Showing papers on "Core self-evaluations published in 2013"

Is personality fixed? Personality changes as much as "variable" economic factors and more strongly predicts changes to life satisfaction

Abstract: Personality is the strongest and most consistent cross-sectional predictor of high subjective well-being. Less predictive economic factors, such as higher income or improved job status, are often the focus of applied subjective well-being research due to a perception that they can change whereas personality cannot. As such there has been limited investigation into personality change and how such changes might bring about higher well-being. In a longitudinal analysis of 8625 individuals we examine Big Five personality measures at two time points to determine whether an individual’s personality changes and also the extent to which such changes in personality can predict changes in life satisfaction. We find that personality changes at least as much as economic factors and relates much more strongly to changes in life satisfaction. Our results therefore suggest that personality can change and that such change is important and meaningful. Our findings may help inform policy debate over how best to help individuals and nations improve their well-being.

When is success not satisfying? Integrating regulatory focus and approach/avoidance motivation theories to explain the relation between core self-evaluation and job satisfaction

Abstract: Integrating implications from regulatory focus and approach/avoidance motivation theories, we present a framework wherein motivational orientations toward positive (approach motivation orientation) or negative (avoidance motivation orientation) stimuli interact with workplace success to mediate the relation of core self-evaluation (CSE) with job satisfaction. Using data collected from supervisor-subordinate dyads (Sample 1) and time-lagged data (Sample 2), we found that the results from two studies indicated that the interaction of workplace success and avoidance motivation orientation mediated relations of CSE with job satisfaction. Although approach motivation orientation did not interact with workplace success, it did mediate the CSE-job satisfaction relation on its own. Implications for the CSE and approach/avoidance literatures are discussed.

Combined Effects of Positive and Negative Affectivity and Job Satisfaction on Job Performance and Turnover Intentions

Abstract: Capturing data from employee–supervisor dyads (N = 321) from eight organizations in Pakistan, including human service organizations, an electronics assembly plant, a packaging material manufacturing company, and a small food processing plant, we used moderated regression analysis to examine whether the relationships between trait affect (positive affectivity [PA] and negative affectivity [NA]) and two key work outcome variables (job performance and turnover) are contingent upon the level of job satisfaction. We applied the Trait Activation Theory to explain the moderating effect of job satisfaction on the relationship between affect and performance and between affect and turnover. Overall, the data supported our hypotheses. Positive and negative affectivity influenced performance and the intention to quit, and job satisfaction moderated these relationships. We discuss in detail the results of these findings and their implications for research and practice.

Big five traits and intrinsic success in the new career era: a 15 year longitudinal study on employability and work-family conflict

Abstract: The present investigation contributes to research on the dispositional source of intrinsic (subjective) career success in three general ways. First, two indicators of career success were considered, i.e. perceived employability and workfamily conflict, which closely align with the characteristics of contemporary boundaryless careers. Second, facet-level associations were examined, providing a more fine-grained description of personalitysuccess relations. Third, besides concurrent associations, we also examined the prospective effects of traits on career success assessed 15 years later. Overall, our results further substantiated an individual difference perspective on career success, with both outcomes being significantly and substantially predicted by Big Five traits, even when controlling for a number of demographic and career-related characteristics. Further, results indicated that facet-level analyses can contribute significantly to our theoretical understanding of traitsuccess associations. Finally, a comparison of concurrent and longitudinal analyses indicated temporal stability of personalitysuccess relations, although the predictive validity of separate traits was also found to vary across time.

Older job seekers' job search intensity: the interplay of proactive personality, age and occupational future time perspective

Abstract: Long-term unemployment of older people can have severe consequences for individuals, communities and ultimately economies, and is therefore a serious concern in countries with an ageing population. However, the interplay of chronological age and other individual difference characteristics in predicting older job seekers' job search is so far not well understood. This study investigated relationships among age, proactive personality, occupational future time perspective (FTP) and job search intensity of 182 job seekers between 43 and 77 years in Australia. Results were mostly consistent with expectations based on a combination of socio-emotional selectivity theory and the notion of compensatory psychological resources. Proactive personality was positively related to job search intensity and age was negatively related to job search intensity. Age moderated the relationship between proactive personality and job search intensity, such that the relationship was stronger at higher compared to lower ages. One dimension of occupational FTP (perceived remaining time left in the occupational context) mediated this moderating effect, but not the overall relationship between age and job search intensity. Implications for future research, including the interplay of occupational FTP and proactive personality, and some tentative practical implications are discussed.

