CH # 3
Attitude and Job satisfaction
An attitude is a person's evaluation or opinion about people, things, or events. It reflects the way an
individual feels about something, whether it's positive, negative, or neutral. Attitudes are shaped by a
person's beliefs, emotions, and behavioral intentions toward a particular object, person, or situation.
Component of Attitude
Attitudes generally have three parts: cognition, affect, and behavior. Let's break down each part:
**1. Cognition:** This is about what you think or believe. For instance, "My pay is low." It's the factual
part of an attitude, describing your belief about a situation.
**2. Affect:** This is the emotional part of an attitude. It involves your feelings or emotions about the
situation. For example, "I am angry over how little I’m paid."
**3. Behavior:** This is about your actions or intentions. It describes what you might do in response to
your thoughts and feelings. For instance, "I’m going to look for another job that pays better."
These components help us understand how attitudes work and how they're related to our actions. They
are closely connected. Sometimes, thoughts and emotions happen almost at the same time. For
instance, if you realize you've been treated unfairly, you're likely to feel upset immediately.
Here's an example: An employee doesn't get a promotion they felt they deserved. Their attitude toward
their supervisor might look like this:
- **Cognition:** They believed they deserved the promotion.
- **Affect:** They strongly dislike their supervisor.
- **Behavior:** They are looking for another job.
Major Job Attitude/ OB variables
Job attitudes refer to the positive or negative feelings employees have about their work environment. In
Organizational Behavior (OB), three main job attitudes are focused on: job satisfaction, job involvement,
and organizational commitment.
1. **Job Satisfaction:** This reflects how positively or negatively employees feel about their job. High
job satisfaction means positive feelings about work, while low job satisfaction indicates negative feelings.
2. **Job Involvement:** This measures the extent to which employees connect psychologically with
their job and consider their performance level essential to their self-worth. It relates to psychological
empowerment and strongly identifies with the type of work performed.
3. **Organizational Commitment:** This reflects an employee's dedication to a particular organization,
aligning with its objectives and wanting to stay a part of it. Emotional attachment and belief in the
organization's values are vital.
Additional important attitudes include:
- **Perceived Organizational Support (POS):** The degree to which employees believe the organization
values their contributions and cares about their well-being. Higher perceived support leads to more
desirable behaviors from employees.
- **Employee Engagement:** It describes an employee’s enthusiasm, satisfaction, and involvement in
their work. Highly engaged employees show a passion for their work and a strong connection to the
company.
These attitudes are significant as they affect behaviors at work. They're linked to employee performance,
absenteeism, turnover, and the overall success of an organization. While some are extensively
researched, newer concepts like employee engagement are still evolving and being studied for their
impact on workplace dynamics.
