Job Satisfaction Unit

• The emotional state resulting from the appraisal of one’s job or job experience

What is a concept map?

• A visual representation of a knowledge structure

• A tool for organizing and representing knowledge

• Creativity in business thinking tool• A tool to facilitate meaningful

learning– Helps students make connections among a

set of concepts and job satisfaction

What does a concept map look like?

• Various forms

• A simple concept map on an individual’s knowledge of a cup of coffee might look like this:

coffee

ground up coffee beans

hot water

caffeine

sleep

increase alertness

contains

contains

naturallyhave

can beremoved from

can inhibit

Sample MapsSpider concept maps

Sample MapsHierarchical concept maps

Sample maps:Systems concept maps

Input

Output

Why Complete Maps?

• Help you appreciate others’ viewpoints and perspectives

• Concept maps encourage you to organize and enhance your knowledge on any topic.

• Concept maps help you learn new information by integrating each new idea into an existing body of knowledge.

• See new connections & enhance creativity

ISSUES RELATED TO JOB SATISFACTION

1. What is job satisfaction and why is it important?

2. What is the status of job satisfaction in the U.S. today?

3. What are the controversies surrounding job satisfaction?

a. How much variation in performance is explained by satisfaction?

b. Could job performance cause job satisfaction?

c. Is job satisfaction really an attitude? 4. What factors affect job satisfaction?

REASONS FOR INTEREST IN JOB SATISFACTION

1. Value judgment

2. Mental health

3. Stress & physical health

4. Public relations function

5. Collegiality

6. Customer satisfaction

7. Lateness, Absenteeism & Turnover

Under Investigation

a. File fewer grievances

b. Have fewer accidents

c. Engage in more organizational citizenship behaviors & fewer counterproductive behaviors

d. Retire later

2. What is the Status of Job Satisfaction?

Americans are satisfied• Gallop polls report

consistently high responses

• 4-point Gallup polls reconfirm

Americans are dissatisfied

• Poll wording is flawed

• Different operationali-

zations yield different results

• Still recent data suggest that “storm clouds” of change may be brewing

Gallup OVERALL JOB SATISFACTION RESULTSAug. 7-10 2008

"How satisfied are you with your current job?"

1%2%

7%

48%

42%

Completely satisf ied

Somew hat satisf ied

Somew hat dissatisf ied

Completely dissatisf ied

Not sure

2008: 90% “completely” or “somewhat” satisfied1997: 84%% (37% completely, 47% somewhat)

“If you could start your work life over again, would you choose the same occupation again?”

Percent who would choose similar work again (Want children to follow in footsteps)

Professional and White collar Working Class

University professors PrintersPhysicists Skilled auto workersBiologists Skilled steel workersLawyers Textile workersJournalists Unskilled auto workersOther Other

JOB DESCRIPTIVE INDEX

Measures satisfaction with the following, separately:

1. The work itself

2. Supervision

3. Pay

4. Coworkers

5. Opportunities for advancement

Employee Job Satisfaction Using JDI Dimensions over Time

  2009a 2012b

Overall 86.0% 83.0%

Interest In work 90.0% 70.0%

Supervisor Relations

87.0% 77.0%

Wages (pay) 72.0% 58.0%

Coworkers Relations

92.0% 79.0%

Promotion 76.0% 46.0%

aSource: 2009 Employee Job Satisfaction: A survey report by SHRM including “somewhat satisfied” and “very satisfied”bSource: 2012 Employee Job Satisfaction and Engagement: A Research Report by SHRM including “somewhat satisfied” and “very satisfied”

Red entries traditionally the dimensions rated lowest

3. What are the controversies surrounding job satisfaction?

(a) How much variation in performance

is explained by satisfaction?

X% of the variance in

in job performance can

typically be explained by

job satisfaction

What is the relationship between job satisfaction and job performance?

1. What were your expectations? How much variation in job performance should one factor like job satisfaction account for? What other factors likely explain most of the variation in job performance? Review conceptual maps.

2. On the other hand, the estimates suggesting that satisfaction and performance correlate only r =.3 (R2 = .09) may be underestimates because of measurement problems in job performance. (leniency and/or central tendency)

What is the relationship between job satisfaction and job performance?