Personality across working life: The longitudinal and reciprocal influences of personality on work

Abstract: Summary: This paper focuses on the role of personality at different stages of people's working lives. We begin by reviewing the research in industrial, work, and organizational (IWO) psychology regarding the longitudinal and dynamic influences of personality as an independent variable at different career stages, structuring our review around a framework of people's working lives and careers over time. Next, we review recent studies in the personality and developmental psychology domain regarding the influence of changing life roles on personality. In this domain, personality also serves as a dependent variable. By blending these two domains, it becomes clear that the study of reciprocal effects of work and personality might open a new angle in IWO psychology's long-standing tradition of personality research. To this end, we outline various implications for conceptual development (e.g., trait stability) and empirical research (e.g., personality and work incongruence). Finally, we discuss some methodological and statistical considerations for research in this new research domain. In the end, our review should enrich the way that IWO psychologists understand personality at work, focusing away from its unidirectional predictivist influence on job performance toward a more complex longitudinal reciprocal interplay of personality and working life.

Big Five personality traits, job satisfaction and subjective wellbeing in China

Abstract: This paper examines the effect of the Big Five personality traits on job satisfaction and subjective wellbeing (SWB). The paper also examines the mediating role of job satisfaction on the Big Five-SWB relationship. Data were collected from a sample of 818 urban employees from five Chinese cities: Harbin, Changchun, Shenyang, Dalian, and Fushun. All the study variables were measured with well-established multi-item scales that have been validated both in English-speaking populations and in China. The study found only extraversion to have an effect on job satisfaction, suggesting that there could be cultural difference in the relationships between the Big Five and job satisfaction in China and in the West. The study found that three factors in the Big Five--extraversion, conscientiousness, and neuroticism--have an effect on SWB. This finding is similar to findings in the West, suggesting convergence in the relationship between the Big Five and SWB in different cultural contexts. The research found that only the relationship between extraversion and SWB is partially mediated by job satisfaction, implying that the effect of the Big Five on SWB is mainly direct, rather than indirect via job satisfaction. The study also found that extraversion was the strongest predictor of both job satisfaction and SWB. This finding implies that extraversion could be more important than other factors in the Big Five in predicting job satisfaction and SWB in a "high collectivism" and "high power distance" country such as China. The research findings are discussed in the Chinese cultural context. The study also offers suggestions on the directions for future research.

Be Happy, don't Wait: The Role of Trait Affect in Job Search

Abstract: In this study we developed and tested a self-regulatory model of trait affect in job search. Specifically, we theorized that trait positive and negative affect would influence both motivation control and procrastination, and these mediating variables would, in turn, influence job search outcomes through job search intensity. Using longitudinal data from 245 graduating students who were searching for a full-time position, we found that positive, but not negative, affect influenced the self-regulatory variables of motivation control and procrastination, which in turn influenced the job search outcomes. Procrastination had direct effects on the number of first interviews, controlling for job search intensity, and on the number of second interviews, controlling for first interviews, suggesting the importance of timeliness of job search activities. We discuss the implications of such results for understanding the role of affect and self-regulation in the job search process and for measuring the quality as well as quantity (i.e., intensity) of job search tactics.

Older job seekers' job search intensity: The interplay of proactive personality, age and occupational future time perspective

Abstract: Long-term unemployment of older people can have severe consequences for individuals, communities and ultimately economies, and is therefore a serious concern in countries with an ageing population. However, the interplay of chronological age and other individual difference characteristics in predicting older job seekers' job search is so far not well understood. This study investigated relationships among age, proactive personality, occupational future time perspective (FTP) and job search intensity of 182 job seekers between 43 and 77 years in Australia. Results were mostly consistent with expectations based on a combination of socio-emotional selectivity theory and the notion of compensatory psychological resources. Proactive personality was positively related to job search intensity and age was negatively related to job search intensity. Age moderated the relationship between proactive personality and job search intensity, such that the relationship was stronger at higher compared to lower ages. One dimension of occupational FTP (perceived remaining time left in the occupational context) mediated this moderating effect, but not the overall relationship between age and job search intensity. Implications for future research, including the interplay of occupational FTP and proactive personality, and some tentative practical implications are discussed.

