Download Attitudes & Job Satisfaction

Chapter
THREE
Attitudes and Job
Satisfaction
© 2007 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved.
Learning Objectives
 Contrast terminal and instrumental values.
 Identify Hofstede’s five value dimensions of national
culture.
 Contrast the three components of an attitude
 Identify the role that consistency plays in attitudes
 Summarize the relationship between attitudes and behavior
 Discuss similarities and differences between job
satisfaction and other job attitudes discussed
 Summarize the main causes of job satisfaction
 Identify four employee responses to dissatisfaction
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Attitudes
Attitudes
Evaluative
statements or
judgments
concerning
objects,
people, or
events. ( either
favorable or unfavorable)
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Cognitive component
The opinion or belief
segment of an attitude.
Affective Component
The emotional or feeling
segment of an attitude.
Behavioral Component
An intention to behave in a
certain way toward someone or
something.
Explanation
Attitudes are not the same as values, but the two are interrelated.
”Discriminating is wrong” is a Value Statement.
Such an opinion is the Cognitive component.
(cognition – the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge through
thought, experience and senses)
It sets the stage for more critical part of an attitude – its Affective
Component.
Affect is the emotional or feeling segment of an attitude, and is
reflected in the statement ” I do not like Jon because he dicriminates
against miniorities”.
Behavioral Component – of an attitude refers to an intention to
behave in a certain way toward someone or something – I might
choose to avoid Jon because of my feelings about him.
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Types of Attitudes –three 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.( so, high job involvement means identifying with one’s
specific job, while high OC means identifying with one’s employing org.)
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Attitudes & Consistency Principal
 Did you ever notice how people change what they
say so it does not contradict what they do?
 Research has generally concluded that people
seek consistency among their attitudes &
between their attitudes and their behavior.
 Individuals seek to reconcile divergent attitudes
and allign their attitudes & behavior so they
appear rational and consistent.
 When there is an inconsistency, forces are
initiated to return the individual to an equilibirium
state where attitudes & behavior are again
consistent.
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Attitudes & Consistency Principal
 This can be done by altering either the attitudes
or the behavior, or by developing a rationalization
for the discrepancy.
 Example:
 How people cope up with the ongoing barrage of
data linking cigarette smoking & negative health
outcomes?
 They can deny that any clear causation b/w
smoking & cancer, for instance, has been
established.
 They can , either, accept the research evidence &
begin actively working to make more healthy
cigarettes or at least readuce their availability to
teenagers.
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Attitudes & Consistency Principal
 Can we assume from this “consistency principle”
that an individual’s behavior can always be
predicted if we know his or her attitude on a
subject?
 For example, if Mr.A views his pay too low, will an
increase in his salary will change his behavior,
that is, make him work harder?
 The answer to this is more complex than merely a
Yes or No.
 Theory of “Cognitive Dissonance” sought to
explain the linkage b/w attitudes & behavior.
 Dissonance means an inconsistency.
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The Theory of Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive Dissonance
•Any incompatibility between two or more attitudes or between
behavior and attitudes.
•Mr. Festinger argued that any form of inconsistency is uncomfortable &
that individuals will attempt to reduce the dissonance and, hence the
discomfort.
• Individual will seek a stable state where there is a minimum of
dissonance.
•So how do people cope?
Desire to reduce dissonance depends on
• Importance of elements creating dissonance
• Degree of influence individual believes, has over elements
• Rewards involved in dissonance
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Example
A corporate manager – Mrs. Smith – believes
strongly that no company should pollute the air
or water.
Mrs. Smith is appointed as a decision maker to
trade off between her firm`s profitability against
her attitudes on pollution.
Mrs. Smith knows that dumping the company`s waste into
local river ( which is assumed legal) is in the best economic
interest of her firm.
What several paths, can she follow? (discussion)
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several paths
 She can change her behavior i.e., stop polluting
the river.
 Or, she can reduce dissonance by concluding
that the dissonant behavior is not so important
after all – I have to make my living.
 Or, she may change her attitude – there is
nothing wrong with polluting the river.
