Showing papers on "Job design published in 1984"

A Meta-Analysis of the Relationships Between Individual Job Satisfaction and Individual Performance

Abstract: The correlational literature concerning the relationships between individual job satisfaction and individual performance was analyzed, using the metaanalysis techniques of Hunter, Schmidt, and Jackson (1982). Higher and more consistent correlations between overall job satisfaction and performance were indicated than those previously reported. Relationships between JDI measures of job satisfaction and performance were not as high or as consistent as those found between overall job satisfaction and performance.

Effects of Job Attributes and Recruiting Practices on Applicant Decisions: A Comparison.

Abstract: Previous research on the factors which affect applicant decisions concerning jobs has focused on the effects of either job attributes or recruiting practices. The present study examined the simultaneous impact of job attributes and recruiting practices on the likelihood of job acceptance by actual job applicants. Path analysis revealed that job attributes but not recruiting practices influenced the likelihood of job acceptance by graduating college students (N= 200). Given that college students might be expected to be the job applicants most swayed by recruiting practices because of their lack of work experience, the results suggest that the emphasis placed on recruiting practices as determinants of applicant decisions may be overstated in the literature.

An examination of work-related correlates of job satisfaction in programmer/analysts

Abstract: In the past, research examining the work-related correlates of job satisfaction in programmer/analysts has focused on the relationship between characteristics of the job itself and job satisfaction. It is hypothesized that certain aspects of relationships with co-workers, project leaders, and users will also be significant correlates of job satisfaction. Specifically, the relationship between job satisfaction, role conflict, role ambiguity, and quality of leadership provided by supervisors and peers is examined. A questionnaire measuring job characteristics, role conflict and ambiguity, leadership characteristics, and job satisfaction was administered to 118 programmer/analysts at four companies. The results indicate that both role and leadership variables correlated at least as highly with job satisfaction as job characteristics and that the addition of role and leadership variables to job characteristics significantly increases the explained variance in job satisfaction.

Does Job Satisfaction Lead to Consideration and Personal Sensitivity

Abstract: The article discusses research pertaining to the relationships between job satisfaction and other behavioral patterns related to altruism and consideration at the workplace. Job satisfaction was me...

Person-environment fit, job satisfaction and mental health

Abstract: This study was concerned with the consequences of person-environment (P-E) congruence at work in terms of Holland's model of vocational preference. Whereas there has been some work on P-E fit and job satisfaction, and P-E fit and stress, few studies have looked at the relationship between P-E fit, job satisfaction and mental health. It was predicted that those people with a poor P-E fit would have higher levels of mental distress and lower levels of job satisfaction than those who experienced a good P-E fit. The results substantiated the major hypotheses of this study and are discussed in terms of the measurement and causes of job satisfaction. Criticisms and limitations of this type of approach are also considered.

Determining Patrol Officer Job Satisfaction

Abstract: The central issue of this study involves determining the importance of various demographic and job specific attitudes in predicting job satisfaction among patrol officers. Findings contradict much of the previous literature that suggested a predictable association between specific factors and officer attitudes. Instead this study supports a Situational approach to predicting job satisfaction. In addition, the impact of affirmative actions was shown to be highly associated with job satisfaction under certain circumstances.

The relationships of communication with supervisor and decision‐participation to employee job satisfaction

Abstract: This study examined the relationship of communication‐related variables to employee job satisfaction. Specifically, employee communication satisfaction with supervisor, perceived supervisor receptivity to information and ideas, employee participation in decision‐making, participation versus desired participation level, and job satisfaction with supervisor, co‐workers, promotions, pay, and work were studied. The subjects for the study were classified employees (secretaries, clerks, lowest level supervisors, etc) in three administrative units (Controller, Personnel, and Admissions & Records) of a comprehensive Eastern university. The communication‐related variables accounted collectively for a substantial amount of variance (76%) in employees job satisfaction. Moreover, communication satisfaction with supervisor and supervisor receptivity in information were found to be more powerful “predictors”; of job satisfaction than the decision participation variables. The study cast some doubt upon the comparative v...

McClelland's trichotomy of needs theory and the job satisfaction and work performance of CPA firm professionals

Abstract: This paper examines the ability of McClelland's trichotomy of needs theory (need for affiliation, need for power, need for achievement) to provide a conceptual explanation of the job satisfaction and work performance of CPA firm professionals. Seventy-seven of the 89 professionals at an office of a large international CPA firm participated in the study. For partners and managers, need for affiliation correlated negatively with job satisfaction. For partners and managers, junior-level audit/tax specialists and junior-level management consultants, need for power correlated positively with job satisfaction. Job satisfaction correlated positively with the intent to remain with their current firm for all three categories. Need for achievement correlated positively with hours devoted to work for junior-level audit/tax specialists, and with the firm's work performance ratings for partners and managers and junior-level audit/tax specialists. The results suggest that McClelland's theory, which has not been previously applied to examine job satisfaction, might provide a conceptual explanation of why some individuals experience relatively high job satisfaction in an environment where their contemporaries experience relatively low job satisfaction.

