Scale library · HRM & organizational behavior
Turnover intention (MOAQ): Cammann et al. (1979)
This scale measures how far employees are thinking of leaving the organization and looking for a new job in the near future. The three items belong to the Turnover section of the Michigan Organizational Assessment Questionnaire, developed by the University of Michigan's Quality of Work group and usually cited as Cammann, Fichman, Jenkins and Klesh (1979). Turnover intention is a familiar outcome in models of job satisfaction, organizational commitment, organizational support and burnout, for example among bank, IT, nursing and private school staff.
Cite the original, not the blog.
- Model or scale: MOAQ-TI
- Constructs: 1
- Items: 3
Original English items
Items marked (R) are reverse-coded: recode them before computing reliability or scale scores. Replace bracketed placeholders such as [system] with the name of the system, brand or organization you study.
Intention to Turnover (TI, 3 items)
| Code | Item wording | Reverse-coded |
|---|---|---|
| TI1 | How likely is it that you will actively look for a new job in the next year? | No |
| TI2 | I often think about quitting. | No |
| TI3 | I will probably look for a new job in the next year. | No |
Response scale
The University of Michigan's 1975 MOAQ report (the forerunner of Cammann et al., 1979) used 7-point scales: TI2 and TI3 ask about agreement, TI1 about likelihood. Many later studies put all 3 items on a 5- or 7-point agreement scale; if you do, say so in your method section.
Licence and permission
The items are published in University of Michigan MOAQ documents; the 1975 report is archived by Paul Spector on his website (Spector, n.d.). We found no specific terms of use from the authors. Cite Cammann et al. (1979) or the 1983 book chapter.
Sources (APA 7)
- Cammann, C., Fichman, M., Jenkins, G. D., & Klesh, J. R. (1979). The Michigan Organizational Assessment Questionnaire [Unpublished manuscript]. University of Michigan.
- Cammann, C., Fichman, M., Jenkins, G. D., & Klesh, J. R. (1983). Assessing the attitudes and perceptions of organizational members. In S. E. Seashore, E. E. Lawler, P. H. Mirvis, & C. Cammann (Eds.), Assessing organizational change: A guide to methods, measures, and practices. Wiley.
- Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2015). A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 43(1), 115–135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-014-0403-8
- İlhan, Ü. D., Güler, B. K., Turgut, D., & Duran, C. (2025). Unique challenges in the Turkish workforce: Examining the impact of job demands and resources on work-related outcomes of blue- and white-collar workers. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1588266. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1588266
- Shaqiqi, W. (2026). The mediating role of job satisfaction in the relationship between perceived organizational support and nurses' turnover intentions. Journal of Nursing Management, 2026(1), 2960879. https://doi.org/10.1155/jonm/2960879
- Spector, P. E. (n.d.). Michigan Organizational Assessment Questionnaire (MOAQ) [Assessment archive]. Retrieved October 30, 2026, from https://paulspector.com/assessments/assessment-archive/job-attitudes/michigan-organizational-assessment-questionnaire-moaq/
Vietnamese translation
A Vietnamese translation of every item, with sample-size advice and studies that used the scale, is on the Vietnamese page for this scale.