Attitudes and Job
Satisfaction
Learning
Learning Objectives
Objectives
Contrast the three components of an attitude.
Summarize the relationship between attitudes and
behavior.
Identify the role consistency plays in attitudes.
State the relationship between job satisfaction and
behavior.
Identify four employee responses to dissatisfaction.
Attitude
Attitude Defined
Defined
Briefly defined, an “attitude” represents a
tendency to respond in a favorable or
unfavorable way to persons or objects in
one’s environment.
For instance, when we say we “like”
something or “dislike” something, we are
in effect expressing an attitude toward the
person or object.
Attitude could be defined also as a mental
predisposition to act in a particular way
towards a person or an object.
Some
Some issues
issues that
that matter
matter in
in the
the study
study of
of attitudes
attitudes
What are the main components of attitude?
How consistent are attitudes?
Does behavior always follow from attitudes?
What are the main job attitudes?
How are employees attitudes measured?
What are the importance of attitudes to workplace
diversity?
Attitudes
Attitudes
Attitudes Cognitive component
The opinion or belief
• Attitudes are the
feelings and beliefs segment of an attitude.
that largely determine
how employees will
perceive their
environment, commit
Affective Component
themselves to intend The emotional or feeling
actions and ultimately segment of an attitude.
behave
• Evaluative
statements or
judgments concerning
Behavioral Component
objects, people, or An intention to behave in a
events. certain way toward someone or
• Less stable than values
something.
How
How consistent
consistent are
are attitudes
attitudes
People change their attitudes although attitudes
are relatively stable mental predispositions.
Sometimes, attitudes change even very quickly
as if it does not have any stability.
Generally, people seek consistency:
– Among their different attitudes, and
– Between their attitudes and their behavior
When there is inconsistency, people seek to
return to a level of equilibrium state.
The
The Theory
Theory of
of Cognitive
Cognitive Dissonance
Dissonance
Cognitive Dissonance
•Dissonance = Inconsistency or incompatibility
•Any incompatibility between two or more
attitudes or between behavior and attitudes
•Individuals seek to reduce this gap, or
“dissonance”
Desire
Desireto
toreduce
reducedissonance
dissonancedepends
dependson
on
• •Importance
Importanceofofelements
elementscreating
creatingdissonance
dissonance
• •Degree
Degreeof
ofindividual
individualinfluence
influenceover
overelements
elements
• •Rewards
Rewardsinvolved
involvedinindissonance
dissonance
Is
Is AA Happy
Happy Worker
Worker AA Productive
Productive Worker?
Worker?
Over the years, one of the most strongly held
beliefs among managers and I/O psychologists is
that there is a relationship between a worker’s job
satisfaction and his/her job performance.
In 60 year’s worth of research I/O psychologists
have found highly variable linkages between job
satisfaction and job performance.
The most recent examination by Timothy Judge
and his colleagues suggests a correlation of .30
between satisfaction and performance, a small
but meaningful association.
Measuring
Measuring the
the A-B
A-B Relationship
Relationship
Recent research indicates that attitudes (A)
significantly predict behaviors (B) when
moderating variables are taken into account.
A B
Moderating
ModeratingVariables
Variables
• •Importance
Importanceof ofthe
theattitude
attitude
• •Specificity
Specificityof
ofthe
theattitude
attitude
• •Accessibility
Accessibilityof
ofthe
theattitude
attitude
• •Social
Socialpressures
pressureson onthe
theindividual
individual
• •Direct
Directexperience
experiencewith
withthe
theattitude
attitude
Self-Perception
Self-Perception Theory
Theory
Attitudes are used, after the fact, to make sense
out of an action that has already occurred.
And, B A!
When asked about an attitude
toward some object,
individuals recall their
behavior relevant to that object
and then infer their attitude
from their past behavior.
Types
Types of
of Attitudes
Attitudes
Job Satisfaction
A collection of positive and/or negative feelings
that an individual holds toward his or her job.
Job Involvement
Identifying with the job, actively participating
in it, and considering performance important to
self-worth.
