Chapter 10: Employee Satisfaction and Commitment

job satisfaction

the attitude employees have towards their jobs

organizational commitment

the extent to which an employee identifies with and is involved with an organization

affective commitment

the extent to which an employee wants to remain with an organization and cares about the organization

continuance commitment

the extent to which employees believe they must remain with an organization due to the time, expense, and effort they have already put into the organization

normative commitment

the extent to which employees feel an obligation to remain with an organization

social information processing theory

states that employees model their levels of satisfaction and motivation from other employees

social learning theory

states that employees model their levels of satisfaction and motivation from other employees

distributive justice

the perceived fairness of the decisions made in an organization

procedural justice

the perceived fairness of the methods used by an organization to make decisions

interactional justice

the perceived fairness of the interpersonal treatment that employees receive in an organization

informational justice

the extent to which a supervisor is open and transparent in sharing information

interpersonal justice

the extent to which a supervisor adequately treats an employee

job enlargement

a system in which employees are given more tasks to perform at the same time

job enrichment

a system in which employees are given more responsibility over the tasks and decisions related to their job

job diagnostic survey (JDS)

a measure of the extent to which a job provides opportunities for growth, autonomy and meaning

self-directed teams

groups of employees who work together to achieve a common goal without a designated leader

quality circles

employee groups that meet to propose changes that will improve productivity and the quality of work life

faces scale

a measure of job satisfaction in which raters place a mark under a facial expression that is most similar to the way they feel about their jobs

job descriptive index (JDI)

a measure of job satisfaction that yields scores on five dimensions

Minnesota satisfaction questionnaire (MSQ)

a measure of job satisfaction that yields scores on 20 dimensions

job in general (JIG) scale

a measure of the overall level of job satisfaction

organizational commitment questionnaire (OCQ)

a 15-item questionnaire that taps three organizational commitment dimensions

organizational commitment scale (OCS)

a nine-item survey that taps three aspects of organizational commitment

well pay

a method of absenteeism control in which employees are paid for their unused sick leave

financial bonus

a method of absenteeism control in which employees who meet an attendance standard are given a cash reward

games

a absenteeism control method in which games such as poker and bingo are used to reward employee attendance

paid time off program (PTO)

an attendance policy in which all paid vacations, sick days, holidays, and so forth are combined

person/organization fit

the extent to which an employee's personality, values, attitudes, philosophy, and skills match those of the organization

embeddedness

the extent to which employees have links to their jobs and community, the importance of these links, and the ease with which they can be broken and replaced at another job

what is underemployment?

occurs when individuals are working fewer hours than desired or are employed in jobs that don't fully utilize their skills, education, or financial needs

how does underemployment relate to labour underutilization?

the labor underutilization rate is a broader measure that includes both unemployed and underemployed individuals

what is job satisfaction?

an employee's emotional reaction to their work, including feelings of pleasure or contentment

why is job satisfaction so extensively studied in I-O psychology?

one of the most researched variables in industrial-organizational (I-O) psychology because it can be easily measured and is related to various work outcomes, such as job performance, organizational commitment, motivation, and health

what type of career are you looking for?

Rather than focusing on a specific job, people often seek careers that meet their personal characteristics, values, and desires

how does finding the job you fit into relate to job satisfaction?

Job satisfaction is influenced by the features and opportunities that a career can offer, which align with an individual's needs and goals

what factors influence job satisfaction?

- Whether the employee is a good "fit" with the job, organization, and their values.
- The type of organization and its values.
- Fairness and equity in the workplace.
- The relationship with coworkers and supervisors.
- The employee's career or vocation choice.

what is person-environment fit?

how well an individual's interests, skills, and values align with their job and work environment

how does person-environment fit relate to job satisfaction?

It emphasizes the importance of matching individuals' preferences with job characteristics to enhance satisfaction and performance

what are included in the job characteristics model and how do they affect job satisfaction?

- Skill Variety: The range of skills required for the job.
- Task Identity: The degree to which the job is a whole, identifiable piece of work.
- Task Significance: The perceived importance of the job.
- Autonomy: The level of control the worker has over their job.
- Task Feedback: The direct feedback a worker gets from the job itself. These factors influence how satisfying the job is

what does fairness mean in the workplace?

involves how rewards and resources are distributed, how decisions are made, and how employees are treated

how does fairness in the workplace affect job satisfaction?

has a significant impact on job satisfaction, and can also affect employee engagement, productivity, and retention

how do employees assess fairness in the workplace?

through:
- Distributive Justice: Fairness in resource distribution (e.g., pay, praise).
- Procedural Justice: Fairness in the decision-making process.
- Interactional Justice: Fairness in the treatment employees receive during decisions

how do the 3 types of organizational justices affect employee perceptions?

- Distributive Justice: Concerns fairness in the distribution of rewards and outcomes.
- Procedural Justice: Involves fairness in the processes that lead to decisions.
- Interactional Justice: Focuses on how employees are treated during decision-making processes. All contribute to employee trust and satisfaction.

what challenges exist when measuring job satisfaction?

Job satisfaction is usually measured with simple questions like "How satisfied are you with your job?" on a scale from "Strongly disagree" to "Strongly agree." However, these types of questions might not fully capture how people feel about their job. Satisfaction isn't always just yes or no; it can be more complicated. To get a clearer picture, we might need to ask several different questions.

what is organizational commitment?

refers to the degree of an individual's attachment to and involvement in their organization

why is organizational commitment important?

It includes acceptance of the organization's values, goals, and the desire to remain part of the organization. High commitment is associated with positive behaviours, such as increased productivity and loyalty

what are the three types of organizational commitment?

- Affective Commitment: Emotional attachment to the organization and its goals.
- Normative Commitment: Feeling of obligation to stay with the organization.
- Continuance Commitment: The perceived costs associated with leaving the organization.

how can organizational commitment be compared to romantic relationships

- Affective commitment is like "Do I like you?"
- Normative commitment is like "Do I owe you?"
- Continuance commitment is like "Would I leave you if I had better options?"

what does i mean to anthropomorphize an organization?

involves attributing human qualities to non-human entities like organizations

why is anthropomorphizing organizations a problem?

it leads to unrealistic expectations and emotional reactions
- Expect it to care or be fair when it can't
- Feel hurt by its decisions.
- Overlook the real people or systems causing problems

what is the barriers to effective analysis?

people use psychological metaphors to describe organizations, like calling a company "evil" or "crazy." While this might feel satisfying, it's not very helpful because it stops us from analyzing the real issues
- How the company assesses risks and makes decisions
- The competitive pressures it faces in the market
- Problems like poor communication within the organization

why is organizational commitment important in the workplace?

influences employee behaviour, including effort, productivity, and the desire to stay with the company. A committed workforce is more likely to contribute to organizational goals and engage in behaviours beyond the job requirements

what is organizational citizen behaviour (OCB)?

voluntary, prosocial behaviours that go beyond job requirements

how does organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB) relate to organizational commitment?

employees who are more committed to their organization are more likely to engage in OCB, which can improve the work environment and organizational effectiveness

what are the costs of employee turnover?

Turnover can lead to productivity loss, increased workload for remaining employees, recruitment and training expenses, and socialization costs for new hires

how can organizations prevent turnover?

organizations should focus on improving job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and employee retention strategies