3. Specifically, some argue that low correlations between satisfaction & performance are “depressed” as a function of the “restriction-in-range” associated with job performance measures.

4. Forced ranking systems not a solution. Welch’s “Rank and Yank”: 20% “A” players (outstanding), 70% “B” players (vital not visionary), and 10% “C” players (bottom feeders or in need of improvement)

Relationship between job sat & job performance

4. Forced ranking systems not a solution. Welch’s “Rank and Yank” system:

“A” Players “B” Players “C” Players (outstanding) (vital not visionary) (bottom feeders)

Top Middle Needs

Improvement

GE 20% 70% 10% Ford 10% 85% 5% Enron used: 5% superior, 30% excellent, 30% strong, 20% satisfactory, & 15% needs imp. What are the problems with these perf. appraisals?

Facts Re Forced Distribution Rating Systems*

• 77% of companies believe PA ratings are too lenient• 20% of Fortune 100 use some form of FDRS• Little empirical research on effectiveness of FDRS and

even less on rater reactions to using FDRS• Managers found FDRS more difficult and less fair

than traditional rating systems. A consequence was managers’ decreased confidence in providing feedback to employees under FDRS.

• Still, since FDRS may promote higher levels of performance, more research is needed. Recommend use only when there is high variability in job performance

* Schleicher et al. 2009

What are the controversies surrounding job satisfaction?

(b) Could job perf. cause job satisfaction?

P S Job Job

Performance Satisfaction

(c) Is job satisfaction really an attitude?

• Satisfaction stable over time

• May be more like a personality trait (& not subject to manager

influence)• Supported by identical twin

reared apart data

4. DETERMINANTS OF JOB SATISFACTION(Based on Research Evidence)

Individual

Personality: self-esteem, stamina, internal locus of control, positive affectivity (disposition),

hope, and resilience

Status/seniority in the organization

Genetics ????

DETERMINANTS OF JOB SATISFACTION

Organizational/Job Related

Perceived fairness of rewards

Perceived quality of supervision

Decentralization of power

Pleasant physical working conditions Job design

Support Slides for Readings

Wright & Cropanzano (2000)

• What is psychological well-being? How is it different from job satisfaction?

• Because science seeks to understand and predict, authors provide extensive literature review.

-What do studies say about the relationship between job sat and performance?

-How and why should Ψ well-being predict job performance?

Depression

Low Self-esteem

Morrow Concept Map: Indicators of Low Psychological Well-Being: Depression, Self-esteem, Pessimism

Low Ψ well-being and Motivation

Pessimistic

Low

Performance

Low Ψ well-being may also lead to:HypertensionAlcoholismDrug Abuse

Wright & Cropanzano (2000)

• What are the hypotheses set forth for Study 1?

• What was the sample in Study 1?

• How were well-being, satisfaction and performance measured?

• Were the hypotheses supported? Review Tables 1, 2 and 3

Wright & Cropanzano (2000)

• Why was a second study done?

• What was the sample in Study 2?

• Were the hypotheses supported in Study 2? Review Tables 4, 5 and 6

Implications & Limitations

• Little support for the “happy worker is the productive worker” but considerable support for psychological well-being as a predictor of performance

• Limited generalizability

• Possible stereotyping??

• How can managers acquire higher Ψ well-being employees?

Wright (2010)• Shows the progress of science as article

reviews how Ψ well-being predicts job performance, employee health turnover, and ability to cope with stress. Emphasizes how job sat & Ψ well-being are resources employees can draw from.

• What strategies increase Ψ well-being?

Judge, Heller and Mount (2002) Article• 3rd meta-analysis. Further advances idea job sat may

be a function of dispositional (e.g., personality) traits

• What are the Big 5 personality traits and how are they hypothesized to be related to job sat?

• What was the sample in this study? p. 532

• Were the hypotheses supported? Table 1

• How much variation in job sat can the Big 5 explain? Table 2.

• How about life satisfaction? Figure 1

Judge, Heller and Mount (2002) Article

• What importance would you attach to personality traits in making selection decisions?

• Would you use personality to hire “for fit”?