Structural Determinants of Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment in Turnover Models

Using Meta-Analytical Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), the relationships between structural determinants of job satisfaction and organizational commitment were investigated in the context of contemporary turnover models. Data for this study were obtained from nine empirical studies conducted under the direction of James L. Price and Charles W. Mueller at the University of Iowa. The results suggest that only three structural determinants (distributive justice, promotional chances, and supervisory support) are directly related to organizational commitment over and above their impact on job satisfaction. The effect size of these direct links, however, is small in that they are not detectable in smaller samples (e.g., n=244). On the other hand, most structural determinants are directly related to job satisfaction. The notable exception is the amount of pay employees received which is not related to either job satisfaction or organizational commitment. These findings and implications for future turnover research are discussed.     

The antecedents of employee commitment to customer service: evidence from a UK

This paper provides a first attempt at conceptualizing and operationalizing the notion of commitment to customer service (CCS) as part of a broader concern to explore the determinants of key aspects of service quality and of individual-level performance in service organizations. Based on an explicitly behavioral definition of commitment to customer service, we first set out a model of the antecedents of CCS. We then test it using data from a representative sample of 717 employees of a major food-retailing organization in the UK. The results suggest that commitment to customer service is primarily a non-calculative phenomenon driven above all by affective. normative altruistic concerns, rather than by overtly instrumental considerations. Additional significant determinants of CCS were job pressure, job routinization. job competence and employees' understanding of customer service requirements. Research and policy implications of the study are discussed.     

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS AND JOB INVOLVEMENT AS ANTECEDENTS OF BOUNDARY SPANNING BEHAVIOUR: A PATH ANALYSIS

The relationships between age, aspects of tenure, locus of control, job involvement, and boundary spanning behaviour (B.S.B.) were examined using path analysis for 281 scientists and engineers. It was found that locus of control and age were significant determinants of job involvement. It was also shown that locus of control and job involvement were significant determinants of B.S.B. These findings are discussed relative to previous research on locus of control, job involvement, and B.S.B. Finally, new research designs are advocated which incorporate task characteristics, role dynamics constructs, and environmental uncertainty as determinants of B.S.B.     

Job satisfaction and organizational commitment: validating the Arabic satisfaction and commitment questionnaire (ASCQ), testing the correlations,and investigating the effects of demographic variables in the Lebanese banking sector

The aim of this study was to assess the construct validity and the reliability of two measurement scores of organizational commitment and job satisfaction, to measure the correlation between the two variables, and to explore the effects of different demographic variables on satisfaction and commitment in a Lebanese context. A total of 298 cases from five major banks were analyzed. Rigorous forward and backward translation procedures have been applied to ensure the relevance of this instrumentation in a different cultural context. Results of exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, simple item-internal consistency estimates, and item intercorrelation analysis provided evidence that both instruments have produced reliable measurement scores with construct validity adequate to measure satisfaction and commitment in the Lebanese context. Results also showed that the constructs of satisfaction and commitment were significantly correlated and that satisfaction was a good predictor of commitment. Demographic analysis, discussion of these results, and suggestions for future research were proposed.     

The relationships between person-organization value fit and employee attitudes in a Korean government sector

Abstract

While person-organization (P-O) value fit and its influences on organizations have been widely studied, there is a lack of research focusing on the P-O value fit of employees in a government sector in Korea, and the impact on their attitudes. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between P-O value fit and employee career and job satisfaction, and organizational commitment in a government sector. Based on the data collected from 1211 employees at government agencies in Korea, this study utilized polynomial regression and response surface analyses, and the results demonstrated that P-O fit on all of the values in the study had positive relationships with employees’ career satisfaction. Among the five different values, P-O fit on autonomy had a positive relationship with career and job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. Based on the results, this study also provides theoretical and practical implications for future research.     

