Impact of managers on the retention of knowledge workers from different race groups within the manufacturing sector

Abstract

Literature has also shown that how long an employee stays in an organisation is determined by their relationship with their manager. By identifying the key managerial behaviours that are considered by knowledge workers to be important for retention, organisations will stand a greater chance of retaining these individuals. This research investigated what impact the knowledge worker’s perception of his manager’s behaviour has on his intention to stay with the organisation. The research also aimed to establish whether perceived managerial behaviour affected retention differently for the different race groups. A quantitative study was done which was based on a previous study by Rhule (2004). The current study focuses on knowledge workers in a leading Pulp and Paper company in South Africa. The study found that there is a strong relationship between the knowledge workers perception of the manager’s behaviour and intention to stay. Another key finding is that there is no significant difference between black and white respondents in how competent they perceive their managers to be on managerial behaviours they consider important for retention.