Showing papers on "Job attitude 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,

Nurses' job satisfaction: a meta-analysis of related variables.

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to describe the magnitude of the relationships between nurses' job satisfaction and the variables most frequently associated with it. A meta-analysis of data from 48 studies with a total of 15,048 subjects revealed that job satisfaction was most strongly associated with stress (-.609) and organizational commitment (.526). Seven variables had correlations between .20 and .50: communication with supervisor, autonomy, recognition, routinization, communication with peers, fairness, and locus of control. Four other variables frequently included in these studies had low correlations (less than .20): age, education, tenure, and professionalization. The influence of employment site, date of study, and measures used on the size and consistency of estimates was described.

Affect and managerial performance: A test of the sadder-but-wiser vs. happier-and-smarter hypotheses.

Abstract: We thank Jennifer Halpern for her role in the original planning of this study and for her contributions to the development of the coding scheme used in this project. This study was made possible by a faculty research grant to the first author from the Institute of Industrial Relations at the University of California at Berkeley. This study provides a comparative test of two psychological theories concerning the relationship between affect and performance. Managerial simulations are used to test whether people who are positive in disposition perform better or worse on both decisional and interpersonal tasks. Results are consistent in supporting the happier-and-smarter as opposed to the sadder-but-wiser hypothesis, since they show positive relationships between dispositional affect and performance. The results are discussed in terms of their relevance to both the older literature on links between satisfaction and performance and the more recent controversy over the dispositional approach to job attitudes.'

Employee and Supervisor Ratings of Motivation: Main Effects and Discrepancies Associated with Job Satisfaction and Adjustment in a Factory Setting1

Abstract: Research and theory on employee job satisfaction and well-being has increasingly concentrated on both intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors. According to self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985). autonomy, relatedness, and competence are three intrinsic psychological needs that, if fulfilled in the workplace, will lead to greater satisfaction, performance, and general well-being. This study examines employee and supervisor perceptions of the employee's autonomy, competence, and relatedness in the workplace, as well as the degree and direction of discrepancies between employee and supervisor reports. Both employee and supervisor ratings of intrinsic motivational factors were significantly related to work satisfaction, psychological health, and self-esteem, after controlling for the extrinsic factors of pay and job status. Results of discrepancy analyses were somewhat supportive of overrating being associated with greater well-being and job satisfaction. Discussion of the results ties this study to relevant research from a self-determination perspective and to the growing literature on discrepancies and self-perception.

Determinants of Employee Job Satisfaction: An Empirical Test of a Causal Model

Abstract: The job satisfaction model embedded in the Price-Mueller turnover model was revised and estimated. The revised model examined the effects of a series of environmental, job characteristics, and personality variables that were excluded from the Price-Mueller model. Two-wave longitudinal data were collected from 405 employees of a 327-bed Veterans Administration Medical Center. Four different models representing refinements of the proposed model were estimated using LISREL maximum likelihood methods. The exclusion of important job characteristics (role conflict, supervisory support, and task significance) by the Price-Mueller model was not found to have a significant impact on the explanatory power of the revised model. However, the exclusion of an environmental factor (opportunity) and a personality variable (positive affectivity) was found to be a serious omission. Overall, it was found that the degree to which employees like their job is influenced by a combination of characteristics of the environment (o...

The Influence of Cognitive and Affective Based Job Satisfaction Measures on the Relationship Between Satisfaction and Organizational Citizenship Behavior

Abstract: One of the most widely believed maxims of management is that a happy worker is a productive worker. However, most research on the nature of the relationship between job satisfaction and job performance has not yielded convincing evidence that such a relationship exists to the degree most managers believe. One reason for this might lie in the way in which job performance is measured. Numerous studies have been published that showed that using Organizational Citizenship Behavior to supplant more traditional measures of job performance has resulted in a more robust relationship between job satisfaction and job performance. Yet, recent work has suggested that the relationship between job satisfaction and citizenship may be more complex than originally reported. This study investigated whether the relationship between job satisfaction and citizenship could depend upon the nature of the job satisfaction measure used. Specifically, it was hypothesized that job satisfaction measures which reflect a cognitive basi...

Dispositional affectivity as a predictor of work attitudes and job performance

Abstract: Previous research has shown that dispositional negative affect (NA) is associated with lower levels of job satisfaction. Little research has been conducted, however, on other organizational implications of negative affect or on the potential effects of dispositional positive affect (PA). The present studies examined the relationship of both positive and negative affectivity to organizational commitment, turnover intentions, global job satisfaction and performance. In the first study both NA and PA were associated with organizational commitment and turnover intentions. Additionally, commitment mediated the relationship between dispositional affectivity and turnover. Finally, PA and tenure interacted to predict job performance, such that PA and job performance were positively related, but only for high tenure employees. In Study 2 the findings were generally similar, but not identical. Both NA and PA were related to global job satisfaction and turnover intentions. However, only PA was related to affective organizational commitment. Moreover, both job satisfaction and affective commitment mediated the relationship between dispositional affectivity and turnover intentions. Finally, unlike Study 1, PA was not related to job performance. Rather, NA and tenure interacted such that when individuals were lower in tenure, NA was negatively related to performance.

