The Role of Firm Size and Performance Pay in Determining Employee Job Satisfaction Brief: Firm Size,Performance Pay,and Job Satisfaction

Abstract. Job satisfaction reflects the on‐the‐job utility of workers and has been found to influence both the behavior of workers and the productivity of firms. Performance pay remains popular and widely used to increase worker productivity and more generally align the objectives of workers and firms. Yet, its impact on job satisfaction is ambiguous. Whereas the increased earnings increase job satisfaction, the increased effort and risk decreases job satisfaction. This paper finds empirical evidence that on net performance pay increases job satisfaction but does so largely among union workers and males in larger firms.     

Measuring the Business Impacts of Community Involvement: The Case of Employee Volunteering at UL

The study presents findings from piloting a new framework for measuring the business impacts of corporate community involvement at UL. It focuses on evaluating the human resource (HR) outcomes of employee volunteering in three signature programs. Five business impacts were measured—job satisfaction, morale, organizational pride, belief in UL mission, and engagement. Using an employee survey, the research team compared signature program volunteers with others and found a positive correlation between volunteering and impacts on morale, organizational pride, belief in UL mission, and engagement. Employee awareness (without participation) of UL signature programs was also associated with increased morale and organizational pride. While the study did not prove causation, it confirmed previous research on the link between employee volunteering and positive HR outcomes. The authors provide recommendations for further research and how companies can use the impact measurement framework to evaluate the bottom‐line benefits of their community involvement programs.     

Traditional versus Secular Values and the Job–Life Satisfaction Relationship Across Europe

Using data from the European Values Survey (EVS), we examine the relationship between job and life satisfaction across Europe. We find that for the majority of employees job and life satisfaction are positively correlated, thus supporting the spillover hypothesis, whereby attitudes and practices developed in the life domain spill over into the work domain and vice versa. In contrast, we find little support for the compensation hypothesis, whereby employees who are dissatisfied in one domain seek compensatory rewards in the other domain. However, multivariate analysis reveals that the strength of the interaction between job and life satisfaction is mitigated by cultural values and interpersonal trust, as encapsulated in the ‘traditional versus secular values’ index reported in the EVS data. We thus find that predictors of the job–life satisfaction relationship vary across cultures and that such cross‐cultural variations are systematically related to salient cultural values and beliefs. The latter findings raise important questions about the universal application of existing theories in the subjective well‐being arena.     

A Test of Basic Assumptions of Affective Events Theory (AET) in Call Centre Work1

Based on data from 2091 call centre representatives working in 85 call centres in the UK, central assumptions of affective events theory (AET) are tested. AET predicts that specific features of work (e.g. autonomy) have an impact on the arousal of emotions and moods at work that, in turn, co‐determine job satisfaction of employees. AET further proposes that job satisfaction is an evaluative judgement that mainly explains cognitive‐based behaviour, whereas emotions and moods better predict affective‐based behaviour. The results support these assumptions. A clear separation of key constructs (job satisfaction, positive and negative emotions) was possible. Moreover, correlations between several work features (e.g. supervisory support) and job satisfaction were, in part, mediated by work emotions, even when controlling for gender, age, call centre type (in‐house versus outsourced centres) and call centre size. Predictions regarding consequences of satisfaction and affect were partly corroborated as continuance commitment was more strongly related to job satisfaction than to positive emotions. In addition, affective commitment and health complaints were related to both emotions and job satisfaction to the same extent. Thus, AET is a fruitful framework for explaining why and how specific management strategies used for designing work features influence important organizational attitudes and well‐being of employees.     

