Showing papers on "Core self-evaluations published in 1993"

Another Look at the Job Satisfaction-Life Satisfaction Relationship

Abstract: The relationship between job satisfaction and life satisfaction has been heavily researched over the years. In spite of this research interest, results have not proved conclusive in demonstrating the causal nature of the relationship. In the present study, a causal model was hypothesized and tested that involved simultaneous consideration of cross-sectional and longitudinal effects between job and life satisfaction. This type of analysis has not previously been conducted and allows the strongest conclusions to date regarding the causality between these constructs. Results based on a national probability sample of workers indicated that job and life satisfaction were significantly and reciprocally related. The cross-sectional results suggested a relatively strong relationship between job and life satisfaction, but the longitudinal results suggested a weaker relationship over a 5-year period, particularly with respect to the effect of job satisfaction on life satisfaction. The meaning of these results in the context of past research on the job satisfaction-life satisfaction relationship is discussed. Recently, Tail, Padgett, and Baldwin (1989) provided the first meta-analytic estimate of the relationship between job satisfaction and life satisfaction. Using correlations from 34 studies, Tail et al. (1989) estimated the average corrected correlation between the constructs to be .44. The authors concluded their review with this comment: "On the basis of the substantial relationship between job and life satisfaction documented here, further explanatory research of this nature is now clearly warranted" (p. 505). In a recent review of the literature, Rain, Lane, and Steiner (1991) held that although Tail et al.'s study was useful in providing an overall assessment of the job satisfactionlife satisfaction relationship, it did not address the direction of causality between the constructs. Rain et al. argued that more efforts investigating the causality between job and life satisfaction were needed. Thus, despite extensive research, the critical question concerning what the direction of influence between job and life satisfaction is remains unanswered. The correlation estimated in Tait et al.'s (1989) meta-analysis suggests that a positive relationship exists, but this study provided no information regarding whether job satisfaction causes life satisfaction, life satisfaction causes job satisfaction, or the two constructs are mutually causative. A causal influence from life satisfaction to job satisfaction is supportive of the dispositional perspective (Judge & Hulin, in press; Judge & Locke, 1993; Staw, Bell, & Clausen,

Effect of dysfunctional thought processes on subjective well-being and job satisfaction.

Abstract: Although the dispositional approach to job satisfaction has received a good deal of recent attention, a fundamental deficiency in past dispositional research is a failure to use existing theories to explain why individuals are unhappy and dissatisfied with their jobs E A Locke (1976), T A Judge (1992), and T A Judge and C L Hulin (in press) suggested that thinking processes should be studied in relation to job satisfaction This study tested the thesis that the cognitive theory of depression, which focuses on individuals' thought processes, will help in understanding both subjective well-being and job satisfaction A confirmatory model involving subjective well-being, job satisfaction, dysfunctional thought processes, and other relevant influences was hypothesized and tested by using a stratified random sample of university employees Ratings were obtained from 2 sources to reduce single-source bias The results indicated strong support for the overall model and for the adverse effect of dysfunctional thought processes In a recent review of the literature on dispositional sources of job satisfaction, Judge (1992) argued that much of the research linking dispositional states to job satisfaction is atheoretical in nature Virtually no dispositional research has attempted to explain, drawing from existing theories of social cognition or attitude formation, why individuals are unhappy in general or dissatisfied with their jobs Such a deficiency in past dispositional research is regrettable, because established theories from personality and cognitive psychology may have a great deal to offer in terms of explaining how affective states are formed There are probably valid reasons why dispositional research has not been theoretically based For example, it is common for research to be inductive in its formative stages, when the attempt often is to establish the existence of a phenomenon rather than its etiology Although past dispositional research has implicitly recognized the role cognitive variables can play in emotional states, the perspective is now at a stage where theoretical concepts need to be used more explicitly The importance of understanding the psychology behind dispositional effects on job satisfaction was recently emphasized by Weiss (1991) Locke (1976) and Judge and Hulin (in press) suggested that thinking processes may influence subjective well-being and job satisfaction, although they did not propose an actual theory A

