MZUMBE UNIVERSITY

DAR ES SALAAM BUSINESS SCHOOL

PROGRAMME: Master’s of Business Administration - CM

SUBJECT: Organization Behavior

NAME: Stanley Christopher Lyimo

REGISTRATION No. 3889/T. 2010

TASK: ASSIGNMENT AND TERM PAPER

SEMESTER: II academic year 2010/2011

Question No. 4

1.0 Introduction

In today’s competitive environment organizations thrive and

survive on their human resources. Values, attitudes, perceptions

and behavior, which form these resources, influence employee

performance. It is a key factor in realizing organizational and

individual goals that in turn greatly depends on individual’s self-

motivation and job satisfaction.

1.1 What is job satisfaction?

Job satisfaction was defined as an affective and emotional

response toward various facets of one’s job (Motivation through

needs, Job Design, and Satisfaction, 2004).

Job satisfaction is one’s attitude towards his job (positive or

negative). Satisfaction in work and the work environment is the

basic constituent of employee job satisfaction. Employee

attitudes and values influence their behaviour. Positive outlook

and backup from HR helps modify behaviour resulting in higher

performance levels.

1.2 Measures of job satisfaction

Unlike other psychometric tools, used to test a sample of

behaviour, measures of job satisfaction are prone to subjectivity.

However a battery of tests can be conducted to make accurate

predictions. One approach is the Global Measure, which

measures the overall satisfaction of the job. The second

approach is the Facet Measure where satisfaction is measured on

each aspect of the job.

2.0 Recent concepts of job satisfaction

There is a growing recognition that external environmental

factors play an influential role in job satisfaction. Another

concept is that performance depends on the overall effectiveness

of the organization.

In today’s competitive world, management needs to continuously

emulate practices that will attract and retain a highly qualified

and skilled workforce. Dissatisfied employees may be forced to

work due to unemployment or insecurity, but this is not in the

interests of the long-term success of the organisation.

Dissatisfaction may be expressed in other forms like internal

conflicts, poor interpersonal relations, low trust, stress leading to

workplace conflict, violence and low productivity. (Danhoff MN

(1962))

Though job satisfaction is difficult to measure and is dependent

on a number of factors, management may reduce levels of

dissatisfaction and control workplace conflicts through common

objectives like career development, training, appropriate rewards

and improvements in the quality of working life.

3.0 Causes of job satisfaction/dissatisfaction

Since job satisfaction is subjective to individual experience and

expectation, personality often plays an influential role. Stable

personality traits could influence satisfaction or dissatisfaction at

work. Type A’ personalities tend to be more aggressive, set high

standards for themselves and therefore are more susceptible to

job dissatisfaction. In contrast, Type B’s seem to be more relaxed

and, this may reflect on their attitudes towards work. Today,

there is an increasing interest in the concept of the ‘person –job-

fit’ theory. (Rao and Narayana (1998)) The managerial

implications are that people who get themselves into the right

job that fit their attitudes and personalities seem to be more

satisfied.

4.0 Factors that affect job satisfaction within an

organization:-

4.1 Growth Aspect:

This is one of the key factors, without which there cannot be job

satisfaction. For some individuals personal growth in terms of

skills and knowledge gained is only important whereas for some

others in addition to knowledge, growth in hierarchy is important.

In either case advancement is a key factor to fulfillment.

4.2 Compensation/pay:

Adequate compensation drives ones interest in the job execution

and their performance. There are a few among us who work not

to earn a living but to keep themselves occupied, even if this is

the case it becomes necessary that such individuals be paid as

per the industry standard.

4.3 Responsibility & Accountability:

Responsibility or freedom of action is another important factor

that needs to be considered while you measure your job

satisfaction. Responsibility and accountability boosts most

people’s level of interest in the job.

4.4 Job Security:

Stability and Security is vital to everyone and at all times.

Security in terms of job is no exception. Insecurity in job is very

likely to affect performance, morale and confidence.

4.5 Recognition:

It’s agreed that we all love to be recognized and appreciated for

the work that we do. Recognition is essential as it helps increase

confidence and self esteem. It is highly important to know the

outcome of a task assigned in terms of good or bad appraisal so

as to help one to improve their potential.

4.6 Enjoyment:

Enjoyment at work comes with satisfaction, even if your job is

some kind of routine work if you feel a sense of pride and

achievements then you definitely enjoy your job.

4.7 People you work with:

Being comfortable with the people we work with is highly

necessary. Unpleasant relationships at the work place is in

indication to start looking for a new job as it is very difficult to

work with people you hate or cannot relate to. One should not try

to find best friends in their co-workers but its important that you

get along well with all.

4.8 Working hours & conditions:

Long hours induces fatigue and tiredness in individuals, which

might induce oversight in them and in such condition people

make mistakes which take more time to be solved. One does and

should have a life outside work. Long hours without breaks

should be a strict no If one is required to put in long hours make

sure you are getting compensated or getting knowledge and

experience that you cannot afford to loose. Working conditions

should be comfortable. For example in Tanzania the maximum

working hours is 10 hours and the minimum of eight hours.