Organizational Commitment
Identifying with a particular organization and
its goals, and wishing to maintain
membership in the organization (Affective,
Normative, and Continuance Commitment)
Organizational
Organizational Commitment
Commitment
Mowday, Steers, and Porter (1982) define OC
which has three component
– A strong belief in and acceptance of
organizational goals and values
– A willingness to exert considerable efforts on
behalf of the organizations
– A strong desire to maintain membership
Researchers have confirmed a positive
relationships between OC and Job performance,
and inverse relationships found with tardiness,
absenteeism and turnover.
Types
Types of
of Attitudes,
Attitudes, cont’d.
cont’d.
Perceived Organizational Support (POS)
Degree to which employees feel the organization cares
about their well-being.
Employee Engagement
An individual’s involvement with, satisfaction with, and
enthusiasm for the organization.
An
An Application:
Application: Attitude
Attitude Surveys
Surveys
Attitude Surveys
Eliciting responses
from employees
through
questionnaires
about how they
feel about their
jobs, work groups,
supervisors, and
the organization.
Concerning Issues
a) Reliability
Sample
Sample Attitude
Attitude Survey
Survey
Attitudes
Attitudes and
and Workforce
Workforce Diversity
Diversity
Training activities that can reshape employee
attitudes concerning diversity:
– Participating in diversity training that provides
for self-evaluation and group discussions.
– Volunteer work in community and social serve
centers with individuals of diverse backgrounds.
Job
Job Satisfaction
Satisfaction
Measuring Job Satisfaction
– Single global rating
– Summation score
How Satisfied Are People in Their Jobs?
– In general, people are satisfied with their jobs.
– Depends on facets of satisfaction—tend to be
less satisfied with pay and promotion
opportunities.
Causes
Causes of
of Job
Job Satisfaction
Satisfaction
Pay only influences Job Satisfaction to a point
– After about $40,000 a year, there is no
relationship between amount of pay and job
satisfaction.
Personality can influence job satisfaction
– Negative people are usually not satisfied with
their jobs
Elements
Elements of
of Life
Life Satisfaction
Satisfaction
Job Family
LIFE Politics
Religion
Leisure
Most Critical elements of Life Satisfaction
(Adapted from John Newstrom, Organizational Behavior- Human Behavior at work)
Responses
Responses to
to Job
Job Satisfaction
Satisfaction
How
How Employees
Employees Can
Can Express
Express Dissatisfaction
Dissatisfaction
Exit Voice
Behavior directed Active and
toward leaving the constructive attempts
organization. to improve
conditions.
Loyalty Neglect
Passively waiting for Allowing conditions
conditions to improve. to worsen.
The
The Effect
Effect of
of Job
Job Satisfaction
Satisfaction on
on Employee
Employee
Performance
Performance
Satisfaction and Productivity
– Satisfied workers are more productive AND
more productive workers are more satisfied!
– Worker productivity is higher in organizations
with more satisfied workers.
Satisfaction and Absenteeism
– Satisfied employees have fewer avoidable
absences.
Satisfaction and Turnover
– Satisfied employees are less likely to quit.
– Organizations take actions to retain high
performers and to weed out lower performers.
Four
FourProducts
Productsof
of Employee-Organization
Employee-OrganizationAttitudes
Attitudes
E
m P
o
p
s
l i Employee Stays Employee is
o t
terminated
y i
v
A e
t
t
I
t
N
e Employee Employee leaves
T g
o a
leaves by mutual
w t voluntarily agreement
a i
r v
e
d
O
r
g Positive Negative
Organization’s attitude toward employee
Job
Job Satisfaction
Satisfaction and
and OCB
OCB
Satisfaction and OCBs
– Satisfied employees who feel fairly treated by
and are trusting of the organization are more
willing to engage in behaviors that go beyond
the normal expectations of their job.
Job
Job Satisfaction
Satisfaction and
and Customer
Customer Satisfaction
Satisfaction
Satisfaction and Customer Satisfaction
– Satisfied workers provide better customer
service
Satisfied employees increase customer
satisfaction because:
– They are more friendly, upbeat, and responsive.
– They are less likely to turnover, which helps
build long-term customer relationships.
– They are experienced.
Dissatisfied customers increase employee job
dissatisfaction.
Changing
Changing Employee
Employee Attitude
Attitude
Reward system closely associated with individual performance
Setting challenging goals but realistic
Role clarity and role specification
Refrain from attacking the attitudes
Provide frequent feedback
Employee participation and involvement programs
Show appreciation for appropriate effort and citizen behaviours