Panel analysis of the moderating effects of commitment on job satisfaction, intent to quit, and health following organizational change

Abstract: The authors examined the moderating effects of organizational commitment on the relationship of stress with job satisfaction, intent to quit, and health during organizational turmoil. Panel data were provided by hospital employees surveyed before and after a major divisional consolidation. Findings indicated that commitment buffered the relationship between stress and job displeasure (a canonically derived variate combining residualized job dissatisfaction, intent to quit, and irritation). Stress increased job displeasure only when commitment was low.

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

Does affective disposition moderate the relationship between job satisfaction and voluntary turnover

Abstract: J. Weitz (1952) argued that job dissatisfaction would be more predictive of turnover if it was considered in light of an individual's predisposition to be satisfied with everyday life events. In the present study it was hypothesized that affective disposition moderates the relationship between job satisfaction and voluntary turnover. With data collected from a sample of nurses, support was indicated for the hypothesis. The more positive the disposition of the individual, the stronger the relationship that was observed between job dissatisfaction and turnover. Furthermore, individuals dissatisfied with their jobs but positively disposed to life in general were the individuals most likely to quit. Implications of the results for future research and practice are discussed. Empirical work over the years has clearly established the significant role of job satisfaction in predicting turnover. Carsten and Spector (1987), in a meta-analysis of 47 studies, estimated a corrected correlation between job satisfaction and turnover of-.26 (the 95% confidence interval did not include 0). Because sampling error accounted for only 21 % of the variance in correlations across studies, the authors concluded that room for significant moderator effects existed. In fact, Carsten and Spector found that alternative employment opportunities moderated the relationship between job satisfaction and turnover. On the basis of Carsten and Specter's findings, the potential exists that other variables interact with job satisfaction in predicting turnover. Given the importance of turnover decisions to individuals and organizations (Dalton & Todor, 1979; Mobley, 1982; Staw, 1980), it is surprising that more research concerning potential moderators of the job satisfaction-turnover relationship has not been conducted.

Antecedents and consequences of job satisfaction among information center employees

Abstract: The determinants and consequences of job satisfaction for Information Center (IC) personnel have received very little attention, despite their importance to the successful implementation and use of computer technology in organizations. This study explores the antecedents and consequences of job satisfaction for IC employees. Five components of job satisfaction--work, supervision, coworkers, pay, and promotion--were examined besides overall job satisfaction. Two stress variables--role ambiguity and role conflict--were considered as antecedents to satisfaction. Organizational commitment and intention to leave the organization were considered as outcomes from job satisfaction. The study also assessed the importance of personal characteristics as moderating variables to the relationship between the two role stressors and job satisfaction. Results show that role ambiguity was the most dysfunctional variable for IC employees in relation to job satisfaction. Organizational tenure was found to moderate the relationships between role stressors and overall job satisfaction, and some of its components. In addition, the relationship between role ambiguity and some components of job satisfaction were found to be education- and age-dependent. Results also confirmed the importance of job satisfaction in predicting organizational commitment and intention to leave. Implications for IC management and future research are discussed.

The g-ocentric View of Intelligence and Job Performance Is Wrong

Abstract: In their article, Ree and Earles summarized a vast research literature on the efficacy of g, or general intelli gence, in predicting job performance, both in training phases and in application of job knowledge and skills to actual job performance. In every case cited, g correlated from .33 in range-restricted samples to .76 in more general population samples of job applicants. Non-g aptitudes added little to the prediction from g. Critics of the connection between general intelligence and job performance voice their objections and counterpoints in an article and several comments that follow.

Perceived Political Climate and Job Attitudes

Abstract: The present study examines the relationships between perceived Organizational Politics (OP) and job attitudes. Questionnaires containing scales of perceived OP climate and job attitudes were administered to a sample of 200 employees in several organizations. It was found that variables reflecting on the employee's status in the organization such as Gender and Supervisory Position moderate the relationships between perceptions of organizational politics and job attitudes. The association between climate and negative job attitudes was stronger for employees of lower status than for those of a higher status. It was speculated that organizational politics has a potentially damaging effect on lower status employees, who react to a climate of politics by showing increasingly negative attitudes towards the organization.

Sources of Police Stressors, Job Attitudes, and Psychological Distress

Abstract: Sources of police stressors, job attitudes, and psychological distress were measured and analyzed from a sample of 103 police officers. Analysis indicated that police organizational stressors, mediated by job satisfaction and organizational goal orientation, increased psychological distress 6.3 times more than inherent police stressors. The indirect effect of organizational and inherent stressors appeared to nullify the distress-reducing potential of increased job satisfaction. Results are discussed in terms of these findings and the possible implications for further studies and intervention.