Normaly the government organs uses eight hours in five days a

week and private organization uses nine to ten hours in five days

and six hours in Saturdays and Sundays.

4.9 Perks:

Perks is another important factor in terms of job satisfaction.

Your designation derived from your talent and knowledge should

be eligible for some privileges.

4.10 Opportunities to use skills and abilities

Employees experience higher satisfaction if the job provides

challenging opportunities and higher responsibility through

projects, special assignments, team leadership and promotions

4.11 Stress

If negative stress is high employees experience low job

satisfaction. However the employers can overcome this problem

by:

Distributing the workload evenly amongst the team

members,

Ensuring that the employees maintain a balance between

their professional and personal lives by not encouraging

employees to stay back late regularly,

Reviewing performance and work procedures to minimize

red-tape or bureaucracy,

And finally providing solutions to reducing stress (increase

employee amenities).

4.12 Leadership

Supervisors with good leadership skills create job

satisfaction amongst employees by encouraging and

motivating them to achieve their targets. A supervisor

must be able to make an employee feel that his or her

contribution was important and meaningful to the

organization.

5.0 Significant of job satisfaction to Organizational effectiveness

5.1 Job satisfaction has some positive correlation with physical

health of individuals: People with greater satisfaction tend to

have higher incomes and more education, and thus

coincidentally enjoy greater benefits, which promote longetivity.

People who like work, are likely to live longer and on the other

hand, they contended that chronic dissatisfaction with work

represents stress, which in turn, eventually takes its toll on the

organization.

5.2 Job satisfaction can reduce absenteeism and turnover:

Somebody who is happy and satisfied can find it easy to live

inside the organization as well as outside it. On the other hand, a

chronically upset individual makes organizational life vexatious

for others with whom he interacts.

5.3 Job satisfaction can spread goodwill about the organization:

people, who feel positive about their work life are apt to voice

favourable statements about the organization to the community

at large. When the goodwill of such organization like sports goes

up, new, qualified and dynamic entrants show interests in joining

it. Thus, it will be in a position to enjoy the talents of people as

job satisfaction fosters a pervasive residue to public goodwill

towards the establishment.

5.4 Job satisfaction has some relationship with the mental health of

the people: Dissatisfaction with one's job may have volatile

spillover effects. The impression is that, people feel bad about

many things such as family life leisure activities, and sometimes

life itself. Many unresolved personality problems and

maladjustment arise out of a person's inability to find satisfaction

in his work. All this will lead underperformance of hence reduce

the efficiency of the organization.

5.5 Increase efficiency to the organization: Though job satisfaction

leads to efficiency, other factors are responsible for work

performance. Today, technological and market forces play a

major role in organisational efficiency. Stockbrokers, for

example, would depend on the results of the stock market where

a rise in share prices would probably lead to satisfaction.

5.6 Reduces Absenteeism and Turnover: Absenteeism causes

tremendous cost and loss of investment. Absenteeism followed

by negative feedback like, loss of pay might lead to

dissatisfaction and in turn a high rate of absenteeism. Therefore

job satisfaction will reduce or eliminate absenteeism and

reduces tremendous cost and loss of investment.

5.7 Commitment: Organisations today have expressed a lack of

loyalty and commitment from employees and hence are unable

to retain qualified professionals. Therefore through job

satisfaction the loyalty and commitment from the employee to

the organization will increase and hence bring positive efficiency

and effectiveness to the organization.

6.0 CONCLUSION

Generally dissatisfied with jobs, resulting in a negative attitude

towards delivery of work. Dissatisfaction mainly emanated from

inadequate salaries and allowances, loans to facilitate purchase

of houses, housing stands and cars as well as increasing volume

of work. However, inter-personal relationships, job security,

supervision, opportunities for personal development and working

experience did not significantly affect job satisfaction.

7.0 References

i. IMPORTANCE OF JOB SATISFACTION IN SPORTS’

ORGANISATION By Adesoye A.A. (Ph.D), & Ogunsanwo,

B.A. (Department of Physical and Health Education,

University of llorin, llorin).

ii. Factors affecting job satisfaction among academic

professionals in tertiary institutions in Zimbabwe by P.

Chimanikire, E. Mutandwa2 , C. T. Gadzirayi, N. Muzondo4

and B. Mutandwa

iii. Danhoff MN (1962). A factorial approach to the study of job

satisfaction of hospital personnel. Unpublished doctoral

dissertation, Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana.

iv. Wikipedia (2007). Job Satisfaction

http://en.wikipedia.org/wikipedia/ Job_Satisfaction

v. SITI ZAWIAH DAWAL & ZAHARI TAHA (Jun 2006: 65–80)

FACTORS AFFECTING JOB SATISFACTION IN TWO

AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRIES IN MALAYSIA Universiti Teknologi

Malaysia

vi. Kaya E. (1995, August 20-25) Job satisfaction of the

librarians in the developing countries. 61st IFLA General

Conference- Conference proceedings. Retrieved

September 1, 2004, from http://www.ifla.org/IV/ifla61/61-

kaye.htm .