Examining Mechanisms of Personality Maturation The Impact of Life Satisfaction on the Development of the Big Five Personality Traits

Abstract: Individuals are expected to mature with increasing age, but it is not yet fully understood which factors contribute to this maturation process. Using data of a representative sample of Germans (N = 14,718) who gave information about their Big Five personality traits twice over a period of 4 years, the authors identified satisfaction with life, which was reported yearly, as an important variable for explaining mechanisms and interindividual differences in personality maturation. Dual latent change models suggest that more satisfied (compared to less satisfied) individuals experience more positive changes in Emotional Stability, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness and that positive changes in life satisfaction are associated with positive changes in personality. Furthermore, maturation processes were examined for individuals who faced a social role transition, namely, marriage, birth of a child, or entering the job market. Again, differential effects highlight the importance of life satisfaction for person...

Do Candidate Reactions Relate to Job Performance or Affect Criterion-Related Validity? A Multistudy Investigation of Relations Among Reactions, Selection Test Scores, and Job Performance

Abstract: Considerable evidence suggests that how candidates react to selection procedures can affect their test performance and their attitudes toward the hiring organization (e.g., recommending the firm to others). However, very few studies of candidate reactions have examined one of the outcomes organizations care most about: job performance. We attempt to address this gap by developing and testing a conceptual framework that delineates whether and how candidate reactions might influence job performance. We accomplish this objective using data from 4 studies (total N = 6,480), 6 selection procedures (personality tests, job knowledge tests, cognitive ability tests, work samples, situational judgment tests, and a selection inventory), 5 key candidate reactions (anxiety, motivation, belief in tests, self-efficacy, and procedural justice), 2 contexts (industry and education), 3 continents (North America, South America, and Europe), 2 study designs (predictive and concurrent), and 4 occupational areas (medical, sales, customer service, and technological). Consistent with previous research, candidate reactions were related to test scores, and test scores were related to job performance. Further, there was some evidence that reactions affected performance indirectly through their influence on test scores. Finally, in no cases did candidate reactions affect the prediction of job performance by increasing or decreasing the criterion-related validity of test scores. Implications of these findings and avenues for future research are discussed.

Capitalizing on proactivity for informal mentoring received during early career: The moderating role of core self-evaluations

Abstract: Summary This paper examines the role of proactive personality in the receipt of informal mentoring received (i.e., psychosocial and career-related mentoring) among a sample of 174 early career employees in China. The regression results indicated that networking behavior mediated the relationship between proactive personality and career-related mentoring, whereas voice behavior mediated the relationship between proactive personality and psychosocial mentoring. Furthermore, core self-evaluations moderated the aforementioned two indirect relationships such that they were stronger at higher levels of core self-evaluations. Our analyses also showed that the moderating effects occurred at the first stage of the indirect relationships. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Personality Traits Associated with Occupational "Burnout" in ABA Therapists.

Abstract: Background Applied behaviour analysis (ABA) therapists typically work one-to-one with children with autism for extended periods of time, which often leads to high levels of job-related stress, lower levels of job satisfaction, increased frequency of occupational ‘burnout’ and higher than average job turnover (Journal of Autism Development, 39, 2009 and 42). This is particularly unfortunate, in that these vulnerable clients need stability and consistency in care, both of which are empirically related to clinical outcomes (Journal of Autism Development, 39, 2009 and 42). It is reasonable to assume that some individuals, by virtue of their personal characteristics, are better suited to this type of work than are others. Method The purpose of the this study was to investigate associations between personality traits, using the five-factor model of personality, and key job-related variables, including burnout and job satisfaction, in a sample of therapists (n = 113) who work one-to-one with individuals diagnosed with autism. Results Significant correlations were found between Neuroticism and all three subscales of burnout (Exhaustion, Cynicism and Professional Efficacy). Extraversion and Conscientiousness were significantly negatively correlated with Cynicism and positively correlated with Professional Efficacy. Agreeableness was positively associated with Professional Efficacy. Job satisfaction was correlated positively with Extraversion and negatively with Neuroticism. Level of perceived personal and professional support partially mediated the effect of personality traits on job satisfaction. Conclusions These results may help to identify job applicants who are dispositionally less suited to this type of work, as well as currently employed therapists who are in need of support or intervention.