Relationships among leader–member exchange,person–organization fit and work attitudes in Japanese and Korean organizations: testing a cross-cultural moderating effect

This study examines a possible national culture difference in the moderating effect of leader–member exchange (LMX) on the relationship between person–organization (P–O) fit and work attitudes, including job satisfaction and organizational commitment, in Japan and Korea. Specifically, we use trait activation theory as a lens to explain the complementarities between P–O fit and LMX that may exert an influence on employees' work attitudes. We hypothesize that from the cross-cultural management perspective, such complementary effects would work in Japan where organizations encourage more decentralization and empowerment than those in Korea, which may enable supervisors in Japanese organizations to provide unambiguous reward expectancies for their immediate subordinates. Using samples of 138 Japanese and 144 Korean employees working for privately owned firms in Japan and Korea, we demonstrate that a significant three-way interaction of employees' P–O fit, LMX and a national culture difference (i.e. nationality) influences their work attitudes. Specifically, LMX moderated the positive relationships between P–O fit and both job satisfaction and organizational commitment for Japanese employees, tending to weaken them. For Korean employees, however, no such interactions were observed. The findings are used to discuss the applicability and generalizability of trait activation theory in East Asian cultures. In addition, suggestions are made regarding the discussion of HRM practices from a cross-vergence perspective. Limitations and directions for future research are also discussed.     

Organizational antecedents of employee perceived organizational support in China: a grounded investigation

Perceived organizational support (POS) has received a lot of research attention since it was introduced into the organizational behavioral research in 1986. The extant research has shown that POS is a major driver of employee motivation, performance, and organizational commitment. However, relatively fewer studies were conducted to identify the antecedents or determinants of POS, and most of them were conducted in the North American context. Taking an inductive approach, we identified organizational antecedents of POS in the People's Republic of China (PRC). The results of our research showed that, as compared with those findings in the western literature, the major antecedents of POS in the PRC included some common factors (e.g. procedural justice and supervisor support) as well as cultural-specific factors (e.g. care for disadvantaged employees and care for employees' family). The implications for future research on POS and management practices in cross-cultural research were also discussed.     

Some Basic Issues Related to Contextual Performance and Organizational Citizenship Behavior in Human Resource Management

This article examines some basic issues that might pose conceptual challenges in applying ideas related to contextual performance and organizational citizenship behavior to human resource management. It considers labeling issues and differences between the origins and definitions of the terms, contextual performance, and organizational citizenship behavior, and argues that the labeling issues are less important than careful definition and measurement of the behavioral dimensions that these terms embrace. It also considers the conceptual status of organizational citizenship behavior and contextual performance as latent constructs or aggregate constructs according to distinctions presented by Law, Wong, and Mobley. And finally, it explores questions related to consequences of behavioral patterns connoted by these terms for organizational effectiveness and individual motivation, job satisfaction, and commitment.     

Building effective organizations: transformational leadership,collectivist orientation,work-related attitudes and withdrawal behaviours in three emerging economies

Abstract

Previous cross-cultural research on transformational leadership has focused mainly on replicating the augmentation effects of transformational leadership over transactional leadership on followers’ attitudes and behaviours. Relatively few studies have systematically examined cultural impacts in moderating the influence of transformational leadership on work-related outcomes taking a cross-cultural perspective. Using a field survey of 577 employees from banking and financial sectors in three emerging economies, namely: China, India and Kenya, we examined the moderating effect of collectivism on the relationships between transformational leadership, work-related attitudes and perceptions of withdrawal behaviours. Our results found support for the moderating effect of collectivism on the relationship between transformational leadership and work-related outcomes, such as facets of job satisfaction, organizational commitment and perceptions of organizational withdrawal behaviours. In addition, our results lend support to the view that transformational leadership might be effective across cultures. The implications of these findings for future research on transformational leadership and cross-cultural research are discussed.     

Profiles of ideological and instrumental union bonds: a test in the U.S. and Ghana contexts

Abstract

Configuration or profile of commitments, a person-centered approach, is one of the approaches that have gained a foothold in the commitment research. The importance of this approach to commitment research is the identification of groups that share similarities on a set of commitment constructs. However, profile research on bonds (attachments) to the union is rare. The purpose of this study was to investigate the typology of union profiles based on the ideological and instrumental bonds and to determine if different national settings will lead to discernible patterns of union profiles in the different contexts. The study also seeks to validate the emerged profiles by their association patterns with culture, economic and citizenship behaviors in the union. A field investigation of unionized employees in multiple unions revealed a four-cluster solution in both US and Ghana settings. Profiles explained meaningful variation in psychological collectivism and citizenship in both settings. However, profile differences were only observed for economic dependency for the Ghana sample but not that of the U.S. The theoretical and practical implications of the study are discussed.     

