Voluntary Turnover Among Public Sector Managers: A Review

Abstract

Managers are key assets for the public sector in creating effective and healthy organisations. However, there are indications of a high level of voluntary managerial turnover that may decrease organisational efficiency, increase costs, and lead to a less favourable view of the public sector. In this article we review the literature relating to actual voluntary managerial turnover in the public sector in order to describe the current state of knowledge and to discuss the ways forward. Searching in three large databases, we found 12 empirical articles on actual voluntary managerial turnover in the public sector that were published between 1992 and 2014. Research is scarce, particularly regarding lower management levels, and little knowledge is available for human resource professionals in their work of supporting such managers in creating healthy and meaningful managerial roles. We argue that more research is needed to understand the extent to which and why public sector managers leave, and what the actual turnover effects are.