Personality traits and job characteristics as predictors of job experiences

Abstract: This study investigates the relationships of personality traits and job characteristics (predictors) with job experiences (criteria) in a sample of job incumbents working in a broad variety of occupations. Subjects were 181 job applicants, who participated in a personnel selection procedure carried out by a Dutch staffing organization. As a part of this procedure, subjects completed a number of personality questionnaires. Personality scale scores were factor-analysed, and four orthogonal trait dimensions were identified: Emotional Stability, Extraversion, Sensation Seeking, and Achievement Motivation. Between l½ and 2 years after the selection, subjects rated their current jobs on four job characteristics dimensions, namely dynamicity, autonomy, external–internal, and structure. At the same time, they completed a questionnaire measuring job experiences, namely job satisfaction, job-induced tension, propensity to leave the job, and self-appraised performance. The results indicated that personality traits had several significant and hypothesized longitudinal effects on the job experience criteria. Personality contributed to the prediction of the criteria even when the effects of job characteristics were taken into account. No significant Personality X Job Characteristics interactions were found, although subgroup analysis revealed a number of interesting differences among the various categories of occupations. For example, Sensation Seeking predicted job strain and propensity to leave, especially in highly structured and not very autonomous jobs. It is concluded that work experiences are clearly determined by person and job characteristics, although in an additive rather than in an interactional way.

Job Satisfaction of People with Disabilities Placed through a Project with Industry

Abstract: Job satisfaction has been related to personnel turnover (Scott & Taylor, 1973), plans to terminate employment (Rosse & Hulin, 1985), and life satisfaction (Iris & Barrett, 1972) Additionally, job satisfaction has been correlated with positive behaviors toward others (Smith, Organ & Near, 1983) and physical health (Burke, 1970; Karasek, Gardell, & Lindell 1987) Job satisfaction has been noted to be important for people with disabilities (Quigley, 1968; Selzer, 1984) The Hawthorne study (Roethlisberger & Dickenson, 1939) was an early indicator of research on job satisfaction As a side effect of studying productivity, investigators found that workers influenced the behavior of their coworkers and a sense of belonging to the work group was pursued Prior to this time there was little expressed interest among employers to understand job satisfaction In the 1940s as more workers were needed, largely due to World War II, there was an increased interest in job satisfaction of workers and several theories of job satisfaction were developed to understand relevant issues Theories have been helpful in understanding the nature of job satisfaction and for developing measures to assess job satisfaction One theory of job satisfaction is based on a person's evaluation of whether one gets what he/she wants from a job (Vroom, 1964) The amount of job satisfaction is related to the degree the job provides outcomes which are in congruence with what the person desires In another theory of job satisfaction Herzberg (1966) suggested a two factor theory wherein job satisfaction is composed of intrinsic and extrinsic factors Intrinsic factors consist of work dimensions of autonomy and responsibility Herzberg, Mausner, Peterson, and Capwell (1957) differentiated intrinsic and extrinsic factors of job satisfaction Intrinsic factors involved characteristics of the job whereas extrinsic satisfaction concerned the work environment They found that intrinsic factors contributed to job satisfaction and extrinsic factors were related to job dissatisfaction A third viewpoint is the Minnesota Theory of Work Adjustment (MTWA) wherein job satisfaction is defined in terms of the relationship between the reinforcers in the work environment and the person's needs (Dawis, England & Lofquist, 1964) A contingency is that the individual's ability corresponds to requirements of the job The closer the relationship between the reinforcers and the person's needs the higher the level of job satisfaction These theories of job satisfaction have provided the basis for numerous studies about the topic Additionally, instruments measuring job satisfaction have been developed based upon these theories (Weiss, England, & Lofquist, 1967) Investigators have studied a range of jobs and issues related to job satisfaction (Tziner & Lotham, 1989; Walsh, 1982) For example, Walsh (1982) focused on job prestige and worker satisfaction, comparing occupations such as garbagemen, teachers, bartenders, and professors Hackman and Lawler (1971) investigated the effects of job characteristics on job satisfaction Four specific job characteristics were related to job satisfaction: variety, autonomy, task identity and feedback Individual personality characteristics were related to preference of job tasks and job satisfaction There has been some research about job satisfaction and rehabilitation focused on rehabilitation professionals (Wright and Tenian, 1987; Jenkins and Kelz, 1973; Miller & Muthard, 1965) However, there has been relatively few studies about the issue among participants going through the rehabilitation process (Lam, Chan, & Thorpe, 1988; Reiter, Friedman & Mokho, 1985) Much of the research conducted among people with disabilities has been focused on those with mental retardation Reiter, Friedman, and Mokho (1985) for example, surveyed 83 individuals exploring both intrinsic and extrinsic job satisfaction …

On the use of personality measures in personnel selection.