Family structure, job characteristics, rewards and strains as related to work‐role centrality of employed and self‐employed professional women with children

Abstract: This study of the work-role centrality (WRC) of 419 professional women with children in Israel was carried out by means of a mailed questionnaire. WRC measures cognitive investments in the work role, relative to the person's other roles. The results show that these women generally are highly work-centred, autonomous and rewarded, and experience little work overload, but some person-role conflict on the job. Employment status, job scope, job autonomy and career anchorage, as well as job rewards, especially intrinsic, are strongly related to work-role centrality. Family characteristics are not related to WRC. Despite their demanding jobs, these women still perform the traditionally feminine tasks in the family, even when husbands are supportive. Employment status is an important intervening variable in the relationship of WRC and other job characteristics.

Personal and Organizational Strategies for Handling Job Stress: A Review of Research and Opinion

Abstract: The medical and psychological literature pertaining to personal and organizational strategies for handling Job stress is reviewed. The paucity of research in this domain is emphasized as is the lack of involvement by industrial/organizational psychologists. Many strategies for managing job stress exist but their effectiveness has not been evaluated. It is important that such strategies receive the immediate, scientific attention of I/O psychologists. Issues that must be faced before significant progress can be achieved are discussed.

The derivation of job designs

Abstract: This paper presents a theoretical account of the derivation of job designs incorporating consideration of technology, structure and managerial control, viewed from an information processing perspective. A conceptual distinction is made between tasks and roles which has practical relevance in that organizations have independent choices regarding their design. These choices are underpinned by economic and psychological values as well as by managerial needs for control. The paper argues that whilst options exist, organizations typically choose to simplify jobs, a strategy which may well be ineffective, especially under conditions of uncertainty. New, more complex job designs may be very difficult to implement for economic, psychological, managerial and political reasons. Research and development should now be directed towards a more detailed cognitive and social psychological understanding of the derivation and impact of job designs as well as towards study of the introduction and impact of new technology. These represent qualitative shifts in research emphasis.

Job satisfaction. Assumptions and complexities.

Abstract: It has long been assumed that job satisfaction relates to employee turnover and quality of care. In this article the difficulties of measuring job satisfaction are discussed in light of results from a 6-month assessment by nurse employees in a university-affiliated acute care hospital. The authors found that job satisfaction scores were significantly predicted by respondents' job expectations and the importance they placed on various components of the work situation. The authors conclude that job satisfaction measurement is most valid and reliable when these two predictors are taken into account.

Job Design: Employee Satisfaction and Performance in Retail Stores

Abstract: JOB DESIGN: EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION AND PERFORMANCE IN RETAIL STORES Millions of Americans are employed in the retailing industry Each day they cope with many of the same enviornmental and work-related concerns as factory and office workers who have been so intensively studied by behavioral researchers Retailing work, like other forms of employment, consists of job dimensions, supervisors, social-psychological interaction, and most of the same ingredients found in other jobs Since labor is one of a retailer's greatest costs, strategic management of personnel is necessary for high levels of productivity and return-on-investment Effective retail store management depends on satisfied, motivated, and loyal employees who will be productive, maintain assigned work schedules, and develop tenure with the firm In order to attract and keep satisfied and productive employees, retail store managers must know which dimensions of the job are most important and most satisfying to employees Numerous approaches have been used to study behavior and attitudes in the workplace This article reports the results of a study of the relationship between worker perceptions of dimensions of the retailing job and their responses to these dimensions Since all combinations of work-related and worker-related variables could not reasonably be addressed in one research attempt, the major question guiding the inquiry was: are important work-related dimensions in a retail store significantly tied to retail workers' emotional and behavioral responses to their jobs? In order to answer this question, it was necessary to know: (1) how employees rate retail job dimensions and (2) how other employees and managers assess employee satisfaction and performance JOB DIMENSIONS AND WORKER RESPONSES STUDIED Basic job dimensions were the independent variables used in this study These included skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback from the job Skill variety refers to the number of skills and talents the job requires Task identity is the degree to which an employee does a job from beginning to end with a visible outcome, while task significance applies to the impact of that job on other people Autonomy relates to the freedom and independence an employee has to determine his or her own work schedules and procedures The direct information the employee receives about the effectiveness of his or her performance, simply by carrying out the required work activities, is what is meant by feedback from the job There seperate dependent variables were selected to measure how workers respond to their jobs: job satisfaction, absenteeism, and performance Job satisfaction refers to both general and specific work satisfactions The specific satisfactions included both intrinsic and extrinsic satisfactions, as well as satisfaction with pay, job security, peers and co-workers, supervision, and opportunitties for personal growth on the job The primary focus for this study was on general, or overall, satisfaction as measured by the Job Diagnostic Survey (JDS) and the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ)) Absenteeism was chosen as an important indicator of an employee's response to the job, and refers simply to failure to report for work as scheduled Individual job performance, as assessed by management, provides another rating of the employees' behavioral response to the job Performance factors evaluated were: knowledge and performance of duties, effectiveness in working with others, reliability and responsibility on the job, the exercise of judgment in carrying out the work, and promotion potential These were combined into one overall performance evaluation for analysis BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY Each of the work-related dimensions described above has its roots in the general framework of job design Many researchers have found evidence that employee responses to a job can be affected by job design …

Toward a differentiated view of burnout: personal and organizational mediators of job satisfaction and stress.