Job Satisfaction and Life Satisfaction in a Sales Force

Abstract: The relationship between job satisfaction and life satisfaction has been the focus of a great deal of research in the social sciences for over thirty years, yet very few studies on this topic exist in the business disciplines and none exists in the study of the sales force. Using a large national sales force, this study compares job satisfaction and life satisfaction across three organizational levels. Findings indicate a strong correlation between job satisfaction and life satisfaction regardless of job level. Significant decreases in certain satisfaction areas were found between territory managers and district managers. Important implications are examined for both industry and researchers.

Mediating Effects of Core Self-Evaluations on The Relationship Between Social Support and Life Satisfaction

Abstract: This study examined the mediating effect of core self-evaluations on the relationship between social support and life satisfaction in Chinese adults. Three hundred and forty-two (141 males and 201 females) from Mainland China completed the Multi-Dimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, the Core self-evaluations scale and the Satisfaction with Life Scale. Correlational results indicated that social support was associated with core self-evaluations and life satisfaction, and core self-evaluations were associated with life satisfaction. Results using structural equation modeling showed that core self-evaluations partially mediated the relationship between social support and life satisfaction. Moreover, multi-group analyses indicated that the paths in the mediation model did not differ across gender. The significance and limitations of the results are discussed.

Taking Personality Seriously The Five-Factor Model and Public Management

Abstract: This study documents the use of personality assessment in public administration and examines the relationship between personality and job outcomes among public managers. The limitations and problems with the most popular personality assessment framework, the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator, are discussed. The authors then present the five-factor model of personality as an empirically verified, theoretically sound framework that is widely accepted within the field of psychology. Using a survey of public administrators in three states, it is demonstrated that public managers are aware of personality assessment, use it in their jobs, and are generally convinced of its efficacy. The authors also present the results of personality profiles of public managers demonstrating the usefulness of all five domains of the five-factor model of personality for understanding key outcome measures such as job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behaviors.

Core Self‐Evaluations, Work–Family Conflict, and Burnout

Abstract: This study investigated how core self-evaluations relate to work-family (and family-work) conflict and burnout. Drawing from a sample of 289 police officers and civilian staff who were either married or living in a union as common-law partners, this study advances an empirical integration of work-family and core self-evaluations research. The results suggested that even when work, nonwork, and demographic variables are controlled for, positive core self-evaluations (i.e., composite scale, self-esteem, locus of control, emotional stability) are related to less work-family (and family-work) conflict. The associations between core self-evaluations and burnout are partially mediated by work-family (and family-work) conflict. Finally, core self-evaluations moderated the association between work-family conflict and burnout, but not the one between family-work conflict and burnout.Key Words: mental health, occupational stress, self-concept, spillover, work-family balance.Work-family conflict, or interference, is a specific form of role conflict in which the pressures from work and family roles are mutually incompatible to some extent so that meeting demands in one domain makes it difficult to meet demands in the other (Greenhaus & Beutell, 1985). In the occupational stress literature, work-family conflict is considered a role stressor with detrimental health consequences (e.g., Bellavia & Frone, 2005; Haines, Marchand, Rousseau, & Demers, 2008), and the correlates or antecedents of this stressor are many because they relate to work, nonwork, and individual factors. Although much research has oriented our understanding of such factors, few studies have considered the role of personality or individual differences in work- family models of conflict and strain (e.g., Boyar & Mosley, 2007; Brack & Allen, 2003; Kinnunen, Vermulst, Gerris, & Makikangas, 2003; Michel, Clark, & Jaramillo, 2011). In a meta-analytic review of work-family conflict and its antecedents, Byron (2005) observed that few studies include individual variables such as personality (p. 193). More recently, Allen et al. (2012) remarked that work-family models have focused more on situational than on dispositional variables. Friede and Ryan (2005) and others (Michel & Clark, 2009) have pointed to the need to pay more attention to personality in work-family research. Such a focus on personality is especially important to the extent that individuals exercise some control or agency over boundary permeability and work-family integration (Ilies, Wilson, & Wagner, 2009; Kossek, Lautsch, & Eaton, 2005) and thereby play an active role in balancing their work and family commitments. This agentic view suggests that work-family conflict might not be determined by structural or situational factors alone and that personality may have a greater bearing than what is reflected in the literature. Making core self-evaluations the focal point of this study offered us the opportunity to benefit from the integration of theoretical frameworks that have so far independently guided work - family and personality research.Core self-evaluations reflect a broad latent construct of growing significance in personality research. They "are fundamental bottom-line evaluations that people make of themselves" (Judge, 2009, p. 58). Self-esteem, locus of control, and emotional stability are dispositional traits that are reflections of this contemporary construct (Kammeyer-Mueller, Judge, & Scott, 2009). Although some of the specific components or constituent traits of core self-evaluations are associated with work-family conflict (Allen et ah, 2012; Michel et ah, 2011; Michel, Mitchelson, Pichler, & Cullen, 2010), few studies have comprehensively investigated how core self-evaluations relate in different ways to work-family (and family-work) conflict and burnout, a syndrome of exhaustion, cynicism, and lack of professional efficacy (Maslach, Schaufeli, & Leiter, 2001). …

