Authentic Leadership Practices, Organizational Culture, and Dysfunctional Voluntary Employee Turnover in a Multilevel marketing Organization

Abstract

This dissertation examines the relationship between authentic leadership, organizational culture, and dysfunctional voluntary employee turnover (DVET), defined as the unplanned departure of high-performing employees whom organizations would prefer to retain. As global organizations confront mounting talent challenges, understanding how leadership and culture influence retention is essential for long-term resilience.

A convergent mixed-methods design was employed, incorporating survey data from 97 current and former employees of a global multilevel marketing organization operating in Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States. Quantitative data collected using the Authentic Leadership Questionnaire and the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument were analyzed using Spearman’s correlation and the Cochran-Armitage trend test. Statistically significant relationships were found between authentic leadership and organizational culture and between organizational culture and DVET—but not between authentic leadership and DVET directly.

The qualitative component comprised 10 semistructured interviews. Findings revealed that current employees remained due to strong, authentic leadership, personal development opportunities, supportive mentoring, team celebration, accountability, and an inclusive, growth-oriented culture. In contrast, former employees cited leadership deficiencies, transactional or profit-driven practices, a high-pressure, divisive sales culture, and a lack of mentorship as reasons for leaving; leadership quality and cultural alignment emerged as decisive factors influencing retention outcomes across both groups. Future research should explore potential mediators (e.g., trust, psychological safety, engagement) to examine the Authentic Leadership Questionnaire subscales and assess how identity variables (e.g., race, gender, tenure, nationality) shape leadership and culture perceptions. To reduce DVET, practitioners should integrate leadership development with cultural diagnostics and retention strategies, tailoring approaches to the workforce context.