UNIVERSITY OF COLOMBO

Institute of Human Resource Management

Subject : MBM 5232 – Organizational Behaviour

Topic : Employee Attitude and Job Satisfaction

Facilitator : Prof.K. Kajendra, Ph.D, MBA, M.Com,

B.Com (Special).
Faculty of Management and Finance
Department of Marketing
University of Colombo.

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The definitions of attitude reveals three
important conclusions.

1. Attitudes are relatively stable.

2. Attitudes are directed toward some object,

person or idea.

3. An attitude toward some object or person

relates to an individual’s behaviour

toward that object or person.

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• "ABC Model of Attitudes," by psychologist
Albert Ellis.

• This model explains:

– how attitudes are formed and how they
influence behavior.

• The ABC Model consists of three

components:

1. Affect,

2. Behavior, and

3. Cognition.

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 Affect (Emotional Component):
• This refers to the emotional or affective
response that an individual has toward a
particular object, person, idea, or situation.
Behavior (Behavioral Component):
• This component involves the actions or
behaviors that a person takes based on their
attitude.
Cognition (Cognitive Component):
• This refers to the thoughts, beliefs, and
knowledge that a person holds about an object,
person, idea, or situation.

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• The ABC Model of Attitudes suggests that these
three components are interconnected and
influence each other.

• Changes in one component can lead to

changes in the others. For instance, if a person's
affective component (emotions) changes
positively toward exercise, it may lead to a shift
in their behavioral component (actions), such as
engaging in regular physical activity.

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Attitudes are complex and can be influenced by
various factors, including

- personal experiences,

- social and cultural influences, and

- cognitive processes.

The ABC Model provides a framework for

understanding the multi-dimensional nature of
attitudes and how they impact behavior.

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 Belief and Attitude
Formation

• Belief represent major influence on

attitude

• Changing belief can change attitude

• Belief may be defined as a perceived

relationship between people, object, and
events.
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 How are belief formed
1. Based on past experience
2. Beliefs may be constructed by

individuals based on available

information about a particular issue.

(e.g. women quit the jobs because of

family responsibilities)

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3. Beliefs are developed as a result of

generalizing from similar situations or

events (e.g. a manager who transferred

from one location to another may take

with him his beliefs about line staff

relationship, status symbol, assuming

that the new location will be identical to

the previous one.

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 Influence on Attitude Formation

• Cultural Influences

• Group Memberships

• Family influences

• Prior work experiences influences

our beliefs and attitude about
specific aspects of the job.

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 Attitude Change
One of the most difficult task is to create the

environment where employees have positive

attitudes toward the job.

Barriers to Attitude Change

1. Insufficient Justification

2. Prior Commitments

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Insufficient Justification

Prior Commitment
When people feel a commitment to a
particular course of action and are

unwilling to change.

This is the ego-defensive function of

attitudes.

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Mechanism of Attitude Change

1. Providing new information

2. Fear arousal and reduction

3. Threat and rewards

4. Dissonance arousal

5. Participation in decision
making

6. Influence of friends
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 What are the Major Job
Attitudes?
job satisfaction

A positive feeling about one’s job

resulting from an evaluation of its

characteristics.

job involvement

The degree to which a person identifies

with a job, actively participates in it, and

considers performance important to self-

worth.
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Psychological empowerment

Employees’ belief in the degree to

which they affect their work

environment, their competence, the

meaningfulness of their job, and their

perceived autonomy in their work.

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 Organizational Commitment
The degree to which an employee identifies

with a particular organization and its goals and

wishes to maintain membership in the

organization

Theoretical models propose that employees

who are committed will be less likely to

engage in work withdrawal even if they are

dissatisfied, because they have a sense of

organizational loyalty.
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perceived organizational support (POS)
POS is the degree to which employees believe the

organization values their contribution and cares

about their well-being.

for example, an employee believes his

organization would accommodate him if he had a
child care problem or would forgive an honest
mistake on his part.

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Employee Engagement
An individual’s involvement with, satisfaction

with, and enthusiasm for the work he or

she does.

Engaged employees are passionate about

their work and company.

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 Does Behavior Always Follow from
Attitudes?
• Leon Festinger – No, the reverse is
sometimes true!

• Cognitive Dissonance: Any incompatibility

between two or more attitudes or between
behavior and attitudes

– Individuals seek to reduce this uncomfortable

gap, or dissonance, to reach stability and
consistency

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 Attitude and Consistency
Research has generally concluded that
people seek consistency among their attitudes
and between their attitude and their behaviour.
This means that individuals seek to reconcile
divergent attitudes and align their attitudes and
behaviour.

So they appear rational and consistent.

When there is an inconsistency, people are
initiated to return the equilibrium state in which
attitudes and behaviour are again consistent.

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Cognitive Dissonance Theory
1950s Leon Festinger proposed the theory of cognitive
dissonance. This theory sought to explain the linkage
between attitudes and behaviour.

Dissonance means an inconsistency cognitive

dissonance refers to any incompatibility that an
individual might perceive between two or more of his
or her behaviour and attitudes.

Festinger argued that any form of inconsistency is

uncomfortable and that individual will attempt to
reduce the dissonance and the discomfort.

Therefore, individual will seek a stable state, in which

there is a minimum of dissonance.

