Constructs of Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment
Activity Description:
“In this exercise, students develop a model that identifies predictors of work-related outcomes for individuals that have high degrees of responsibility for others (e.g., children, elderly parents). This is meant to help students understand that predictors of work-related attitudes are unique for each individual and they may change over time as family or dependent responsibilities change. Finally, this activity is intended to help students understand that organizational interventions are often implemented to positively affect work-related outcomes like attitudes or performance.”
Purpose:
Research has supported the notion that situational factors are important predictors of work related outcomes like job satisfaction and organizational commitment. This exercise is intended to have students develop a model that identifies predictors of work-related outcomes for individuals that have high degrees of responsibility for others (e.g., children, elderly parents). This is meant to help students understand that predictors of work-related attitudes are unique for each individual and they may change over time as family or dependent responsibilities change. Finally, this activity is intended to help students understand that organizational interventions are often implemented to positively affect work-related outcomes like attitudes or performance.
Steps:
- As a class, define the constructs of job satisfaction, organizational commitment (i.e., affective, normative, continuance) and discuss the traditional theories that identify predictors of these outcomes. In other words, what factors have researchers typically examined as predictors of each? Meyer & Allen (1994) and Spector (1994) provide very good summaries of this literature:
- Meyer, J. P., and Allen, N. J. (1997). Commitment in the workplace: Theory, research, and application. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
- Specter, P. E. (1997). Job satisfaction: Application, assessment, causes, and consequences. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
- Organize students into groups of 3-4 and ask them to develop their own theory related to one of the constructs. For instance, ask them to develop a theory that would describe the specific predictors of job satisfaction that may be important to working parents or individuals caring for dependent others. In other words, ask them to expand on the traditional set of predictors for this construct. Students may identify things such as flexibility, good child care, etc.
- Once the groups have developed their theory or set of predictors, write these “new” predictors up on the board. Discuss as a class why these predictors may be particularly important for workers who care for dependent others. For instance, are these things that may reduce work-family conflict or increase facilitation?
- Finally, have the class identify organizational interventions (e.g., flexible work schedules, job sharing, telework, on-site daycare) that might address this set of predictors. These could be interventions that organizations already have in place, but also encourage them to be creative in identifying new, currently unused interventions.