Do people leave managers or organisations? An integrative review of employee turnover through the lenses of LMX and JD-R

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the validity of the suggestion that “people leave managers, not organisations”. This is done through the synthesis of existing evidence on employee turnover through the lenses of leader–member exchange (LMX) theory and job demands–resources (JD-R) model. The aim is to understand how leadership influences turnover and how it compares with organisational factors. Design/methodology/approach An integrative review of 39 peer-reviewed studies from 2014-2025 was conducted focusing on organisational settings that link leadership or managerial behaviour and organisational factors to turnover intentions and decisions. Findings From the analysis conducted, leadership affects turnover primarily by increasing or eroding resources and shaping demands. Transformational, servant and ethical leadership behaviours are consistently associated with lower turnover intentions whereas toxic, abusive and transactional patterns relate to higher attrition. The literature also indicates that organisational factors (e.g. compensation, growth, workload, scheduling) remain significant predictors of employee turnover. The review refines the suggestion that “people leave managers” by indicating that more specifically, people leave when demands chronically exceed resources. In this regard, both leadership behaviour and organisational design jointly determine that balance. Originality/value This review integrates LMX within the JD-R architecture and specifies mechanisms (i.e. resource and demand pathways) and boundary conditions (i.e. demand–resource balance relative to leadership effects). This approach moves beyond either–or accounts of the binary “manager vs. organisation” claim on turnover decision. It also offers a sequenced and actionable agenda for implementation across human resource practice.