 Or, she may seek out more consonant elements
to outweigh the dissonant ones – the benefits to
society from manufacturing our products are
more than the cost to society of the resulting
water pollution.
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Measuring the A-B Relationship
Recent research indicates that attitudes (A) significantly
predict behaviors (B) when moderating variables are taken
into account. ( protecting the environment – recycling)
A
B
Moderating Variables
• Importance of the attitude
• Specificity of the attitude
• Social pressures on the individual
• Direct experience with the attitude
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Self-Perception Theory
Attitudes are used after the fact to make sense out of an action
that has already occurred.
( when asked about an attitude toward some object,
individuals recall their behavior relevant to that object &
then infer their attitude from their past behavior ).
And,
B
A!
(Behaviors influence attitudes)
”It seems that we are very good at finding reasons for
what we do, but not so good at doing what we find reasons for”
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Self-Perception Theory…….continued
 Self-perception theory has been well supported.
 Although the traditional attitude-behavior
relationship is generally positive, the behaviorattitude relationship is stronger.
 This is particularly true when attitudes are vague
& ambiguous.
 When you have had few experiences regarding an
attitude issue or give little previous thought to it,
you will tend to infer your attitudes from your
behavior.
 However, when your attitudes have been
established for a while & are well defined, those
attitudes are likely to guide your behavior.
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An Application: Attitude Surveys
Attitude Surveys
Draw out responses from employees through
questionnaires about how they feel about their jobs,
work groups, supervisors, and the organization.
Using attitude surveys on a regular basis provides managers with
valuable feedback
on how employees perceive their working conditions.
The use of regular attitude surveys can alert management to
potential problems and employes`s intentions early so that the action
can be taken to prevent repercussions.
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Attitudes and Workforce Diversity
 A comment to a coworker of the opposite sex, which 20 years ago might
have been taken as a complement, can today become a career-limiting
episode.
 In diversity programs people are pressed to examine themselves & to
confront ethnic & cultural stereotypes they might hold.
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.
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Sarah Palin (Republican vice-presidential nominee ) & Asif Zardari (
President of Pakistan)
 “you are more gorgeous than you are on TV. Now I know
why the whole America is crazy about you”.
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Measuring Job Satisfaction
– Single global rating: This method is nothing more
than asking individuals to respond to one question
such as “ All things considered, how satisfied are you
with your job?”
Scale: 1
2
highly satisfied
3
4
5
highly dissatisfied
– Summation score: This method identifies key
elements in a job & tasks for the employee's
feelings about each ( nature of work, supervision,
present pay, promotion opportunities, and relations
with co-workers etc.)
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Causes of Job Satisfaction





Mentally Challenging work
Equitable Rewards
Supportive Working Conditions
Supportive Colleagues
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
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How Employees Can Express Dissatisfaction
Exit
Voice
Behavior directed toward
leaving the organization –
Active and constructive attempts
to improve conditionssuggesting improvements,
discussing problems.
looking for new job, resigning.
Loyalty
Passively but optimistically
waiting for conditions to
improve – trusting org. &
management to do the right
thing
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Neglect
Passively allowing
conditions to worsen-
reduced effort, increased error
rate.
The Effect of Job Satisfaction on Employee
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.
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Job Satisfaction and 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.
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Job Satisfaction and Customer 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.
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Chapter Check-Up: Attitudes
In general, when we think of attitudes and organizations, we think of
1) Job Satisfaction
2) Happiness
3) Job Involvement
4) Mood at work
5) Organizational Commitment
6) 1 and 2
7) 1, 3, and 5
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Chapter Check-Up: Attitudes
Ernesto is the known as the Donut Hut King---every day he
brings donuts and coffee to the office for everyone. He says it
helps everyone think more clearly! Ernesto is demonstrating
1. Job satisfaction
2. Organizational citizenship
behavior
3. Productivity
4. Job involvement
5. Conscientiousness
Write down three things someone could do at
work that would constitute an OCB. Compare
your list with a neighbor’s.
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