Struggling with Dissertation Topic: Should I Stick with Why Employees Leave or Switch Focus?

Dear All,

I want to do my dissertation on the subject "Why Employees Leave Organizations?" But my guide tells me that I won't get practical knowledge, and I must change the topic. What do you say? Where can I find what I need and how can I do it in the best way? If I change the topic, what subject in HR should I research?

Please help me. You can email me at bhavna_notani01@yahoo.co.in.

Well, it's not an easy topic; maybe that's why people are discouraging you. Unsuccessful hires can be mapped for behavior patterns, e.g., how much time do they spend at the cafeteria, restroom, or chatting, what were their scores during training, and once they are on the job, their leave patterns, etc.

In short, if you study enough people on this topic alone, then people who are going to leave in the next 6 months can be easily predicted. Try analyzing unscheduled leaves on the basis of work area, supervisor, day/date (e.g., adjoining to weekends, festivals, etc.).

Let me know if you need further help.

Surya

This is a timely topic, but as constructed, it is very broad. To be an effective dissertation topic, you need to ground this in the literature and theory and frame a specific hypothesis or set of hypotheses (or questions) that you are trying to understand. I'd suggest you look at the literature around attrition and intention to quit and frame your questions around specific things that you want to know. Then, how will you get data to be an effective dissertation? Do you have organizations you can work with to collect data - either from their exit interviews or from existing staff?

There was a recent paper on this topic in the Indian Journal of Economics and Business.

Best Regards,
Bill Hefley, PhD
Author, People CMM
Associate Teaching Professor, Carnegie Mellon University
hefley@cmu.edu