On assessing the construct validity of two multidimensional constructs: Occupational commitment and occupational entrenchment

Occupational commitment and occupational (career) entrenchment are two multidimensional constructs in the “early development” stages. The construct validity evidence to date for each multidimensional construct is constructively critiqued. Suggestions for building stronger measures of occupational commitment and occupational entrenchment are offered. It is argued that using longitudinal research designs and revisiting the nomological net can provide stronger discriminant validity evidence for each multidimensional construct. Finally, research simultaneously studying both constructs is needed. Preliminary work suggests that occupational entrenchment can be integrated within the continuance dimension of occupational commitment. Human resource implications for studying such occupational-level constructs are discussed.     

The relentless pursuit of construct validity in the design of employment interviews

The construct validity of employment interviews is the greatest challenge faced by employment interview researchers. In this paper, we discuss the theoretical and methodological issues which have an influence upon the construct validity of employment interviews. We pay special attention to issues that emerge at the conceptual development and design stage of interviews. So far, the structuring of employment interviews has been the primary method of improving construct validity. We argue that construct validity can be further improved by bringing theoretical rigor in the design of interviews. For this purpose, we propose steps to reframe the interview dimensions in theoretical frameworks of job performance, to explicate the nomological network of interview constructs, to clarify the validation strategy, and to improve the questions and assessment keys. In the end, we provide an example to illustrate the application of these steps.     

Working for a higher purpose: A theoretical framework for commitment to organization-sponsored causes

We explicate the theoretical foundations of employee commitment to organization-sponsored causes—voluntary, socially responsible practices or programs espoused by an organization—as targets of employee commitment. Although scholarly interest in organization-sponsored causes is increasing, little is understood about the mechanisms for employee involvement in organization-sponsored causes, since the motives and context for participation may differ significantly from participation in such causes outside of work. We propose that commitment to organization-sponsored causes can be conceptualized in terms of affective and normative mindsets and suggest that these mindsets, both separately and in combination, influence employees' behavioral support for the cause. We also draw upon the theory of planned behavior to suggest that employee perceptions regarding how an organization supports employee participation in the cause may influence their behavioral support for the cause. Finally, we describe the interrelationships among commitment to the organization-sponsored cause, employees' behavioral support for the organization-sponsored cause, and organizational commitment.     

Temporary Liaisons: The Commitment of ‘Temps’ Towards Their Agencies*

abstract The majority of research on organizational commitment has focused on commitment in traditional, ongoing and open‐ended relationships. The commitment of employees in non‐standard work arrangements such as temporary employment has been subject to much less theoretical and empirical investigation. In this study, we examine the affective and continuance commitment of temporary workers towards their agency and its determinants. We distinguish two groups of determinants: the process by which the temporary worker chose a particular agency and the support provided by the agency. The findings can be summarized as follows: (1) affective commitment among temps is generally higher than their continuance commitment; (2) having more alternative agencies to choose from (i.e., volition) does not enhance the commitment of temporary workers; (3) a public choice for a particular agency raises both types of commitment, whereas the perceived agency dependence created by the choice increases continuance, but not affective commitment; and (4) both types of commitment are positively influenced by agency supportiveness, reflected in the way the agency deals with problems, the career support it provides, and the way it keeps in close contact with its temporary workers. Finally, the results suggest that factors raising affective commitment may ‘spill over’ to increase continuance commitment.     

Vertical Contracts as Strategic Commitments: How are They Enforced?

This paper addresses the strategic commitment value of various price and nonprice vertical contracts. Assuming contract offers are sufficiently public to have strategic importance, we focus on commitment as a necessary and separable condition to be met. The analysis has two components. First, considering the relationship between a monopolist manufacturer and his imperfectly competing retailers, enforcement conditions necessary for alternative vertical contracts to have commitment value are identified in the static (reputation-free) context. It is shown that external help (i.e., enforcement by nonsignatories) is necessary for bilateral minimum resale price maintenance (price floors) and exclusive territory contracts to have commitment value, whereas maximum resale price maintenance (price ceilings) do not require such help (i.e., they are internally enforcing). Second, the paper provides an analysis of the U.S. case law and discusses the empirical validity of the "external enforcement" assumption that is shown to underlie recent proposals to make certain vertical restraints illegal.     

