Ch. 10

• Job Satisfaction


  The attitude an employee has toward her job
• Organizational Commitment


  The extent to which an employee identifies with and is involved with an organization
• Satisfied employees tend to be committed to an organization, and employees who are satisfied and committed are more likely to attend work, stay with an organization, arrive at work on time, perform well, and engage in behaviors helpful to the organization
• Complex jobs


  Stronger relationship with job satisfaction and performance
• Employees with strong and consistent beliefs about their level of job satisfaction (affective-cognitive consistency)


  Relationship between job satisfaction and performance is much stronger than it is for employees whose job satisfaction attitudes are not so well developed
• There are many other factors affecting work behavior
• Employees may be satisfied with one facet of work but not on another
• Affective Commitment


  The extent to which an employee wants to remain with the organization, cares about the organization, and is willing to exert effort on its behalf
• Continuance commitment


  The extent to which an employee believes she must remain with the organization due to the time, expense, and effort that she has already put into it or the difficulty she would have in finding another job
• Normative Commitment


  The extent to which an employee feels obligated to the organization and, as a result of this obligation, must remain with the organization
• Individual Difference Theory


  Postulates that some variability in job satisfaction is due to an individual's personal tendency across situations to enjoy what she does
• Job satisfaction must be consistent across time and situations
• Genetic Predispositions


  Job satisfaction not only may be fairly stable across jobs but also may be genetically determined
• 30% of job satisfaction appears to be explainable by genetic factors
• Inherited personality traits


  Negative affectivity are related to our tendency to be satisfied with jobs
• Only hire applicants with high levels of overall job and life satisfaction
• Core Self-Evaluations


  Four personality variables related to people's predisposition to be satisfied with life and with their jobs: emotional stability, self-esteem, self-efficacy (perceived ability to control their environment), and external locus of control (perceived ability to control their environment)
• People prone to be satisfied with their jobs and with life in general have high self-esteem and a feeling of being competent, are emotionally stable, and believe they have control over their lives
• People with a tendency to have positive emotions (positive affectivity) tend to be more satisfied with their jobs than do people with a tendency to have negative emotions (negative affectivity)
• Emotional stability and extraversion were significantly related to job and life satisfaction
• Culture


  Workers in different countries have different levels of job satisfaction
• Intelligence


  Bright people have lower job satisfaction that do less intelligent employees in jobs that are not complex
• Satisfied with jobs = satisfied with life
• Life satisfaction can influence job satisfaction in the vast majority of people
• An organization should work toward fulfilling those needs that it can and should help employees find alternative avenues to meet their other needs
• People who are unhappy in life and unhappy on their jobs will not leave their jobs, because they are used to being unhappy
• People who are normally happy, being unhappy at work is seen as a reason to find another job
• Discrepancy theory


  When an employee's expectations are not met, the results are lower job satisfaction, decreased organizational commitment, and an increased intent to leave the organization
• Employee's experiences on the job were most related to job satisfaction and that the difference between their expectations and experiences was only minimally related to job satisfaction
• Needs/Supplies fit


  The extent to which rewards, salary, and benefits received by employees are perceived to be consistent with their efforts and performance
• Another related to job satisfaction and commitment is the extent to which employee's desire for a particular work schedule matches their actual schedule
• Signs that the organization should pay attention that indicate a job/person mismatch


  • Does not seem excited when first hired or assigned to a job
  • Starts asking for some tasks to be given to other employees
  • Applies for other jobs in the organization
  • Begins to ask for new projects
  • Appears bored or unchallenged
• Employees who find their work interesting are more satisfied and motivated than employee who do not enjoy their jobs
• People who enjoy working with their supervisors and coworkers will be more satisfied with their jobs
• Social Information Processing Theory (Social Learning Theory)

  Employees observe the levels of motivation and satisfaction of other employees and then model those levels
• Social environment does have an effect on employee's attitudes and behaviors
• Equity Theory


  Our levels of job satisfaction and motivation are related to how fairly we believe we are treated in comparison with others
• Distributive Justice


  Perceived fairness of the actual decisions made in an organization
• Procedural Justice


  Perceived fairness of the methods used to arrive at decision
• Interactional Justice


  Perceived fairness of the interpersonal treatment employees receive