服务性企业员工心理受权的影响因素及其作用

作者采用实证研究法,调查了广东省43家服务性企业,探讨服务性企业员工心理受权概念的组成成分与员工心理受权的影响因素及其作用。数据分析结果表明,工作意义、工作能力、影响力和自主决策权是同一个二阶因子“心理受权”的四个子因子,心理受权的四个组成成分存在相关关系。心理受权的四个组成成分受不同的前因因素的影响,心理受权的四个组成成分对员工的工作满意感、工作积极性和工作绩效有直接或间接的影响。     

An Examination of the Impact of Career-Oriented Mentoring on Work Commitment Attitudes and Career Satisfaction Among Professional and Managerial Employees1

Data obtained from 164 proteges in managerial and professional positions in public and private sector organizations in Singapore were used to examine the impact of career-oriented mentoring on three work commitment attitudes (career, organization and job) and career satisfaction. Factor analysis of the 15-item career-oriented mentoring scale (Ragins and McFarlin, 1990) revealed a five-factor solution – coach, sponsor, protection, challenging assignments and exposure. These career-oriented mentoring roles were differentially related to job involvement, organizational commitment and career satisfaction, and explained modest amounts of the variance in these outcome variables. T-test results indicated that mentored respondents (N = 164) reported significantly higher levels of the outcome variables than non-mentored respondents (N = 225). Limitations of the study, directions for further research and implications of the findings are discussed.     

Examining the Relationship between Civil Servant Perceptions of Organizational Culture and Job Attitudes: in the Context of the New Public Management Reform in South Korea

This study investigates the relationship between public officials’ perceptions of organizational culture and their job attitudes, particularly emphasizing a mediating role of job satisfaction under the new public management reform in South Korea. Data collected from Korean civil servants indicate that perceptions of the competing values rooted in different organizational culture types—clan, market, hierarchy, and adhocracy—differentially affect their job attitudes. In addition, the findings show the mediating influence of job satisfaction between public officials’ perceptions of organizational culture and organizational commitment.     

支持资源作用下的工作-家庭促进:情感倾向的调节作用

基于组织支持理论和资源保存理论,构建了支持资源作用下的工作-家庭促进模型,通过对40家制造业企业员工的问卷调查,采用多元调节回归的方法进行统计分析。研究结果表明,支持资源作用下的工作-家庭促进对员工组织情感承诺、工作满意度和离职意向有显著影响;情感倾向对支持资源作用下的工作-家庭促进与结果变量之间的关系有调节作用。当个体的情感倾向处于积极时,由组织支持资源带来的工作-家庭促进会显著提高员工的工作满意度、组织情感承诺,降低离职意向。     

Stress and the bus driver in the UK transport industry

This study was carried out to identify potential sources of stress for bus drivers working for the established operator in a major UK city, six months after the deregulation of bus transport. The focus was to assess the mental health and job satisfaction of the drivers. An interview programme was followed by a questionnaire survey of 376 male bus drivers. Major problem areas related to health and home-related concerns, problems intrinsic to the job, lack of involvement and support during the organizational changes occurring and fears regarding physical assault. Existing problems had been intensified as a result of streamlining and increased competition. The bus drivers were found to demonstrate lower levels of job satisfaction and unfavourable scores on mental-health indices when compared to normative samples, which was associated with their work-related stressors. The impact was significantly reduced for those men driving the newer minibuses in contrast to the traditional 72-seater double-decker buses.     

Job Satisfaction,Work Environment,and Rewards: Motivational Theory Revisited

A model of job satisfaction integrating economic and work environment variables was developed and used for testing interactions between rewards and work environment hazards. Data came from a representative panel of Danish employees. Results showed that psychosocial work environment factors, like information about decisions concerning the work place, social support, and influence, have significant impacts on the level of job satisfaction. Maximizing rewards did not compensate public employees to an extent that ameliorated the negative effects on job satisfaction of experiencing low levels of any of these factors whereas influence did not impact job satisfaction of private employees.     

The Value of Organizational Ambivalence for Small and Medium Size Enterprises in an Uncertain World

Prior literature suggests two competing mechanisms for how organizations respond to environmental forces – absorption and reduction – but there is no consensus on which mechanism is more effective. We solve this puzzle by analysing one underlying dimension of these two mechanisms – organizational ambivalence – in a small and medium size enterprise context. Specifically, we believe that because of the difference in consuming resources, organizational ambivalence can be divided into latent and active, which exhibit different uses in dealing with environmental forces and improving firm performance. We conducted two studies in four countries to test our hypotheses. These two studies yield unanimous support for our hypotheses regarding the impact of organizational ambivalence on organizational performance and mixed support for our hypotheses concerning environmental impacts on organizational ambivalence.     

