Chapter 4

Job Satisfaction
 Class Agenda

Job Satisfaction
Why Are Some Employees More Satisfied than Others?
• Value Fulfillment
• Satisfaction with the Work Itself
• Mood and Emotions
How Important is Job Satisfaction?
Application: Tracking Satisfaction

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 An Integrative Model of Organizational Behavior

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 Job Satisfaction
1 of 2

A pleasurable emotional state resulting from the appraisal of

one’s job or job experiences
Based on how you think about your job and how you feel about
your job

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 Job Satisfaction
2 of 2

Exercise:
What kinds of things do you value in a job?
• Categorize each item and provide subdimensions
(e.g., Pay: High salary, stable salary)
What is it that makes you satisfied?

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 Categories Specific Values

Table 4-1 Pay • High Salary

• Secure Salary

Commonly Promotions • Frequent Promotions

• Promotions based on ability

Assessed Work Supervision • Good supervisory relations

• Praise for good work

Values Coworkers • Enjoyable coworkers

• Responsible coworkers
Work Itself • Utilization of ability
• Freedom and independence
• Intellectual stimulation
• Creative expression
• Sense of achievement
Altruism • Helping others
• Moral causes
Status • Prestige
Key Question: • Power over others
• Fame
Which of these things are
Environment • Comfort
most important to you? • Safety

Sources: Adapted from R.V. Dawis, “Vocational Interests Values, and Preferences,” in Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Vol. 2, Ed. M.D. Dunnette and L.M.
Hough (Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press, 1991), pp. 834-71; and D.M. Cable and J.R. Edwards, “Complementary and Supplementary Fit: A Theoretical and Empirical
©McGraw-Hill Education. Investigation,” Journal of Applied Psychology 89 (2004), p. 822-34.
 Value Fulfillment

How do we measure if your values are fulfilled by the organization or not?

Value-percept theory: Job satisfaction depends on whether you perceive that
your job supplies the things that you value.
Does your job supply what you value?

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 Figure 4-1
The Value-Percept Theory of Job Satisfaction
Which one
is the
strongest
driver?

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 Figure 4-2 Correlations between Satisfaction Facets and
Overall Job Satisfaction

Employees experience
and think about their
work tasks, their
coworkers, and their
supervisors more
frequently on a daily
basis than they do
promotions or pay.

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 What makes jobs more enjoyable?

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 Satisfaction with the Work Itself

Job Characteristics Theory

Jobs are more enjoyable when work tasks are challenging and fulfilling.
Characteristics that make some jobs more rewarding than others:
[Link] – the extent to which the job requires different activities
requiring different skills and talents
[Link] – the degree to which the job allows an employee to
complete a whole, identifiable piece of work
[Link] – the degree to which the job has an impact on the lives
of other people
[Link] – the degree to which the job provides freedom,
independence and discretion to the individual performing the work
[Link] – the degree to which the job itself provides clear
information about how well the individual is performing the work
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 Figure 4-3 Job Characteristics Theory
• Mediators explain how and why
some independent variable
impacts some dependent
variable.
• Moderators explain when, where,
and for whom such relationships
are stronger or weaker.
• In a “theory as story” sense, the
independent and dependent
variables are the “Whats.”
• The mediators and moderators
are the “Who, Where, When, and
Why.”

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 Assessing Growth Need Strength

1. A feeling of doing something meaningful with my job

2. A chance to “spread my wings” and grow as an employee
3. An opportunity to be inventive and creative with what I do
4. A chance to gain new knowledge and skill
5. An opportunity to structure my work my own way
6. A feeling of challenge and self-expression
Average Score: 18

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 Figure 4-4 Growth Need Strength as a Moderator of Job
Characteristic Effects

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from B.T. Loher, R.A. Noe, N.L. Moeller, and M.P. Fitzgerald,” A Meta-Analysis of the Relation of Job
Characteristics to Job Satisfaction,” Journal of Applied Psychology 70 (1985), pp. 280-89.
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 Core Job Characteristics

Average Score: 150

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 Job Characteristics Theory

Exercise: Job Satisfaction across Jobs

Come to consensus on a Satisfaction Potential Score for:
• A third-grade public school teacher
• A stand-up comedian
• A computer programmer (who replaces “98” with “1998” in computer code)
• A president of the United States

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 [Link]

