I can’t get no …Job Satisfaction

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Definition and History I can’t get no …Job Satisfaction Factors influencing job satisfaction Job Satisfaction: the extent of contentment from both the positive and negative feelings an individual has for his or her job- Higher job satisfaction comes from a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment within the jobHistory- Hawthorne Studies: One of the biggest preludes to job satisfaction- Experiments performed from 1927 – 1932 at the Western Electric Hawthorne Works in Chicago by Elton Mayo in order to examine productivity and work conditions- Used various conditions, originally effect of light, to examine how they affected the workers productivity- Results: Production of workers improved for almost all conditions but was found to be because the workers were being observed- This showed that people work for other purposes than being paid, which led to research in factors of job satisfaction- Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: Some argue that this theory laid the foundation for the job satisfaction theory- Motivation theory stating that people seek to satisfy five essential needs in life – physiological, safety, love, esteem, and self-actualization needs- Used by early researchers in the development of job satisfaction theories A variety of different factors can have a profound effect on levels of job satisfaction. These can be divided into intrinsic and extrinsic factors: Intrinsic Factors -Genetics and heredity play a significant role in levels of perceived job satisfaction. -Temperament is largely heritable, and this plays a role in the formation of major personality traits, which in turn serve to determine one’s suitability for various roles (person-context fit, where an individual is happier involved with a job that matches their interests, values, and abilities). -Specific personality traits are also associated with increased levels of job satisfaction, e.g. extraversion and conscientiousness, as well as self-regulatory/self-monitoring strategies, tenacity, core self-evaluations, goal orientation. -Emotions (as well as mood) also play a role in the perception of job satisfaction. -Frequency of positive emotions/affect tends to be a better predictor of levels of job satisfaction than intensity of positive emotions/affect. -Emphasis of positive emotions/affect can increase levels of job satisfaction, while repression of negative emotions/affect can decrease levels of job satisfaction. -The link between extraversion and positive affectivity, in addition to the link between introversion and negative affectivity, should also be noted. -The perception of stress is also involved in determining levels of perceived job satisfaction (eustress vs. distress). Extrinsic Factors -The method (and certainly, degree) of compensation plays a large in role in job satisfaction. -In monotonous or routine tasks, increases in compensation can improve both levels of job performance and job satisfaction. -However, when applied to an action that was engaged originally for other reasons (for example, an amateur athlete who turns professional), levels of performance and job satisfaction can actually decrease. -Warr used the analogy that some aspects of job design are like vitamins, up to a point, more is good, but anything beyond that becomes toxic (in terms of its effect on happiness, which Warr theorized was a key element of job satisfaction). -Variety was one of the factors influencing happiness identified by Warr, along with opportunity for personal control, opportunity for skill use, externally generated goals, and environmental clarity, and contact with others. -It is also important to note the role supervisors play in these factors, as it serves to underlie why communication between supervisors and employees is so important (which of course, has to do with the hierarchal structure of the organization, “flat” vs. “tall”). -The perception of stress was noted as an important internal factor affecting levels of satisfaction. What of the stressors themselves? It is well known that excessive degrees of stress can have severe detrimental physical and psychological effects on an individual. -Sutherland and Cooper identified six sources of job stress, including: stress in the job itself (workload, physical environment, hours, etc.), role-based stress (role conflict, job responsibility), stress due to the changing nature of relationships with other people (supervisors, subordinates, and co-workers), career stress (associated with lack of opportunity for career development/job insecurity), stress associated with the organizational structure and climate (restriction on behavior, no sense of belonging, etc.), and finally, stressors associated with the home and work interface (including conflicts of loyalty, life crises, and the like). • Big 5 Personality Traits and how the influence job satisfaction • Neuroticism- negative nature, therefore experience more negative life events • Most strongly correlated with job satisfaction • Greater job satisfaction is correlated with low neuroticism • Conscientiousness- work involvement tendency • Second strongest correlation with job satisfaction • Extraversion- predisposed to experience positive emotions • Higher extraversion correlates with greater job satisfaction • Agreeableness- high motivation to obtain interpersonal intimacy • Week correlation to job satisfaction • Openness to Experience- divergent thinking, feel both positive and negative more deeply • Week correlation to job satisfaction Factors Increasing Job Satisfaction - Variety- doing a number or range of things - Opportunity for personal control- controlling ones self and their environment - Opportunity for skill use- using skills we excel at or enjoy - Externally generated goals- goals created by others - Contact with others- being able to socialize with others in the work environment