Core Self-Evaluation and Goal Orientation: Understanding Work Stress.

Abstract: This study investigates the dispositional factors related to work stress. Specifically, previous research has demonstrated a relationship between core self-evaluation (CSE) and general life stress. This article extends past research by examining the relationship between CSE and work stress, and includes goal orientation as a potential mediator of this relationship. Learning goal orientation and performance goal orientation are two variables that are salient to HRD scholarship interests. The study results supported the hypothesis that CSE is negatively related to work stress, and that performance-prove goal orientation partially mediates this relationship. Given Russ-Eft's (2001) call for additional research exploring work stress and learning, and a recent meta-analysis exploring the relationship between another core personality trait (psychological capital) and work stress (Avey, Reichard, Luthans, & Mhatre, 2011), the results of this study make an important contribution to our understanding of the relationship between core personality traits and work stress research. Furthermore, managers and executive coaches can use the results of this study to develop interventions designed to address the stress-related problems of individuals and organizations.

Job Satisfaction and Domains of Job Satisfaction for Older Workers with Disabilities in Europe

Abstract: This paper analyzes the levels of job satisfaction reported by older workers (aged 50–64) with and without disability by using an aggregating approach in which job satisfaction is seen as a combination of various job satisfaction domains (physical effort, time pressure, level of freedom, capability to develop new skills, support in the workplace, recognition of the work, salary, promotion prospect and job security). Using the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, we estimate a two-layer model based on the interrelation between the different domains of job satisfaction and wherein the individual’s overall job satisfaction depends on each of these domains. The results show that the levels of satisfaction with the recognition of the work, support in difficult situations and physical effort have a significant effect on the overall job satisfaction reported by limited disabled workers. For this group, the trade-offs between the domains recognition with work and support and satisfaction with salary are especially high. These findings can help organizations, managers and policy makers to design or modify current jobs to make them more attractive in terms of satisfaction for limited disabled older workers.

Research on Work- Family Balance: A Review:

Abstract: In the current globalized era, an increasing number of firms in the services sector require employees to work longer, frequently interact with customers and work across varied time zones. This has resulted in dilation of the boundary between work and family. This review explores the meaning, antecedents, consequences and moderators of work - family balance from conflict as well as enrichment perspectives. Further, the paper discusses the role of turn over intentions which have given mixed results in different settings. The review also focuses on the role of individuals' personality dimensions such as core self evaluation which are yet to gain prominence in work-family studies but are important enough to invite further research. The paper finally suggests the development of an integrated framework to understand the concept of work - family balance.

