Publication Date

Fall 2015

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Psychology

Advisor

Howard Tokunaga

Keywords

Burnout, I/O Psychology, Non-Profit, Personality, Turnover, Volunteer

Subject Areas

Psychology

Abstract

Employee turnover is an important issue for any organization, but it is of critical importance for volunteer organizations. Research shows that a strong predictor of volunteer turnover is a volunteer’s intention to remain in that organization. This study measured volunteers’ intention to remain and compared the known predictor of burnout to the potential predictor of personality (through personality traits) in order to find a better predictor of a volunteer’s intention to remain in an organization. Using survey data obtained from 65 participants from a single volunteer organization, this study showed that burnout and personality traits failed to predict a volunteer’s intention to remain in an organization. Pearson correlations and a hierarchical regression of the personality traits found that the agreeableness personality trait was a weak predictor of a volunteer’s intention to remain in an organization. Future research into agreeableness and factors of lower burnout scores in an organization are discussed.

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