Should I Stay or Should I Go? Explaining Turnover Intentions with Organizational Identification and Job Satisfaction*

The social identity approach is a powerful theoretical framework for the understanding of individuals' behaviour. The main argument is that individuals think and act on behalf of the group they belong to because this group membership adds to their social identity, which partly determines one's self‐esteem. In the organizational world, social identity and self‐categorization theories state that a strong organizational identification is associated with low turnover intentions. Because identification is the more general perception of shared fate between employee and organization, we propose that the relationship between identification and turnover will be mediated by job satisfaction as the more specific evaluation of one's task and working conditions. In four samples we found organizational identification feeding into job satisfaction, which in turn predicts turnover intentions.     

Personality and organizational health: the role of conscientiousness

Organizational health research identifies processes through which the work environment and individual differences combine to influence both individual and organizational outcomes. This study investigated the contribution of conscientiousness to organizational health. Research in the areas of occupational stress, work performance, and organizational climate was used to develop a framework for integrating different elements of organizational health. Within this framework, the work environment was assessed by perceptions of workload and role clarity ; individual well-being was assessed by psychological distress and job satisfaction ; and behaviour important for organizational success was assessed by contextual performance. Conscientiousness was investigated within the framework using self-reports from a sample of 104 Australian employees. Conscientiousness directly influenced contextual performance but did not influence well-being or perceptions of the work environment. Conscientiousness also reduced the impact of role clarity on both psychological distress and job satisfaction. The role of conscientiousness in a comprehensive model of organizational health is discussed.     

HRM Practices and Employee Commitment: Possibilities, Pitfalls and Paradoxes

Much recent writing on Human Resources Management (HRM) has emphasized the desirability of a committed workforce and the central role of HRM practices in establishing and maintaining such commitment. Little empirical evidence for such effects has been presented however, and the conceptualization of employee commitment has often been confused, failing to recognize its multi–dimensional nature. Researchers have sought to identify the antecedents of commitment, concentrating on personal/demographic, task, role and supervisory style variables taken from job satisfaction research. With regard to organizational and career commitment, it may be more fruitful to examine the impact of HRM policies and practices. Several studies undertaken by the authors demonstrating the impact on employee commitment of such HRM practices as selection, assessment, induction and training are reviewed, indicating the possibilities for research and practice in this area. Such studies also reveal some pitfalls in the over–simple, uncritical models of commitment often presented, and some paradoxical findings from the authors' own work are used to present a more adequate perspective on the commitment process.     

公仆型领导、员工集体和个人的工作态度对服务质量的影响

作者在13家宾馆和餐馆进行了一次实证研究,探讨饭店管理人员的公仆型领导风格、员工集体和个人的工作态度对员工的服务质量的影响。多层次线性模型分析结果表明,部门的公仆型领导氛围会直接影响员工集体的工作满意感,并通过集体情感性归属感,间接影响员工的服务质量。部门的公仆型领导氛围会调节员工感知的部门负责人的公仆型领导风格对他们的服务质量的影响;员工集体的情感性归属感会调节员工个人的工作满意感和情感性归属感对服务质量的影响。     

The Career Advancement Prospects of Managers and Professionals: Are MIS Employees Unique?

The present study examined the career advancement prospects of MIS and non-MIS employees, as well as the relationships of career advancement prospects with job performance evaluations, job satisfaction, career satisfaction, and organizational commitment for MIS and non-MIS professionals and managers. Participants included 134 MIS professionals and managers and 397 non-MIS professionals and managers of a large communications company. The results provided no evidence that MIS employees experience more restricted career advancement prospects than non-MIS employees. In addition, job performance evaluations generally had positive effects on career advancement prospects; career advancement prospects had a number of positive effects on job satisfaction, career satisfaction, and organizational commitment; and job satisfaction and career satisfaction had positive effects on organizational commitment. These findings are related to prior research, suggestions for future research are offered, and implications for the management of MIS employees are identified.     