Understanding Job Satisfaction and Its Relationship to Student Academic Performance

Abstract: In this era of high accountability, schools have engaged in various programs and practices to improve student academic performance and to meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) goals. Educator job satisfaction has an impact on student achievement (Brookover & Lezotte, 1979; Latham, 1998; Mertler, 2002; Rutter, 1981; Wynne, 1980), but according to some researchers, the relationship of satisfaction to productivity is not as straightforward as often assumed (Bowling, 2007). In the study of organizational behavior, job satisfaction is the most frequently investigated variable (Spector, 1997). It is studied so frequently because attitudes and feelings affect the behavior of employees and, thus, potentially contribute to the organization's successes or failures. Understanding and measuring the job satisfaction of teachers in schools is particularly important, as it is known that teachers who experience prolonged job stress (i.e., lack of job satisfaction) tend to have weaker relationships with the students, leading to an increase in classroom management problems (Burke, Greenglass, & Schwarzer, 1996).In the late 20th century, debate surfaced among scholars studying the definition of job satisfaction. Researchers found differences among definitional constructs related to the evaluation of jobs, beliefs about jobs, and affective experiences (Weiss, 2002). Cranny, Smith, and Stone (1992) studied the differing ways job satisfaction was defined and, as a result of their analysis, defined job satisfaction as "an affective (that is, emotional) reaction to one's job, resulting from the incumbent's comparison of actual outcomes with those that are desired (expected, deserved, and so on)" (p. 1). More simply, job satisfaction is generally defined as the feelings people have about their jobs.Why is job satisfaction in the field of education so important? A study of Los Angeles teachers found that teachers scored twice as high on a depression scale than people in various other careers (Beer & Beer, 1992). The teachers reported dissatisfaction with their jobs as a primary contributor toward their negative feelings. Increasing teacher job satisfaction can improve teacher retention and encourage the best prospects to enter the field. Teachers with high job satisfaction are more likely to want to improve their teaching efforts and to engage in continuing education. In short, teacher job satisfaction is a controllable factor that school and district administrators need to measure and understand to sustain a productive and satisfied faculty (Latham, 1998; Mertler, 2002).Teacher retention is correlated with job satisfaction (Houchins, Shippen, & Cattret, 2004), and attrition rates are a serious concern for public education. The cumulative attrition rate is approximately 46% by the end of five years of teaching-meaning that nearly half of teachers leave the profession after only five years on the job (Colgan, 2004). It is no secret that when principals struggle with recruiting, hiring, and retaining good teachers, both time and money are lost (Stockard & Lehman, 2004).Instruments that measure job satisfaction and the factors they measureQuestions on a variety of job satisfaction surveys relate to pay, work responsibilities, task variety, opportunities for promotion, the work itself, and coworkers. Other key factors include general well-being, stress at work, control at work, the home-work interface, and working conditions. Some researchers divide the variables into environmental and individual factors. Environmental factors include such things as communication overload or underload and superior-subordinate communication, while individual factors include a worker's emotions, genetics, and personality.There are numerous instruments for measuring job satisfaction. One that has been widely used is the Job Descriptive Index (JDI) (Smith, Kendall, & Hulin, 1969), which measures satisfaction as it relates to pay, promotion, coworkers, supervision, and the work itself. …

Job characteristics, core self-evaluations, and job satisfaction: what's age got to do with it?

Abstract: There is a well-established relationship between age and job satisfaction. To date, there is little research about how many well-known predictors of job satisfaction, specifically job characteristics and core self-evaluations, may vary with age. Using a multi-worksite sample of 1,873 employed adults aged 17 to 81, this study evaluated the extent to which several job characteristics and core self-evaluations varied in their relationships with job satisfaction for workers of different ages. Findings suggest that the positive relationships between job satisfaction and skill variety, autonomy, and friendship weaken as employee age increases, while the positive relationships between job satisfaction and dealing with others, task identity, task significance, feedback, and core self-evaluations did not vary with age. The findings extend previous research by examining how the factors important for job satisfaction vary for employees of different ages.

