This document discusses job satisfaction, including its definition as a pleasurable emotional state resulting from one's job appraisal. It examines work values like intrinsic values of interesting work and extrinsic values like pay. Work attitudes like job satisfaction and organizational commitment are more specific and less lasting than values. Influential theories of job satisfaction are presented, like the Facet Model that breaks jobs into elements to assess satisfaction. Herzberg's theory separates motivator and hygiene needs. The Discrepancy Model compares jobs to ideals. Job satisfaction can impact performance, absenteeism, turnover, organizational citizenship, and worker well-being. Managers are advised not to assume satisfaction causes behaviors and to manage absenteeism and turnover.

1. Job Satisfaction
12 June 2013

2. Topics
 What is Job Satisfaction?
 Work Values.
 Work Attitudes.
 Theories of Job satisfaction.
 Potential Consequences of Job
satisfaction.
12 June 2013

3. What is Job satisfaction?
 Job satisfaction has been defined as a
pleasurable emotional state resulting
from the appraisal of one’s job or job
experiences.
12 June 2013

4. Work Values
 A worker’s personal conviction about what
outcomes one should expect from his works
and how one should behave at work.
 The most general and long-lasting feelings
and beliefs people have that contribute to
how they experience work.
 Values can be intrinsic (i.e., related to the
nature of work itself) or extrinsic (i.e.,
related to the consequences of work).
12 June 2013

5. Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Work Values
Intrinsic Values
 Interesting work
 Challenging work
 Learning new things
 Making important
contributions
 Responsibility and
autonomy
 Being creative
Extrinsic Values
 High pay
 Job security
 Job benefits
 Status in wider
community
 Social contacts
 Time with family
 Time for hobbies
12 June 2013

6. Work Attitudes
 Collections of feelings, beliefs, and thoughts
about how to behave that people currently
hold about their jobs and organizations.
 Compared to values, attitudes are
◦ More specific
◦ Not as long lasting
 Specific work attitudes:
◦ Job satisfaction is the collection of feelings and
beliefs that people have about their current jobs.
◦ Organizational commitment is the collection of
feelings and beliefs that people have about their
organizations as a whole.
12 June 2013

7. 12 June 2013

8. 12 June 2013

9. Theories of Job Satisfaction
 Each theory of job satisfaction takes into
account one or more of the four main
determinants of job satisfaction and specifies,
in more detail, what causes one worker to be
satisfied with a job and another to be
dissatisfied.
 Influential theories of job satisfaction include
◦ The Facet Model
◦ Herzberg’s Motivator-Hygiene Theory
◦ The Discrepancy Model
◦ The Steady-State Theory
 These different theoretical approaches
should be viewed as complementary.12 June 2013

10. The Facet Model
 Focuses primarily on work situation factors by
breaking a job into its component elements, or
job facets, and looking at how satisfied workers
are with each.
 A worker’s overall job satisfaction is
determined by summing his or her satisfaction
with each facet of the job.
 Sample job facets:
◦ Ability utilization: the extent to which the job allows
one to use one’s abilities.
◦ Activity: being able to keep busy on the job.
◦ Human relations supervision: the interpersonal skills
of one’s boss.
12 June 2013

11. Herzberg’s Motivator-Hygiene Theory
 Hypothesized relationships between
motivator needs, hygiene needs, and
job satisfaction:
◦ When motivator needs are met, workers will
be satisfied; when these needs are not met,
workers will not be satisfied.
◦ When hygiene needs are met, workers will
not be dissatisfied; when these needs are
not met, workers will be dissatisfied.
12 June 2013

12. Herzberg’s Motivator-Hygiene Theory
 Every worker has two sets of needs or
requirements: motivator needs and
hygiene needs.
 Motivator needs are associated with the
actual work itself and how challenging it is.
◦ Facets: interesting work, autonomy,
responsibility
 Hygiene needs are associated with the
physical and psychological context in
which the work is performed.
◦ Facets: physical working conditions, pay,12 June 2013

13. The Discrepancy Model
 To determine how satisfied they are with
their jobs, workers compare their job to
some “ideal job.” This “ideal job” could
be
◦ What one thinks the job should be like
◦ What one expected the job to be like
◦ What one wants from a job
◦ What one’s former job was like
 Can be used in combination with the
Facet Model. 12 June 2013

14. The Steady-State Theory
 Each worker has a typical or
characteristic level of job satisfaction,
called the steady state or equilibrium
level.
 Different situational factors or events
at work may move a worker
temporarily from this steady state, but
the worker will eventually return to
his or her equilibrium level.
12 June 2013

15. 12 June 2013

16. Potential Consequences
of Job Satisfaction
 Performance: Satisfied workers are only slightly
more likely to perform at a higher level than
dissatisfied workers.
◦ Satisfaction is most likely to affect work behaviors when
workers are free to vary their behaviors and when a
worker’s attitude is relevant to the behavior in question.
 Absenteeism: Satisfied workers are only slightly
less likely to be absent than dissatisfied workers.
 Turnover: Satisfied workers are less likely to
leave the organization than dissatisfied workers.
12 June 2013

17. Determinants of Absence from Work
Motivation
to Attend Work
is Affected by
 Job satisfaction
 Organization’s
absence policy
 Other factors
Ability
to Attend Work
is Affected by
 Illness and
accidents
 Transportation
problems
 Family
responsibilities
12 June 2013

18. Potential Consequences
of Job Satisfaction
 Organizational citizenship behavior (OCB):
Satisfied workers are more likely to engage in
this behavior than dissatisfied workers.
◦ OCB: Behavior that is above and beyond the call
of duty but is nonetheless necessary for
organizational survival and effectiveness
 Helping coworkers, spreading goodwill
 Worker well-being: Satisfied workers are
more likely to have strong well-being than
dissatisfied workers.
◦ Worker well-being: How happy, healthy, and
prosperous workers are
12 June 2013

19. Advice to Managers
 Do not assume that poor performers are dissatisfied with their jobs
or that good performers are satisfied with their jobs.
 Do not assume that workers who are absent are dissatisfied or that
they were not motivated to come to work. Absence is also a
function of ability to attend.
 Manage absenteeism. Don’t try to eliminate it, and keep in mind
that a certain level of absence is often functional for workers and
organizations.
 Realize that turnover has both costs and benefits for an
organization and that you need to evaluate both. In particular,
before becoming concerned about worker turnover, examine the
performance levels of those who quit.
 If workers do only what they are told and rarely, if ever, exhibit
organizational citizenship behavior, measure their levels of job
satisfaction, identify the job facets they are dissatisfied with, and
make changes where possible.
 Even if job satisfaction does not seem to have an effect on
important behaviors in your organization, keep in mind that it is an
important factor in worker well-being.
12 June 2013

20. 12 June 2013