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Ben Cornett

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The Impact of Job Satisfaction
on Performance
Published on August 7, 2015
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Ben Cornett
FollowBen Cornett
Partner Marketing Manager at Kount

Many organizations have similar objectives and structure. An example of

such an objective could be tied to an organizations social mission,
profitability objectives, or governmental practices of bureaucracy. By
effectively understanding the relationship between job attitudes,
organizational attitudes, and organizational performance one will
identify variables of importance within an organization. In addition, such
a theoretical model will provide a foundation for future research or
practical application. This post will provide a clear definition of
variables within such a model, justify how each variable is related, and
conclude with a discussion about future research considerations or
immediate practical applications.

Job Attitudes

Job attitudes are a vital part of an organizations success. Such attitudes

can determine the satisfaction, motivation, and sense of social
responsibility an individual may have within the organizational
structure. According to Cascio (2005) employee selection is a critical
part to make sure employees have the correct attitude. The selection
phase in this process is the central phase of matching individual and
job (Cascio, 2005, p. 53). Over time the impact of this process and
importance of job attitude has been a subject of study and debate.
However, one will find a couple of important factors related to this
importance.

Job Satisfaction

Saari & Judge (2004) identify major gaps between HR practice and the
scientific research in the area of employee attitudes and job satisfaction
(Saari & Judge, 2004, p. 16). Job satisfaction and non-work related
satisfaction have been under study for quite some time. Employees that
are satisfied with life in general tend to be more satisfied at work.

Social Exchange

Social exchange seems to be a large part that could make up an

employees attitude. As a result one effective model might focus on the
social interaction and team work including team based performance
incentives. However, the organization also must be concerned with their
output within society and the satisfaction of their stakeholders.

Job attitude directly ties into the attitude of the organization as a whole.
As a result the effective selection of employees as identified above can
be critically important for the organization. Organizational attitude can
also have an impact on the overall performance. As a result, the next
section of this post will identify variables and how managers can ensure
the organization is presenting the correct attitude to stakeholders.

Organizational Attitudes

Cascio (2005) suggests that the utility theory is an effective way to

manage organizational attitudes. This theory, in part, helps managers
decide on which applicants should be hired, who should be promoted,
how much money should be allocated to research and development and
so on (Cascio, 2005. P. 44). However, organizational attitude might be
somewhat swayed by such an approach. The real question at hand would
be what is the perceived attitude an organization might have.

Objective Driven

An organization of any kind must be driven by specific objectives or a

mission. These objectives will help define a clear attitude of the
organization. For example, Ben & Jerrys, Inc. had the primary objective
focused on their social well-being as first and foremost. As a result they
helped people within the organization by offering the high pay to
employees even at the bottom of the organization. Ben & Jerrys, Inc.
also purchased ingredients from organizations that were also socially
responsible. The attitude of the organization was one of belonging and
caring when in fact they made ice cream.

Innovative

Innovation within organizations is critical in todays global environment;

however, not all organizations innovate. The openness to innovation as
seen by organizations helps employees meet their creativity and social
needs. Edwards et al (2008) claims innovation can be a motivation to
employees. One might question the long-term impact this type of
motivation has on employees. Google, Inc. for example thrives on the
best known openness to innovation in the world; however, it seems the
impact of this innovation is immeasurable as results from innovation
come years later or often not at all.

Organizational Performance

At large, organizational performance seems to be the single most

important aspect of an organization. However, the purpose of this
research is to help industrial and organizational psychologists with the
process of understanding how job and organizational attitudes relate to
such performance. The variables of both job and organizational attitude
have been defined above. This section will define the variable for
organizational performance.

Financial and Non-financial Results

Some of the results of a well tuned organization are financial and non-
financial depending on the type of organization. For the most part these
results seem to be impacted by a large diversification of events and again
the specific tie between attitude and performance does not have ample
empirical data to support this hypothesis. What one can claim is a slight
relation at best.

Growth

The performance of an organization is most often measured by growth.

Satisfied employees are more likely to be loyal to the organization
according to Cascio (2005). However, what makes an employee satisfied
is still at question. Many factors such as their satisfaction off work,
social satisfaction, and rewards are only a few. In most models the
primary focus is on a reward structure that motivates employees. As a
result the organization reached growth goals.