Core Self-Evaluations Mediators of the Influence of Social Support on Job Involvement in Hospital Nurses

Abstract: The primary goal of this study was to explore the influence of social support on job involvement and investigate the mediating effect of core self-evaluations on this relationship. A total of 330 participants who are all women completed a battery of questionnaires that assessed social support, core self-evaluations and job involvement. Data were collected by using the Core self-evaluations scale, Social support rating scale and Utrecht work engagement scale. The results indicated that both social support and core self-evaluations were significantly associated with the job involvement. Path analysis (AMOS) showed that core self-evaluations partially mediated the relationship between social support and job involvement. The final model also revealed a significant path from social support through core self-evaluations to job involvement. Limitations of the study are considered and implications of the results for promotion of nurses’ job involvement.

Job Satisfaction and Organizational Performance: Evidence from Canadian Credit Union

Abstract: INTRODUCTION In the recent years since the turn of the century, companies have found themselves in an economy heavily affected by globalization, an economy in which knowledge and information are indispensible elements in order to succeed. The importance of intellectual capital has increased to the point of being one of the most valuable assets that must be better understood in order to be developed. From such a perspective, human resources and their management now occupy a privileged place in business. The impact of human resource management is generally measured by the individual performance of each employee that, in turn, has a quantifiable impact upon the overall organizational performance. Performance is a complex notion that is ever-present in the secondary literature related to organizations, and it occupies, perhaps, the predominant place in the day-to-day practice of actual companies. Numerous studies highlight the pertinence of linking work related performance with another important concept for companies; that is, satisfaction at work. A large empirical database of evidence shows that satisfaction and performance at work are indeed factors in a complex cause and effect relationship. As part of the research conducted on the relationship between employee satisfaction, attitudes toward work and organizational performance, the study before you has two objectives. The first is to analyse the mechanisms that create and sustain employee satisfaction at work (determinants and aspects), and secondly, to evaluate if the cause and effect relationship between employee satisfaction and individual performance so evident in existing literature is genuinely quantifiable and, therefore, significant. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND The relationship between satisfaction and performance has been for many decades the object of in-depth and disparate studies in Human Resource Management (HRM). The review of the current literature will be presented in three distinct parts. The first and second parts will be devoted, respectively, to the concepts of job satisfaction and job performance at work. The last part will examine the causal interrelationship between these two variables and thus lay the groundwork for the theoretical framework of our study. Review of the Secondary Literature regarding Employee Satisfaction Job satisfaction is one of the most incontestable and highly valued concepts in Human Research Management. It is equally important as a dependant variable and as an explicative factor of a heterogeneous group of attitudes and behaviours (Brief, 1998; Judge & al., 2001). The most often used definition in the field of research on the particular concept of satisfaction is the one provided by Locke: "an agreeable or positive emotional state derived from an evaluation made by a person about his work or his work experience" (Locke, 1976, pg. 1300). From this consensual definition, we extract the implicit idea by which thoughts and emotions both play an important role in the perception of satisfaction that an employee derives from his work. However, considering job satisfaction to be only a purely emotional outcome brings about numerous questions, specifically, opposing voices that decry the definition proposed by Locke as being insufficient and a paradoxical minefield (Brief, 1998: 85-118; Weiss, 2002). For many authors and researchers such as Weiss (2002) and Greenberg (2008), job satisfaction describes the positive or negative attitude of a person regarding his employment and work environment. It is customary, therefore, to identify the different components of attitude in order to facilitate research studies. The current literature mentions a number of elements that all refer to job satisfaction, among which we find: remuneration, recognition, supervision, job security, and opportunities for career advancement (Weiss & al., 1967). Since job satisfaction stems from both job responsibilities and type of work occupied (Weaver, 1980), many factors could explain the difference between the levels of satisfaction among employees. …

Implicit Theories of Work and Job Fit: Implications for Job and Life Satisfaction

Abstract: Extending the implicit theory perspective to the domain of work, we established the factor structure of a newly developed measure and then investigated how destiny theories (potential careers are or are not “meant to be”) interact with job fit to predict job and life satisfaction. Results revealed Destiny Theory × Job Fit interaction effects. Specifically, better job fit predicted higher life satisfaction for individuals with strong (relative to weak) destiny theories. We further examined the indirect effect of the Job Fit × Destiny Theory interaction with life satisfaction through increased job satisfaction. Results supported the proposed model.