Correctional officers as human services workers: The effect on job satisfaction

Abstract: Recent findings that job satisfaction is associated with the intrinsic aspects of the job suggest that increased levels of job satisfaction among correctional officers may be obtained by redefining and expanding the officers' duties and responsibilities. Indeed, a “human services worker” model has been advocated as a means of job enrichment for correctional officers. The association of human services work with job satisfaction is discussed, and hypothesized relationships are tested with survey data obtained from state correctional officers in Arizona. The effects of job type on job satisfaction among correctional officers is explored; the results suggest that the type of job conditions the effects of other factors on job satisfaction.

Evidence for a preretirement process among older male workers.

Abstract: As part of a preretirement role-exit process, older workers could be expected to reinterpret their situations and report less favorable job attitudes as they approach retirement. Using 4-wave, 9-year (1978-1987) panel data on 1,365 nonretired male workers aged 50-69, attitudes about job tension and fatigue were examined along the dimension of self-reported proximity (time-left) to retirement. Results from pooled time-series analysis showed that men evaluated their jobs as more burdensome when drawing closer to a fixed age for retirement, regardless of age and other factors. This is evidence for a preretirement dynamic, and it encourages the notion that time-left at work organizes the experience of older workers.

Job attributes: Preferences compared with reasons given for accepting and rejecting job offers

Abstract: Applicants of a large chemical company completed an adapted Job Preferences Form (Jurgensen, 1978) and, after making a job offer decision, indicated the importance of the same attributes in their decision to accept or reject the offer This study investigated which job attributes applicants reported they preferred in a job, which attributes applicants indicated influenced their job offer decision, and whether the preferred attributes actually were important in the job offer decision The majority of applicants ranked type of work as the most preferred job attribute There were differences, however, in the reasons applicants gave for accepting or rejecting the job offer Specifically, the job was rejected because of the location and accepted because of the type of work A comparison of job attribute preferences with the importance of those attributes in the employment decision suggested that preferences were more similar to reasons given for accepting than for rejecting the job Finally, the implications of the finding that applicants accept and reject jobs for different reasons were discussed, and it was suggested that applicants may be using a non-compensatory decision process

Modeling Job Performance: Is There a General Factor?

Abstract: : Virtually every measurable individual differences variable thought to be relevant to the productivity, efficiency, or profitability of the unit or organization has been used as a measure of job performance in the Industrial- Organizational psychology literature. A question that remains largely unaddressed is the extent to which the various measures correlate with one another. In this dissertation, I examined: (a) the true score intercorrelations between the various dimensions of job performance; and (b) test whether a hierarchical model explains the true score correlations between the different job performance measures.

In What Circumstances Does Job Performance Vary With Ages

Abstract: This paper examines what is known about employee age and the effectiveness of job behaviour, concentrating on studies carried out in work settings and linking these with laboratory investigations. Rated job performance is shown to be generally unrelated to age; overall, absenteeism tends to be greater among younger employees; accidents are more common at lower ages; and staff turnover declines with age. A framework is proposed in terms of three main components of job behaviour: (1) physical ability; (2) adaptability; and (3) general work effectiveness. The major practical need is seen to be the implementation of procedures that enhance adaptability among older employees. An outline model is suggested, with the objective of identifying those jobs in which greater age is either a benefit or a limitation. This model indicates that, in research as well as in practice, the key issues now concern the nature and enhancement of adaptability.

A matter of degree: job skills for human service administrators.

Abstract: A small but important literature discusses which degrees and which skills are "best" for human service administrators. This research surveys current human service administrators to determine their views. The MSW administration degree, while seen as useful at the entry and middle levels of management, falls behind both the MBA and the MPA at top levels. Skills considered important are very similar at all levels of management, although managers of nonprofits had higher expectations for skill level in many areas than did managers at government agencies. Implications for schools of social work are discussed.

Job stress among Muslim immigrants in North America: Moderating effects of religiosity

Abstract: This study examined the relationship of job stress with psychosomatic health problems, happiness in life, job satisfaction, job motivation, organizational commitment and turnover motivation in a sample of Muslims living in Canada and the USA. Data were collected by means of a structured questionnaire (N = 325). Results generally supported the prediction that job stress will be positively related to psychosomatic health problems and turnover motivation, and negatively related to happiness in life, job satisfaction, job motivation and organizational commitment. Degree of religiosity was proposed as a moderator of job stress-outcome relationships. Results from moderated multiple regression indicated that for this sample of Muslims religiosity was an important moderator of the stress-outcome relationships. Implications of the findings for stress management and for future research in the racioethnic area are highlighted.

Determinants of direct-care staff turnover in group homes for individuals with mental retardation.

Abstract: A model of direct-care human service staff turnover was proposed and tested with 236 direct-care staff members in nine private, nonprofit New Jersey agencies. A path analysis of the data was conducted. Four variables were found to contribute to current job satisfaction: agreement of the job with personal goals and values, burnout, satisfaction with supervision, and employment history. In turn, current job satisfaction led to intention to quit, which led to actual turnover. Implications for the human service field and future research were explored.