Benefit to Society

The overall outcome of the organization and how it impacts society must
be considered as part of the performance. As one can see in Appendix B,
relationships and trust might be tied to job and organizational attitudes.
However, the social responsibility seems to be the single factor between
these three representations.

The Relationship Between Job Satisfaction and Performance

Research has shown that there is little conclusive empirical relationship

between job satisfaction and job performance. One such example
according to Christen et al (2006), suggests "the link between these
constructs is weak at best" (Christen, Iyer, & Soberman, 2006). If one
defines job attitude as related to job satisfaction, then the emphasis
within an organization need not be extensive. However, Christen et al
(2006) does recognize actions to increase job performance can also
increase job satisfaction (Christen, Iyer, & Soberman, 2006).

Other constructs that one must consider as part of this complex equation
might be related to cultural differences that can be found within todays
organizations. According to Yunxia & Jianmin (2010), the relationship
between job satisfaction and job performance may vary based on a
variety of factors, including culture (Yunxia, Z., & Jianmin, 2010). One
final factor that must be taken into consideration could be age as well.
As the end result one might consider the relationship only at a social
level.

Finally, an improved organizational model could provide a better

connection for organizations between job and organizational attitude and
organizational performance. According to Doest et al (2006), personal
goal facilitation through work offers a promising source of insight into
job attitudes and well-being (Doest et al, 2006). However, there is not
enough empirical evidence to suggest the opposite is also true. As a
result, the relationship between job attitude and organizational
performance is still being researched. One clear relationship that is
identified when job attitude, organizational attitude, and organizational
performance in aligned side by side is the output within society and
potential richness of social exchange.

Conclusion
Effective organizational theory, structure and design can help an
organization reach their objectives. Clearly, there are a number of
approaches an organization can consider. As a result of this presentation
one can clearly see the amount of focus, areas of additional research or
in some cases a clear area of practical application. In regards to research
one can see the need to better understand the factors outside of attitude
and performance that might also have a direct impact on performance. In
addition, one can see the importance of social interactions and the
relationship of social exchange as presented in Appendix A for
immediate practical application. Finally, the importance of
understanding attitudes is apparent but not clear. Industrial and
organizational psychologist must help organizations understand factors
to ensure employees and organization have the right attitude to reach
organizational objectives.

References

Cascio, W. F., & Aguinis, H. (2005). Applied Psychology in Human

Resource Management (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey:
Prentice Hall.

Christen, M., Iyer, G., & Soberman, D. (2006). Job Satisfaction, Job
Performance, and Effort: A Reexamination Using Agency Theory.
Journal of Marketing, 70(1), 137-150. Retrieved from Business Source
Complete database.

Di Mascio, R. (2010). The Service Models of Frontline Employees.

Journal of Marketing, 74(4), 63-80. doi:10.1509/jmkg.74.4.63.
 Doest, L., Maes, S., Gebhardt, W., & Koelewijn, H. (2006). Personal
Goal Facilitation through Work: Implications for Employee Satisfaction
and Well-Being. Applied Psychology: An International Review,55(2),
192-219. doi:10.1111/j.1464-0597.2006.00232.x.

Edwards, B., Bell, S., Arthur, J., & Decuir, A. (2008). Relationships
between Facets of Job Satisfaction and Task and Contextual
Performance. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 57(3), 441-
465. doi:10.1111/j.1464-0597.2008.00328.x.

Foy, A. (2004). Conducting Primary Research Online. Marketing

Review, 4(3), 341-360. Retrieved from Business Source Complete
database.

Saari, L., & Judge, T. (2004). EMPLOYEE ATTITUDES AND JOB

SATISFACTION. Human Resource Management, 43(4), 395-407.
Retrieved from Business Source Complete database.

Yunxia, Z., & Jianmin, F. (2010). Does the Relationship Between Job
Satisfaction and Job Performance Depend on Culture?. Academy of
Management Perspectives, 24(1), 86-87. Retrieved from Business
Source Complete database.
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 FollowBen Cornett

Ben Cornett
Partner Marketing Manager at Kount
16 articles
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David Howell
Brand Protection Strategy, Channel Sales, Anti-Counterfeit & Compliance
Management Seasoned
Nice article. Thank you!
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