Individual entrepreneurial orientation,value congruence,and individual outcomes: Does the institutional entrepreneurial environment matter?

Although entrepreneurial orientation (EO) at the firm-level is often conceptualized as a direct antecedent of performance, the findings of previous studies lending support to this association are inconsistent. Consequently, drawing on the attraction/selection/attrition and institutional theories and employing the moderated mediation analysis approach, this study conceptualizes the individual perception of a firm's EO or individual entrepreneurial orientation (IEO). It examines the direct and indirect effects of IEO on individual outcomes measured in terms of performance expectation, job involvement, and organizational commitment. More specifically, it examines whether these effects are mediated by value congruence and moderated by the institutional entrepreneurial environment to understand these inconsistent findings better. Using a sample of 398 environmentally concerned small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in South Korea, partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), and the PROCESS macro were employed to analyzed the research model. This study finds that value congruence mediates the association between IEO and performance expectation, job involvement, and organizational commitment. The moderated mediation model analysis also suggests that the mediating role of value congruence increases as the level of the institutional entrepreneurial environment increases. These findings offer useful theoretical and managerial implications of the IEO on individual outcomes.     

Migration and job change: a multinomial logit approach

A multinomial logit model of residence and job change is developed and estimated using U.S. data from the Michigan Panel Study of Income Dynamics. It is found that both housing demand and job search characteristics are significant determinants of the decision to migrate and that both equilibrium and disequilibrium forces induce migration and job change. In addition, "the data do not appear to be ordered with respect to job and residence change contingencies with the exception of changing neither job nor residence relative to all other contingencies."     

A Meta‐analytic Integration and Test of Psychological Climate Dimensionality

There is no consensus as to what constructs should be considered to be psychological climate. Further, there is no clear taxonomy of psychological climate, although the climate literature suggests that psychological climate perceptions should form higher‐order (i.e., abstract, broad) dimensions. Two meta‐analyses have been conducted to evaluate higher‐order frameworks, but neither study tested the psychometric structure of their hypothesized models. The current meta‐analysis estimated the intercorrelations and criterion‐related validity of 23 psychological climate constructs in order to test the theoretical frameworks proposed by prior meta‐analyses. Confirmatory factor analyses supplemented by a method analogous to item‐to‐scale correlations indicated little empirical support for the a priori frameworks. Results suggest that that psychological climate may be parsimoniously represented by two dimensions. Task climate was most strongly indicated by supervisor goal setting, innovation, and organizational responsiveness. Relational climate was most strongly indicated by work group warmth and social rewards. A path analysis was estimated to test whether job satisfaction partially mediated the association between psychological climate and the outcomes of job performance, turnover intentions, and psychological well‐being. Results provide guidance to researchers and practitioners interested in measuring perceptions of the work environment. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Dispositional and organizational sources of job satisfaction: a cross-national study

ABSTRACT

Job satisfaction has proven to be a resilient contributor to employee motivation, productivity, organizational commitment, absenteeism, and turnover. Utilizing cross-national data from five Asian countries/settings and the United States we examine the impact of organizational and psychological factors on job satisfaction. This study contributes to the literature by showing that while organizational factors, such as performance appraisals and leadership behaviours are important sources of job satisfaction, what matters most is whether individuals perceive themselves to be efficacious in their jobs. Self-efficacy was found to be the strongest determinant of job satisfaction in both, the U.S., and the Asian contexts. Based on cultural characteristics of power-distance and collectivism, this study also examines cross-national differences in the level of public employee job satisfaction.     

Employees' attitudes toward organizational change: A literature review

Organizations are increasingly required to improve their ability to enhance employees' support or acceptance for change initiatives. In studies that have examined the conditions in which employees support organizational change, researchers have focused on various attitudinal constructs that represent employees' attitudes toward organizational change. The constructs, which frequently serve as key variables in these studies, include readiness for change, commitment to change, openness to change, and cynicism about organizational change. These constructs have distinct meanings and emphases and therefore they can provide us with different information regarding employees' evaluation of and concerns about particular change initiatives. In this literature review, the author discusses how the constructs are defined in the organizational change literature and synthesizes the antecedents of each construct. Based on the discussion, it is proposed that the constructs are susceptible to situational variables, and may change over time as individuals' experiences change; therefore, they are better conceptualized as states than as personality traits. ©2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.