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 Create a "Dream Job"
Each group will work together to design a dream job that maximizes job satisfaction based on the factors discussed. The job can be
real or imaginary, but it should be realistic in terms of balancing various elements.
Each group should think about and define:
• Job Title & Role:
What is the job? What does the employee do day-to-day?
• Work Environment:
What is the workplace like? Is it an office, remote, hybrid, or something else? How does the design of the space (or lack of space)
contribute to job satisfaction?
• Work-Life Balance:
What does the schedule look like? How does the job allow for flexibility and balance?
• Rewards & Benefits:
How is the employee compensated? Consider salary, bonuses, healthcare, vacation, and perks that contribute to satisfaction.
• Autonomy & Responsibility:
How much freedom does the employee have in making decisions? How does this autonomy contribute to motivation and
satisfaction?
• Feedback & Recognition:
How are employees recognized for their work? What kind of feedback and support system is in place?
• Career Development:
What opportunities exist for growth, promotions, and skill development?
• Social Connections:
How does the job encourage positive relationships and collaboration with coworkers? What role does the team or community play
in satisfaction?

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 Mood and Emotions
1 of 2

Even the most satisfied employees aren’t satisfied every minute

of every day.
Satisfaction levels wax and wane as a function of mood and
emotions.

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 Moods
Moods – states of feeling that are mild in intensity, last for an
extended period of time, and are not explicitly directed at or caused
by anything
• Moods are categorized in two ways.
[Link] –Is the mood good or bad?
[Link] – To what extent does the mood cause you to feel
activated and aroused?
• Some organizations offer perks that are designed to improve an
employee’s mood, such as an onsite gym or even strolling
musicians.
• When individuals are highly skilled and work in challenging jobs, a
positive mood state called “flow” results.
• Flow creates a total immersion in the task at hand, with individuals
sometimes losing track of the time that’s passed.

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 Emotions
Emotions – states of feeling that are often intense, last for only a few
minutes, and are clearly directed at (and caused by) someone or
some circumstance
• Emotions are often triggered by specific events, as described by
“affective events theory.”
[Link] emotions include things like joy, pride, relief, etc.
[Link] emotions include things like anger, anxiety, fear, etc.
[Link] jobs require “emotional labor” in which employees must
manage their emotions to complete their job duties successfully.
iv.“Emotional contagion” can occur when one person “catches”
the emotions of another person. This phenomenon can explain
why customers are less likely to purchase from a dissatisfied
salesperson, for example.

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 [Link]

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 Figure 4-5 Hour-by-Hour Fluctuations in Job Satisfaction
during the Workday

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 Figure 4-6 Different Kinds of Moods

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 Table 4-2 Different Kinds of Emotions
1 of 2

Positive Emotions Description

Joy A feeling of great pleasure
Pride Enhancement of identity by taking credit
for achievement
Relief A distressing condition has changed for
the better
Hope Fearing the worst but wanting better
Love Desiring or participating in affection
Compassion Being moved by another’s situation

©McGraw-Hill Education. Source: Adapted from R.S. Lazarus, Emotion and Adaptation (New York: Oxford University, 1991).
 Table 4-2 Different Kinds of Emotions
2 of 2

Negative Emotions Description

Anger A demeaning offense against me and mine
Anxiety Facing an uncertain or vague threat
Fear Facing an immediate and concrete danger
Guilt Having broken a moral code
Shame Failing to live up to your ideal self
Sadness Having experienced an irreversible loss
Envy Wanting what someone else has
Disgust Revulsion aroused by something offensive

©McGraw-Hill Education. Source: Adapted from R.S. Lazarus, Emotion and Adaptation (New York: Oxford University, 1991).
 Bonus Assessment: Emotional Labor

My job requires me to:

1. Make myself feel the things I need to express at work.
2. Attempt to actually experience the feeling that I need to display.
3. Try to feel the things that I need to show to others.
4. Conceal the emotions that I actually experience.
5. Pretend that I’m feeling things that I’m not.
6. Avoid showing the true emotions that I’m experiencing.
Average Score: 17

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 Figure 4-7 Why Are Some Employees More Satisfied
Than Others?

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 Figure 4-8 Effects of Job Satisfaction on Performance
and Commitment

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 Life Satisfaction

The degree to which people feel a sense of happiness with

their lives
Job satisfaction is one of the strongest predictors of life
satisfaction.
Increase in job satisfaction has stronger impact on life
satisfaction than do increases in salary or income.

