Robbins & Judge
Organizational Behavior
Chapter
3
14th Edition
Global Edition
Attitudes
Attitudes and
and Job
Job Satisfaction
Satisfaction
Kelli J. Schutte
William Jewell College
Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education 3-1
Chapter
Chapter Learning
Learning Objectives
Objectives
After studying this chapter, you should be able to:
– Contrast the three components of an attitude.
– Summarize the relationship between attitudes and behavior.
– Compare and contrast the major job attitudes.
– Define job satisfaction and show how it can be measured.
– Summarize the main causes of job satisfaction.
– Identify four employee responses to dissatisfaction.
– Show whether job satisfaction is a relevant concept in
countries other than the United States.
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Attitudes
Attitudes
Evaluative statements or judgments concerning objects,
people, or events
Three components of an attitude:
The emotional or
Affective
Cognitive feeling segment
The opinion or of an attitude
belief segment of Behaviora
l
an attitude
An intention to behave
in a certain way toward
someone or something
Attitude
See E X H I B I T 3–1
See E X H I B I T 3–1
3-3
Does
Does Behavior
Behavior Always
Always Follow
Follow from
from Attitudes?
Attitudes?
Leon Festinger – No, the reverse is sometimes true!
Cognitive Dissonance: Any incompatibility between two
or more attitudes or between behavior and attitudes
– Individuals seek to reduce this uncomfortable gap, or
dissonance, to reach stability and consistency
– Consistency is achieved by changing the attitudes,
modifying the behaviors, or through rationalization
– Desire to reduce dissonance depends on:
• Importance of elements
• Degree of individual influence
• Rewards involved in dissonance
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Moderating
Moderating Variables
Variables
The most powerful moderators of the attitude-
behavior relationship are:
– Importance of the attitude
– Correspondence to behavior
– Accessibility
– Existence of social pressures
– Personal and direct experience of the attitude
Attitudes Predict Behavior
Moderating Variables
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Predicting
Predicting Behavior
Behavior from
from Attitudes
Attitudes
– Important attitudes have a strong relationship to
?
behavior.
– The closer the match between attitude and
behavior, the stronger the relationship:
• Specific attitudes predict specific behavior
• General attitudes predict general behavior
– The more frequently expressed an attitude, the
better predictor it is.
– High social pressures reduce the relationship and
may cause dissonance.
– Attitudes based on personal experience are
stronger predictors.
3-6
What
What are
are the
the Major
Major Job
Job Attitudes?
Attitudes?
Job Satisfaction
– A positive feeling about the job
resulting from an evaluation of its
characteristics
Job Involvement
– Degree of psychological
identification with the job where
perceived performance is important
to self-worth
Psychological Empowerment
– Belief in the degree of influence
over the job, competence, job
meaningfulness, and autonomy
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Another
Another Major
Major Job
Job Attitude
Attitude
Organizational Commitment
– Identifying with a particular organization and its goals, while
wishing to maintain membership in the organization.
– Three dimensions:
• Affective – emotional attachment to organization
• Continuance Commitment – economic value of staying
• Normative – moral or ethical obligations
– Has some relation to performance, especially for new
employees.
– Less important now than in the past – now perhaps more of
an occupational commitment, loyalty to profession rather
than a given employer.
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And
And Yet
Yet More
More Major
Major Job
Job Attitudes…
Attitudes…
Perceived Organizational Support (POS)
– Degree to which employees believe the organization values
their contribution and cares about their well-being.
– Higher when rewards are fair, employees are involved in
decision making, and supervisors are seen as supportive.
– High POS is related to higher OCBs and performance.
Employee Engagement
– The degree of involvement with, satisfaction with, and
enthusiasm for the job.
– Engaged employees are passionate about their work and
company.
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Are
Are These
These Job
Job Attitudes
Attitudes Really
Really Distinct?
Distinct?
No: these attitudes are
highly related.
Variables may be
redundant (measuring
the same thing under a
different name)
While there is some
distinction, there is also
a lot of overlap.
Be patient, OB researchers are working on it!
3-10
Job
Job Satisfaction
Satisfaction
One of the primary job attitudes measured.
– Broad term involving a complex individual summation of a
number of discrete job elements.
How to measure?
– Single global rating (one question/one answer) - Best
– Summation score (many questions/one average) - OK
Are people satisfied in their jobs?
– In the U. S., yes, but the level appears to be dropping.
– Results vary by employee facets of the job.
– Pay and promotion are the most problematic elements.
See E X H I B I T 3–2
See E X H I B I T 3–2
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Causes
Causes of
of Job
Job Satisfaction
Satisfaction
Pay influences job satisfaction only to a point.
– After about $40,000 per year (in the U.S.), there is no
relationship between amount of pay and job satisfaction.
– Money may bring happiness, but not necessarily job
satisfaction.
Personality can influence job satisfaction.
– Negative people are usually not satisfied with their jobs.
– Those with positive core self-evaluation are more satisfied
with their jobs.
See E X H I B I T 3–3
See E X H I B I T 3–3
3-12
Employee
Employee Responses
Responses to
to Dissatisfaction
Dissatisfaction
Active
Exit Voice
• Behavior • Active and
directed constructive
toward attempts to
leaving the improve
organization conditions
Destructive Constructive
Neglect Loyalty
• Allowing • Passively
conditions to waiting for
worsen conditions to
improve
Passive
See E X H I B I T 3–4
See E X H I B I T 3–4
3-13
Outcomes
Outcomes of
of Job
Job Satisfaction
Satisfaction
Job Performance
– Satisfied workers are more productive AND more
productive workers are more satisfied!
– The causality may run both ways.
Organizational Citizenship Behaviors
– Satisfaction influences OCB through perceptions of
fairness.
Customer Satisfaction
– Satisfied frontline employees increase customer
satisfaction and loyalty.
Absenteeism
– Satisfied employees are moderately less likely to miss
work.
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More
More Outcomes
Outcomes of
of Job
Job Satisfaction
Satisfaction
Turnover
– Satisfied employees are less likely to quit.
– Many moderating variables in this relationship.
• Economic environment and tenure
• Organizational actions taken to retain high performers and to
weed out lower performers
Workplace Deviance
– Dissatisfied workers are more likely to unionize, abuse
substances, steal, be tardy, and withdraw.
! Despite the overwhelming evidence of the impact of job
satisfaction on the bottom line, most managers are either
unconcerned about or overestimate worker satisfaction.
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Global
Global Implications
Implications
Is Job Satisfaction a U.S. Concept?
– No, but most of the research so far has been in the U.S.
Are Employees in Western Cultures More Satisfied With
Their Jobs?
– Western workers appear to be more satisfied than those in
Eastern cultures.
– Perhaps because Westerners emphasize positive emotions and
individual happiness more than do those in Eastern cultures.
See E X H I B I T 3–5
See E X H I B I T 3–5
3-16
Summary
Summary and
and Managerial
Managerial Implications
Implications
Managers should watch employee attitudes:
– They give warnings of potential problems
– They influence behavior
Managers should try to increase job satisfaction and
generate positive job attitudes
– Reduces costs by lowering turnover, absenteeism, tardiness,
theft, and increasing OCB
Focus on the intrinsic parts of the job: make work
challenging and interesting
– Pay is not enough
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