Abstract: This study examined the relationships between the characteristics of the human service work environment, workers' attitudes towards their jobs, and their reported attitudes and behaviors towards clients. The sample consisted of 168 workers employed in a range of human service programs in the Northeast. Job-enriching characteristics were found to be related to workers' levels of job involvement, job satisfaction, and personal accomplishment, but had little relationship to reported levels of emotional exhaustion. Job stressors were clearly associated with higher levels of emotional exhaustion, but were not related to levels of work involvement or accomplishment. Feedback from clients was central to determining the amount of accomplishment workers felt and their commitment to clients. By contrast, feedback from staff strongly related to workers' job satisfaction. Finally, higher levels of involvement with clients were associated with decreased resistance to the stresses of human service work while general job involvement was associated with increased resistance to such stress.

The Moderating Role of Work Context in Job Design Research: A Test of Competing Models

Abstract: The article discusses a study which tested the moderating effects of organizational climate on the relationship between job complexity and job satisfaction. Data was collected from nursing service ...

Relationships between job satisfaction and life satisfaction: Test of a causal model

Abstract: Review of theory and research on the relationship between job satisfaction and life satisfaction suggests the prediction that causal effects flow in only one direction: that is, that job satisfaction causes life satisfaction but that life satisfaction does not cause job satisfaction. Cross-lag correlation analysis and path analysis of longitudinal survey data so not support this prediction. Indeed, job satisfaction does not predict life satisfaction when the effects of other variables are controlled, not does life satisfaction predict job satisfaction. In light of this finding, various models of work and non-work are discussed.

Job Attitudes among Different Occupational Status Groups An Economic Analysis

Abstract: An economic model is applied to employee attitudinal variables as a means of comparing the contribution of intrinsic and extrinsic job facets to overall job statisfaction for two occupational status groups. Surveyed were 577 skilled workers and 181 managers of an electronic manufacturing organization. The two occupational groups were significantly different with respect to the intrinsic-extrinsic composition of overall job satisfaction. Implications for management policy and organizational reward systems are discussed.

Influence of Reliance on Accounting Performance Measures and Job Structure on Role Ambiguity for Production and Non-Production Jobs

Abstract: This study examines the relationship between managers' reliance on accounting based performance measures and their perceptions of role ambiguity. The sensitivity of this relationship to both job function (i.e. production versus non-production) and job structure is explored. The strong relationship previously found for production jobs does not generalise to non-production jobs, for which there is only a weak relationship between reliance on accounting performance measures and role ambiguity. In addition, this weak general relationship is not independent of job structure.

Job Satisfaction among Australian Nurses

Abstract: This study examines job satisfaction among a sample of Australian nurses. Job satisfaction is considered in the context of nursing's position in the medical division of labor and the various political strategies that the occupation has pursued to improve its status. Examination of the data reveals that seniority, rank, sex, and type of basic training have the strongest effects on job satisfaction. Job technology and interactions between job technology, education, and postbasic training are also significant. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of the political strategies nursing has used to improve the status of the occupation and the satisfaction of nursing work.

Using an Abbreviated Job Club Program in a Job Service Setting

Abstract: A preliminary study was conducted to examine the possible utility of an abbreviated version of a group support program for job placement with clients of the Job Service. Such procedures may be helpful both in achieving job placement for clients and in assisting clients in meeting personal needs related to the stress of job seeking. Suggestions for further empirical validation of results are included.

Communications and Job Satisfaction: — A Case Study of an Airline's Cabin Crew Members

Abstract: Despite all that has been written about organisational communications, its relationship to job satisfaction has received little attention. There are at least three notable exceptions. Likert was probably one of the first management writers to specifically identify communications as having an important effect on job satisfaction. In his causal sequence model, Likert relates communications to job satisfaction in terms of functioning as the intervening variable, being effected by the causal variables of leadership, organisational climate and organisational structure . Downs produces a multi‐dimensional construct which he calls “communication satisfaction”, which he then operationalises and correlates with a measure of job satisfaction, across six organisations. He found that the communication factors which correlated with job satisfaction varied somewhat, but that there was a general trend for communication climate, personal feedback and relationship with superior to correlate most with job satisfaction, (personal communication). More recently, Schuler related communications to job satisfaction through a role perceptual transactional process model. His results suggested that organisational communications, role perceptions and job satisfaction are reciprocally related and that role perceptions intervene in the communications—job satisfaction relationship. Whilst these three studies agree that the communications job satisfaction link is both a significant and positive one, none of them really explicates the role of communications vis‐a‐vis other work factors in determining job satisfaction. This is the aim of this case study, which was developed over a twelve‐month period by means of a series of unstructured interviews with members of cabin crew management, and a structured questionnaire with a sample of cabin crew members.