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ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR

Chapter 4 Summary Attitudes & Job Satisfaction


1. Attitudes
Evaluative statements either favourable or unfavourable.
Reflects how we FEEL about something or a particular situation.
Attitudes are COMPLEX, thus we must understand them well.

2. Main Components of Attitudes


Cognition A description or belief of how things are e.g. my pay is low
Affective The emotional (feeling) segment of an attitude e.g. I am angry over the
amount I am paid
Behavioural Intention to behave in a certain manner toward something e.g. Im
going to look for a new job because my pay is so low
Cognition & Affect are intertwined and inseparable in many ways and each attitude
component affects the others substantially.
Cognitive = Evaluation

Attitude

Affective = Feeling

Behavioural = Action

3. Theory of Cognitive Dissonance

[Theorist = Leon Festinger]

Festinger argued that attitudes follow behaviour.

An incompatibility one may perceive between two or more attitudes or between


behaviour and attitudes. E.g. Disliking Justin Biebers music until your girlfriend says
she likes it, then saying that youve always loved it too.

People seek consistency between their attitudes and behaviours. This is done by
changing attitudes/behaviour or by developing a rationalisation for the inconsistency.
E.g. I make tobacco products, I dont like it, but the tax pays for SAs education, so
its alright.
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The desire to reduce dissonance depends on the importance of the elements creating
it, the influence (control) the individual believes he/she has over the elements and the
rewards involved in changing their behaviour.

4. Moderating Variables & the A-B Relationship


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Attitudes that individuals consider important strongly reflect behaviour.

The most powerful moderating variables of the Attitude-Behaviour relationship are


Importance of the attitudes as these reflect fundamental values, its correspondence to
behaviour, its accessibility (easily remembered attitudes are more frequently link to
behaviour), any social pressures that exist & direct experience with the particular
behaviour.

Discrepancies between attitude and behaviour are more likely when the above
moderating variables are impacted upon an individual.

5. Major Job Attitudes


Job satisfaction Positive/negative feelings about ones job from an evaluation of its
characteristics. Job satisfaction and employee attitude often used interchangeably.
Job Involvement degree to which people identify with their job and consider their
performance level important their self-worth. Links to Psychological Empowerment
which is the degree to which employees believe they influence their work
environment.
Organisational Commitment how much an employee identifies with an organisation
& wishes to maintain membership in that organisation.
Employee Engagement An individuals involvement and enthusiasm for the work
they do.

6. Job Satisfaction
There has been a steady decline in job satisfaction due to pressures to increase productivity,
meet tight deadlines & having less control over work.
6.1.Employee Performance
Job satisfaction doesnt necessarily lead to more production, but organisations with satisfied
workers do tend to be more effective. People who have high perceived performance in their
jobs are more likely to have job satisfaction.

6.2.Absenteeism
There is a consistent negative relationship between satisfied workers and absenteeism. In
general, satisfied workers = fewer avoidable absences.
6.3.Turnover
There is a strong correlation between satisfaction and turnover. Satisfied employees are less
likely to quite. However, superior performers (high salaries etc) are given incentive to stay
(raise, praise) and thus are more satisfied than low performers. Hence, turnover remains
relatively unaffected.
6.4.Organisational Citizenship Behaviour
Satisfied employees are more likely to speak positively about their organisation, help others
& go beyond the general scope of their jobs. Satisfaction influences OCB through perceived
fairness. Trust in the organisation also plays a significant toll on satisfaction and OCB.
6.5.Customer Satisfaction
Satisfied employees increase customer satisfaction and loyalty as they are more likely to be
upbeat, friendly and responsible. (This particularly applies in service orientated business).
Customer satisfaction can also affect employee satisfaction.

7. Job Dissatisfaction
Impact on the workplace
The consequences of employee dissatisfaction can be explained by the exit-voice-loyaltyneglect framework.
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Exit: Directing behaviour towards leaving the organisation.

Voice: Attempting to improve conditions

Loyalty: Passively & optimistically

Active

Voice

Exit

waiting for conditions to improve.


Neglect: Allowing
conditions to worsen.

Destructive

Constructive

8. Implication for managers


Managers must be interested in employee attitudes, as

Neglect

Loyalty

attitude gives warning of potential problems, as they influence


employee behaviour in the work space.

Passive

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