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 Application: Tracking Satisfaction

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 Activision Blizzard

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 “Our purpose is to make every day more fun . . . If you can’t be a great place As Bobby Kotick described, a lot of the job satisfaction felt by Activision Blizzard
to work when your mission is that, who can?” That question was posed by employees comes from the mission of their company. One employee summarized
Bobby Kotick, the CEO of Activision Blizzard—one of the largest gaming that mission this way: “work on cool stuff that other people care about.” That sort
companies in the world. Activision Blizzard’s various units oversee games of mission would extend to a number of different jobs at a number of different
companies. Employees who help make cars, phones, software, toys, or furniture
like World of Warcraft, Call of Duty, Overwatch, Guitar Hero, and might derive satisfaction from such sentiments. So might employees who help
Skylanders. Along with Electronic Arts, Activision-Blizzard is one of two provide services, whether groceries, dining, financial planning, hospitality, or
gaming companies traded on the S&P 500. More relevant to this chapter, it delivery. It does seem, however, that some satisfaction dynamics might be different
was recently named one of Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For. in a gaming company than in other kinds of companies. Put differently, some
aspects of job satisfaction might depend on the industry in a way that transcends
Certainly the mission of the company is one factor that gives Activision particular job characteristics.
Blizzard’s employees a great deal of job satisfaction. After all, bringing fun to
the general population likely holds a high degree of significance and It turns out that some studies have been done on job satisfaction among gaming
meaningfulness for the company’s employees. That mission also brings with it employees, specifically. One study, published in Information, Communication, &
some fairly cool job titles. For example, “Loremasters” are in charge of Society, used an interview methodology to understand the dynamics of video game
developers. Said one developer, “Paid overtime is virtually unheard of . . . So why
keeping the plots, mythos, and backstories of all the various games straight, am I still here? It’s because I can’t imagine a career doing anything else. I work
from edition to edition. Who wouldn’t want the title of “Loremaster?” with smart people. We tackle interesting problems. I’m paid enough to support a
family. And I could work almost anywhere in the world. Is it hard? Sure. Is there a
But Activision Blizzard is a great employer for reasons that go beyond its crunch? Sometimes . . . Is it worth it? Definitely.”
mission. For example, its culture empowers employees to voice their opinions
about work issues, even if they’re controversial. Explains one employee, “You Of course, that quote also points to a dark underbelly that is sometimes discussed
are here because you’re great, and you’re expected to do great things and be in the context of video game developers: the long hours. Another study, published
an active voice in what we’re building.” There’s also a history of promoting in Organization, coded the content of blogs written by spouses of game
from within, even when that moves you away from the functional area you developers. One quote was directed at the CEO of one of Activision Blizzard’s
were hired into. Brandy Stiles is one such employee, moving from quality major competitors: “You do realize what you are doing, right? And you do realize
that they ARE people, with physical limits, emotional lives and families right?
assurance to character simulation within the animation group. “We’ve got a Voices and talents and senses of humor and all that? That when you keep our
long of people here who started in entry-level positions, made connections husbands and wives and children in the office for 90 hours a week, sending them
within the company, learned peer to peer and practice to practice, and home exhausted and numb and frustrated with their lives, it’s not just them you’re
switched titles to find their spot,” Brandy says. And learning is encouraged hurting, but everyone who loves them?” Such long hours point to an interesting
company-wide. Activision Blizzard offers classes on swordsmanship, side effect of having a job that’s meaningful, interesting, and engrossing—you
sculpture, screenwriting, cooking, weight lifting, foreign language, and want to keep doing it. Maybe longer than you should, and maybe longer than
leadership. Some of those things can wind up helping with company tasks, but family members want you to.
others simply train discipline or boost morale. One other morale booster? An
informal work environment, complete with casual dress and statues of game
characters. As one employee puts it, employees “don’t have to ‘suit up.’”
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 Discussion Questions
• If you think about the components of value-percept theory and job characteristics
theory, where does “the product” fit in? How can the high satisfaction of Activision
Blizzard employees be explained by those theories?

• Does it make sense to think of satisfaction as an aspect of industries, rather than

jobs? Activision Blizzard employees a number of different employees in a number of
different roles. Is there a reason to suspect, say, a quality assurance person at
Activision Blizzard to be more satisfied than a quality assurance person in a typical
manufacturing job?
• What role do hours worked play in job satisfaction? Do gaming companies have an
obligation to help employees manage their hours, even when they are “in the zone”
in their coding or even when product launch deadlines are looming?

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If you think about the components of value-percept theory
and job characteristics theory, where does “the product” fit
in? How can the high satisfaction of Activision Blizzard
employees be explained by those theories?

©McGraw-Hill Education.
 Does it make sense to think of satisfaction as an aspect of
industries, rather than jobs? Activision Blizzard employees
a number of different employees in a number of different
roles. Is there a reason to suspect, say, a quality assurance
person at Activision Blizzard to be more satisfied than a
quality assurance person in a typical manufacturing job?

©McGraw-Hill Education.
 What role do hours worked play in job satisfaction? Do
gaming companies have an obligation to help employees
manage their hours, even when they are “in the zone” in
their coding or even when product launch deadlines are
looming?

©McGraw-Hill Education.