Knowledge Diversity,Turnover, and Organizational‐Unit Productivity: An Empirical Analysis in a Knowledge‐Intensive Context

We examine the role of knowledge diversity among unit members on an organizational unit's productivity. Utilizing a proprietary data set of corrective maintenance tasks from a large software‐services firm, we investigate the impact of two key within‐unit diversity metrics: interpersonal diversity and intrapersonal diversity. We analyze the independent influence of interpersonal diversity and the interactive influence of interpersonal diversity and intrapersonal diversity on organizational unit's productivity. Finally, we examine how diversity moderates productivity of an organizational unit when employee turnover occurs. Our analysis reveals the following key insights: (a) interpersonal diversity has an inverted U‐shaped effect on organizational unit's productivity; (b) intrapersonal diversity moderates the influence of interpersonal diversity on organizational‐unit productivity; (c) at higher levels of interpersonal diversity, rate of decrease in productivity of the organizational unit due to turnover is higher. We discuss the resulting theoretical and managerial insights associated with these findings.     

Beyond demand and control: The contribution of organizational risk factors in assessing the psychological well-being of health care employees

Abstract

The job demand–control(–support) model is frequently used as a theoretical framework in studies on determinants of psychological well-being. Consequently, these studies are confined to the impact of job characteristics on worker outcomes. In the present study the relation between work conditions and outcomes (job satisfaction, emotional exhaustion, psychological distress, and somatic complaints) is examined from a broader organizational perspective. This paper reports on an analysis that examines both the unique and the additional contribution of organizational characteristics to well-being indicators, beyond those attributed to job characteristics. A total of 706 care staff from three public residential institutions for people with mental or physical disabilities in the Netherlands took part in this research. To assess organizational risk factors a measurement instrument was developed, the organizational Risk Factors Questionnaire (ORFQ), based on the safety-critical factors of the Tripod accident causation model. Factor analyses and reliability testing resulted in a 52-item scale consisting of six reliable sub-scales: staffing resources, communication, social hindrance, training opportunities, job skills, and material resources. These organizational risk factors explained important parts of the variance in each of the outcome measures, beyond that accounted for by demographic variables and job demand–control–support (JDCS) measures. Communication and training opportunities were of central importance to carers’ job satisfaction. Social hindrance, job skills, and material resources explained a substantial amount of unique variance on the negative outcomes investigated.     

Happiness at Work

Happiness in the form of pleasant moods and emotions, well‐being, and positive attitudes has been attracting increasing attention throughout psychology research. The interest in happiness has also extended to workplace experiences. This paper reviews what is known about the definition, causes and consequences of happiness at work, drawing also on insights from the expanding positive psychology literature on happiness in general. Many discrete organizational behavior constructs arguably belong to a larger family of happiness‐related constructs, and share some common causes and consequences. Happiness at work includes, but is far more than, job satisfaction. A comprehensive measure of individual‐level happiness might include work engagement, job satisfaction, and affective organizational commitment. Aspects of happiness have been (and should be) conceptualized and measured at multiple levels, including transient experiences, stable person‐level attitudes, and collective attitudes, and with respect to multiple foci, such as discrete events, the job, and the organization. At all levels, there is evidence that happiness has important consequences for both individuals and organizations. Past research has tended to underestimate the importance of happiness at work.     

Emotions and their management during a merger in Brunei

Studies have shown that the emotional impact of mergers influences employees' attitudes to change as well as more distal post-merger outcomes such as job satisfaction, organizational commitment and withdrawal. Understanding the role of emotions during mergers can therefore provide insights into why major change produces varying outcomes. This study presents findings from a qualitative study examining the emotional impact of a merger between two banking institutions on managers in Brunei. The distinctive national culture representing a fusion of Malay and Islamic values was found to influence the emotional impact of this merger. These values place less emphasis on personal control as a means for dealing with uncertainty. The findings suggest that Western transactional models of perceived control to explain how people manage change may have far more limited application within a Bruneian context.