PAY SATISFACTION AND ORGANIZATIONAL OUTCOMES

Using multi level and multi method data, we investigated the relationship between pay satisfaction and outcomes at the organizational level of analysis. Individual-level survey data on pay satisfaction (including satisfaction with pay level, satisfaction with pay structure, satisfaction with pay raises, and benefits) were collected from 6,394 public school teachers. Organizational-level outcome data, both survey and archival, were collected from the 117 public school districts employing these teachers. With respect to its influence on organizational outcomes, pay satisfaction was positively related to school district-level academic performance and negatively related to average teacher intention to quit. We also explored the relationship between district-level union satisfaction and pay satisfaction, which was found to be positive. We discuss implications of our findings for for-profit companies that are knowledge based and human capital intensive (e.g., the service sector) and address possible future directions for research on pay satisfaction.     

GENDER,MENTORING, AND CAREER SUCCESS: THE IMPORTANCE OF ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

This study examines the moderating effects of protégé sex and organizational context on relationships between senior-male mentors and objective and subjective career outcomes among midcareer managers and professionals. Extending signaling theory, and using a 3-way interaction, we found that associations between senior-male mentoring, cash compensation, and career progress satisfaction were greatest among women working in male-gendered industries. By contextualizing the protégé sex-by-mentoring interaction and by considering key mentor attributes, the results of this study provide important insights into where, why, and for whom access to a senior-male mentor is related to career success and contribute to building more complete models of the career attainment process.     

COMPARISONS OF MANAGERIAL AND EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION WITH A PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL SYSTEM

Questionnaires were administered to managers and employees in a large multinational corporation to assess satisfaction with various aspects of a performance appraisal system. Comparisons of managers' and employees' satisfaction were made by conducting factor analyses for each sample. The results indicate moderate similarity between the two groups. However, two significant differences were revealed by the analysis. First, there is evidence that employees perceive certain aspects of the appraisal system in a global way, whereas managers differentiate among various components and see them as distinct entities. Second, the relative importance of the factors differs between the two groups. The largest portion of variance accounted for in the employee sample pertained to general satisfaction with the system whereas for managers it pertained to the types of ratings made on the appraisal form. The results are discussed in terms of the different perspectives managers and employees have in the appraisal process.     

NEEDS AND NEED SATISFACTION AMONG CLERICAL WORKERS IN COMPLEX AND ROUTINE JOBS

Reliable measurement of needs and need satisfaction on Maslow's hierarchy is possible. Clerical employees (mainly female) indicated a high need for self-actualization and autonomy. In this respect they are similar to lower level managers described by Porter (1962) and women described by Jurgensen (1949). There was no substantial difference in need satisfaction patterns between clerical employees in routine jobs and those in more complex clerical jobs. Similarly, no difference was found in the motivation of these two groups. It was concluded that jobs which appear to management as higher in responsibility and complexity, and which are commonly viewed as promotions, may not always provide additional satisfactions in self-actualization, autonomy, or esteem. This study focused on the importance of defining accurately what constitutes job enlargement. An increase in variety and responsibility does not necessarily result in increasing higher order need satisfaction or motivation. How much job enlargement makes a difference in these variables is still open to question and must be the subject of further investigation.     

THE EFFECTS OF EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION, ORGANIZATIONAL CITIZENSHIP BEHAVIOR, AND TURNOVER ON ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS: A UNIT-LEVEL, LONGITUDINAL STUDY

This study addresses the issue of whether positive employee attitudes and behaviors influence business outcomes or whether positive business outcomes influence positive employee attitudes and behaviors. We hypothesize that employee satisfaction, organizational citizenship behavior, and employee turnover influence profitability and customer satisfaction. Data were gathered from the units of a regional restaurant chain via employee surveys, manager surveys, customer surveys, and organizational records. Cross-lagged regression analyses show that employee attitudes and behaviors at Time 1 are related to organizational effectiveness at Time 2. Additional cross-lagged regression analyses show no significant relationship between organizational effectiveness at Time 1 and the employee attitudes and behaviors at Time 2. These results add to the evidence that HR outcomes influence business outcomes, rather than the other way around.     

JOB SATISFACTION, ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT, TURNOVER INTENTION, AND TURNOVER: PATH ANALYSES BASED ON META-ANALYTIC FINDINGS

Cross-study differences in the contributions of work attitudes to the turnover process led us to (a) estimate the six relations among job satisfaction, organizational commitment, turnover intention/withdrawal cognitions, and turnover using meta-analysis; (b) assess the effects of several psychometric moderators on those relations; and (c) compare the influences of satisfaction and commitment in the turnover process by applying path analysis to the meta-analytic correlations. Based on aggregations involving a total of 178 independent samples from 155 studies, results showed that (a) satisfaction and commitment each contribute independently to the prediction of intention/cognitions; (b) intention/cognitions are predicted more strongly by satisfaction than by commitment; (c) intention/cognitions mediate nearly all of the attitu-dinal linkage with turnover; and (d) attitudinal contributions to the turnover process vary with the use of single- versus multi-item scales, the 9- versus 15-item version of the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire, and turnover intention versus withdrawal cognition scales.     

AN EMPIRICAL TEST OF CAUSAL INFERENCE BETWEEN ROLE PERCEPTIONS, SATISFACTION WITH WORK, PERFORMANCE AND ORGANIZATIONAL LEVEL

Previous research has suggested that organizational level may explain to a significant extent the differential impact of role perceptions (i.e., role ambiguity and role conflict) on employee satisfaction and performance. Causal inferences could not be drawn from these studies because of the predominant use of static correlational methods. In this study, in a hospital setting, a six-month time-lag between data collection periods was used to develop causal inferences. The results supported the hypothesis that role ambiguity was a source of causal inference with satisfaction with work at the higher organizational level, while role conflict was a source of causal inference with satisfaction with work at the lower organizational level. The source and direction of causal influence with respect to role perceptions and performance was supported only at the higher organizational level.     

ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT INTERVENTIONS: A META-ANALYSIS OF THEIR EFFECTS ON SATISFACTION AND OTHER ATTITUDES

This meta-analysis examined the effects from 126 studies that employed organizational development (OD) interventions to modify satisfaction and/or other attitudes. Raju and Burkes's (1983) Taylor series approximation 1 (TSA 1) validity generalization procedure was used to conduct the meta-analysis. Multi-faceted interventions have been more effective in modifying satisfaction and attitudes than were OD interventions that used a single human-processes or technostructural technique. For specific interventions, team building and lab training were the most effective means of changing satisfaction and other attitudes. Also, OD seems to affect attitudes more than satisfaction. Caution is encouraged in generalizing these findings, given (1) the non-random selection of techniques, (2) the frequent moderating effects of both the participant's organizational level and the methodological rigor of the studies, and (3) this study's frequent failure to account for a substantial amount of the variability of the effect sizes.