Abstract: P. GREGORY IRVINGThe University of Western OntarioAbstractAlthough the use of personality as a predictor in personnel selection has not met with substantial success in the past, recent evidence has suggested that personality measures are related to performance criteria which are unrelated to cognitive ability when the traits measured are conceptually related to these criteria. It seems that personality measures may predict job performance dimensions which cannot be predicted by cognitive ability measures. The use of personality measures in personnel selection may be warranted when a careful job analysis is undertaken to determine which performance dimensions may be related to personality traits. As early as 1923, Freyd (cited in Guion, 1983) recognized that certain steps must be undertaken to ensure that the personnel selection procedures used by organizations are valid. These steps included conducting a job analysis to determine the characteristics which led to success or failure on the job, designating a single - measure criterion of success, developing an exhaustive list of abilities required for success, finding or devising a measure of these abilities, and statistically comparing the test scores with the criterion scores. Freyd's steps continue to represent sound personnel selection practises in major Industrial/Organizational psychology textbooks (e.g., Cascio, 1987; Landy, 1989).Despite the fact that Freyd outlined these steps some 70 years ago, researchers investigating the relationship between personality and job performance have tended to ignore his advice. Early attempts to use personality traits to predict various job criteria have generally used a shotgun approach in which a large number of scales were correlated with a large number of criteria. Such an approach has been used to predict accident rates of truck drivers (Parker, 1953) and job satisfaction of farmers (Brayfield & Marsh, 1957). The predictor in both studies was the clinical scales of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). The problem with this empirical approach to predicting job - related criteria is that one may expect at least some relationships to be significant by chance alone and attempts at cross - validation would likely result in substantial shrinkage in the validity coefficients. The assessment of personality has been a controversial topic in personnel selection. Over the past several decades, a number of literature reviews have been conducted resulting in conflicting viewpoints regarding the predictability of job performance based on personality traits (Ghiselli & Barthol, 1953; Guion & Gottier, 1965; Schmitt, Gooding, Noe & Kirsch, 1984; Tett, Jackson & Rothstein, 1991). Although Guion and Gottier (1965) stated that "there is no generalizable evidence that personality measures can be recommended as good or practical tools for employee selection" (p. 159), they observed the importance of predicting job criteria which are unrelated to cognitive ability. Without exception, these reviews have cautioned against the shotgun approach to prediction which has plagued previous attempts to validate personality measures in personnel selection. Hollenbeck and Whitener (1988) have suggested that one of the reasons for the poor predictive ability of personality variables in previous studies is that many of the validation studies lacked statistical power (see Schmidt, Hunter, & Urry, 1976, for a discussion of the lack of power in validation studies). As evidence, they point to the fact that in Guion and Gottier's (1965) review, 62 of 100 validation studies had sample sizes of less than 84.Personality assessments have long been used as a part of the selection process for several professions including police officers (Burbeck & Furnham, 1985; Inwald & Shusman, 1984), flight attendants (Ferris, Bergin & Gilmore, 1986), and firefighters (Johnson, 1983). Much of the recent research involving personality measures in personnel selection, however, has employed such measures in screening for psychological problems (e. …

Job satisfaction and the social, occupational, and personality characteristics of male chartered accountants from three professional bodies.

Abstract: Members of the ICAEW ( N = 111) and ICAS ( N = 97) were compared with members of the ICAI ( N = 92) for their social, occupational, and personality characteristics, career satisfaction, current job satisfaction, and their ratings of importance of job characteristics for job satisfaction. While significant differences in some social and occupational characteristics were found in the three groups, personality and job satisfaction do not differ significantly for male accountants across the three professional bodies. Male accountants, irrespective of professional membership body, are tender-minded, socially conforming, emotionally stable introverts who are generally satisfied with their career choice, and show high levels of job satisfaction. These findings point to the conclusion that accountants choose a career which is congruent with their personality characteristics.

Ecological dissonance in decision-making participation systems as a predictor of job satisfaction, involvement, alienation, and formalization

Abstract: The discrepancy between measures of preferred and actual participation in decision making was used as a measure of ecological dissonance for an organization and then used to assess its relationship to job satisfaction, job involvement, job alienation, and job formalization. Questionnaires were administered to 143 faculty and staff members of Mississippi State University. Correlational analyses indicated mild relationships between the measures of ecological dissonance and job satisfaction, job involvement, job alienation, and job formalization, thus providing support for ecological dissonance theory (see Miller, Topping, & Wells-Parker, 1989). It was concluded that ecological dissonance in participation in decision making was a predictor of workers’ job satisfaction, job involvement, job alienation, and job formalization.