within the past 5 years, through Wenjuanxing, a market research website. We collected 312 survey forms from 56 startups, with no more than 10 from each. We used structural equation modeling to test the hypotheses, and found that entrepreneurial leadership was negatively related to turnover intention through the fully mediating roles of work-to-family conflict and affective commitment in serial order. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.