Chapter 5 - Job Satisfaction

Job Satisfaction definition

• A pleasurable emotional state resulting from the appraisal of one’s job or job experiences

• How you feel about your job and what do you think about your job

3 Theories of Job satisfaction

• Value Percept Theory

• Job characteristics theory

• Affective events theory

Value Percept Theory

• Job satisfaction depends on whether employees perceive that their jobs supply those things that they value

When does Dissatisfaction Arise (VPT)

• Dissatisfaction arises when there are big differences between want and have, especially when the value is important

Dissatisfaction Formula

• Dissatisfaction = (Vwant - Vhave) x Vimportance

• Vwant = how much of a value an employee wants

• Vhave = how much of that value the job provides

• Vimportance = how important the value is the employee

Five Facets of overall Job satisfaction

• pay

• promotion

• supervision

• coworkers

• work itself

Hierarchy of Importance of Facets in overall job satisfaction

• work itself → supervision → co workers → promotion → pay

Job characteristics theory

• Theory that argues that the five core characteristics combine to result in high levels of satisfaction within the work itself

• VISAF

3 critical psychological states / components of satisfaction from work itself (JCT)

• Meaningfulness of work

• Responsibility for outcomes

• Knowledge of results

Meaningfulness of work

• tasks are viewed as relevant to one’s philosophies and beliefs

• Variety

• Identity

• Significance

Responsibility for outcomes

• employees feel that they are key drivers of the quality of work output

• Autonomy

Knowledge of results

• employees know how well they are doing

• Feedback

Variety

• degree to which the job requires a number of different activities that involve a number of different skills

Identity

• degree to which the job requires completing a whole, identifiable piece of work from start to finish

Significance

• degree to which the job has substantial impact on other people

Autonomy

• degree to which the job provides freedom and discretion to perform the work

Feedback

• degree to which the job itself provides information about how the worker is doing

Moderators

• influence the strength of relationships between the variables

• impacting when and how much they hold

• Knowledge and skill

• Growth need strength

Knowledge and Skill

• the degree to which employees have the aptitude and competence needed to succeed on their job

Growth need strength

• the degree to which employees desire to develop themselves further

Job enrichment

• when job duties and responsibilities are expanded to provide increased levels of core job characteristics

Job crafting

• when employees shape, mold, and redefine their job in a proactive way

Moods

• mild in intensity

• last for extended period of time

• not explicitly directed at or caused by anything

Flow

• state of total immersion

• losing track of time with heightened states of clarity, control, concentration with enjoyment, interest, and loss of self-consciousness

Emotions

• intense feelings

• short duration

• clearly directed at someone or some circumstance

Affective events theory

• a theory that describes how workplace events can generate emotional reactions that impact work behaviours and trigger emotions

Emotional Labour

• need to manage emotions to complete job duties successfully

Emotional Contagion

• Infectious Emotions

Satisfaction

• tracking long term problems (boring tasks, incompetent coworkers) from more short lived issues (a bad meeting, annoying interaction)

Job satisfaction and job performance

• job satisfaction has a moderate positive effect on job performance

• higher levels of task performance, citizenship behaviour

• lower levels of counterproductive behaviour

Job satisfaction and organizational commitment

• job satisfaction has a strong positive effect on organizational behaviour

• higher levels of affective commitment, normative commitment

• effects on continuance commitment are weaker

Three common measures of job satisfaction

• job descriptive index

• Job in General Scale

• Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire

Job Descriptive Index

• facet measure of job satisfaction

• assesses satisfaction with pay, promotion opportunities, supervision, coworkers, and the work itself

How does the JDI/JIG work

• Respondents indicate whether each phrase describes their work

• Yes, No, Can’t Decide

When is it recommended to use the JDI

• Not when it’s their own manager/supervisor for the assessment

• Survey all employees in the organizations

• Anonymous in nature

Job in General Scale (JIG)

• assesses overall job satisfaction

Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire

• facet measure of satisfaction

• measures job satisfaction on 20 scales, such as creativity, coworkers, recognition

• long form and short form options