Work Attitudes and Relationships at Work – Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering key theories, constructs, models and measurements related to work attitudes, job satisfaction, and organisational commitment discussed in the lecture.

Work Attitudes

Collections of feelings, beliefs and thoughts about how to behave in one’s job and organisation.

Affective Component (of attitude)

How a worker feels about their job or organisation.

Cognitive Component (of attitude)

What a worker believes to be true about their job or organisation.

Behavioural Component (of attitude)

How a worker intends to behave toward their job or organisation.

Job Satisfaction

The extent to which an individual likes or enjoys their job; a pleasurable emotional state arising from job appraisal.

Job Aspiration

A desire or ambition to achieve something related to work that can influence job satisfaction and performance.

Job Involvement

The degree to which an individual is immersed in their current job; positively linked to performance and commitment.

Organisational Commitment

The strength of an employee’s identification with and involvement in an organisation and its goals.

Affective Commitment

Emotional attachment to, identification with and involvement in the organisation; employees stay because they want to.

Continuance Commitment

Commitment based on perceived costs of leaving the organisation; employees stay because they need to.

Normative Commitment

Commitment based on a sense of obligation to remain with the organisation; employees stay because they ought to.

Angle & Perry Model

Two-factor view of commitment: willingness to remain and support for organisational goals (value commitment).

O’Reilly & Chatman Model

Three forms of commitment: compliance (for rewards), identification (to maintain relationships) and internalisation (shared values).

Allen & Meyer Model

Three-component model of organisational commitment: affective, continuance and normative.

Job Description Index (JDI)

Survey that measures five facets of job satisfaction: work, supervision, co-workers, promotion and pay.

Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ)

Instrument covering 20 job facets to rate satisfaction and dissatisfaction.

Environmental Antecedents (of JS)

Job characteristics, role variables, pay, work–family conflict and other situational factors influencing satisfaction.

Personal Antecedents (of JS)

Individual factors such as personality, locus of control, age, gender and person-job fit affecting satisfaction.

Need Fulfilment Theory

Proposes job satisfaction depends on how well a job allows an individual to meet personal needs.

Discrepancy Theory (Met Expectations)

Satisfaction results from the gap between what an employee expects and what they actually receive.

Value Attainment

Satisfaction arising when a job allows fulfilment of important personal work values.

Organisational Justice

Overall perception of fairness at work; includes distributive, procedural and interactional justice.

Distributive Justice

Perceived fairness of how resources and rewards are allocated.

Procedural Justice

Perceived fairness of the processes used to make allocation decisions.

Interactional Justice

Quality of interpersonal treatment received during implementation of procedures.

Dispositional Approach (to JS)

View that some individuals are naturally more satisfied due to stable personality or genetic factors.

Organisational Citizenship Behaviour (OCB)

Voluntary behaviours that exceed formal job requirements and benefit the organisation.

Absenteeism

Failure to report to work; weakly negatively related to job satisfaction.

Turnover

Voluntary quitting of the organisation; moderately negatively related to job satisfaction.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Five-level need theory (physiological, safety, belongingness, esteem, self-actualisation) underpinning satisfaction research.

Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory

Distinguishes motivator factors (lead to satisfaction) and hygiene factors (prevent dissatisfaction).

Motivator Factors

Intrinsic aspects such as achievement, recognition and responsibility that create job satisfaction.

Hygiene Factors

Extrinsic aspects such as pay, supervision and working conditions that, if poor, create dissatisfaction.

Job Characteristics Theory

Hackman & Oldham model linking specific job features to motivation and satisfaction through critical psychological states.

Skill Variety

The range of different skills required to perform a job.

Task Identity

The extent to which a job involves completing a whole, identifiable piece of work.

Task Significance

Perceived impact of the job on other people’s lives or work.

Autonomy

Degree of freedom and discretion an employee has in scheduling and performing their work.

Feedback (Job Characteristics)

Extent to which carrying out work activities provides direct information about performance effectiveness.

Goal-Setting Theory

Motivation theory stating that specific, challenging goals enhance performance when commitment is present.

Psychological Contract

An individual’s belief about mutual obligations between employee and employer beyond the formal contract.

Person-Job Fit

Compatibility between an individual’s abilities/values and the demands/values of a specific job.

Job Diagnostic Survey

Questionnaire developed to assess job characteristics and employees’ growth-need strength per Job Characteristics Theory.

Work Engagement

A positive, fulfilling work-related state characterised by vigour, dedication and absorption.

Equity Theory

Idea that employees compare their input-outcome ratios to others and adjust attitudes or behaviour to restore fairness.

Judge et al. Models

Seven possible relationships between job satisfaction and job performance, ranging from causal to no relationship.