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Organizational Implication of this Theory
This concept can help to predict the propensity to
engage in attitude and behavioural change. If
individuals are required by the demands of their job to
do things that contradict their personal attitude. So,
they will tend to modify their attitude in order to make it
compatible with the cognition of what they have done.
Therefore, greater dissonance can be reduced by
the following manner:
1. Importance
2. Choice
3. Reward Factors

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 Values
 Abstract ideals (positive or negative) that
are not tied to any specific object or
situation.

 Values are more general and not related to

any one object or situation.

 Values often contain statements of

goodness or badness associated with the
attitude we hold.

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Some Personal Values
• Achievement

• Equality

• Personal and family security

• Freedom

• Inner peace

• Pleasure and enjoyment

• Self-respect

• Social respect

• Friendship

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Values and Job attitude
• Basic personal values affect individual
reactions to job situations.

• Our satisfaction with respect to the type of

work we do, the rules imposed by
organizations, career advancement
opportunities, and other organizational
factors are evaluated in terms of our values.

E.g. if a person is hard working, it would help

us influence her specific attitude and
productivity.

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 Attitude Surveys
• Attitude Surveys
– A instrument/document that presents employees
with a set of statements or questions eliciting
how they feel about their jobs, work groups,
supervisors, or their organization.

– Provide management with feedback on

employee perceptions of the organization and
their jobs.

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Sample Attitude Survey

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 Job Satisfaction
What is meant by job satisfaction?

• Job satisfaction refers to an individual's

overall feelings and attitudes towards their
work and job conditions.
• It is a subjective assessment of how content,
fulfilled, and happy an employee is with their
job and the various aspects related to it.
• Job satisfaction is influenced by a
combination of several factors.

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Factors Influence on Job Satisfaction
1.Work Environment
 This includes the physical and psychological
surroundings in which an employee performs their
tasks.

 A positive and supportive work environment can

contribute to higher job satisfaction.
2.Relationships with Colleagues and
Supervisors
 Positive interactions with coworkers and
supervisors can enhance job satisfaction.

 Feeling valued, respected, and having effective

communication with colleagues and superiors can
contribute to a positive work experience. 30
3. Work-Life Balance
 Striking a balance between work and
personal life is crucial for job satisfaction.

 When employees have the flexibility to

manage their responsibilities outside of work,
it can lead to higher levels of satisfaction.
4. Compensation and Benefits
 Adequate and fair compensation, along with
benefits such as health insurance, retirement
plans, and other perks, can contribute to an
employee's overall satisfaction with their job.

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5. Opportunities for Growth and
Advancement:
 Employees often seek opportunities for skill
development, career advancement, and the
chance to take on more challenging and
meaningful roles.

 A lack of growth opportunities can lead to

dissatisfaction.

6. Job Security
 Feeling secure in one's job can positively
impact job satisfaction.

 Uncertainty about job stability can lead to

stress and dissatisfaction. 32
7. Task Variety and Autonomy
 Employees may find greater satisfaction when
they have the autonomy to make decisions,
be creative, and take ownership of their work.

 Variety in tasks can also prevent monotony

and boost satisfaction.
8. Recognition and Appreciation
 Feeling recognized and appreciated for one's
contributions can significantly influence job
satisfaction.

 Regular feedback, praise, and

acknowledgment can enhance an employee's
sense of value. 33
9. Alignment with Values and Goals:
 When a job aligns with an individual's
personal values and career goals, it can lead
to greater satisfaction.

 Employees who find their work meaningful

and fulfilling tend to be more satisfied.
10. Job Content and Challenges
 Engaging and challenging tasks can provide
a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.

 Employees who are intellectually stimulated

by their work tend to have higher job
satisfaction.
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11. Organizational Culture
 The culture of the organization, its
mission, values, and overall atmosphere,
can impact an employee's sense of
belonging and satisfaction.
12. Stress Levels
 Excessive stress and workload can
negatively affect job satisfaction.

 A manageable level of stress and a

reasonable workload can contribute to a
more positive work experience.

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In Summary

 It's important to note that job satisfaction

can vary from person to person and may
change over time.

 Employers and organizations often strive

to create a positive work environment and
address these various factors to enhance
overall job satisfaction among their
employees.

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The Impact of Satisfied and Dissatisfied
Employees on the Workplace
• What happens when employees like their
jobs, and when they dislike their jobs?

Consequences of Dissatisfaction
Exit
The exit response directs behavior toward leaving

the organization, including looking for a new

position as well as resigning.

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 Consequences of Dissatisfaction

Voice.
●

The voice response includes actively and

constructively attempting to improve conditions,

including suggesting improvements, discussing

problems with superiors, and undertaking some

forms of union activity.

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• ● Loyalty.
The loyalty response means passively but

optimistically waiting for conditions to

improve, including speaking up for the

organization in the face of external criticism

and trusting the organization and its

management to “do the right thing.”

Neglect.

The neglect response passively allows

conditions to worsen and includes chronic

absenteeism or lateness, reduced effort.

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 Outcomes of Job Satisfaction
• Job Performance
– Satisfied workers are more productive AND
more productive workers are more satisfied!
– The causality may run both ways.
• Organizational Citizenship Behaviors
– Satisfaction influences OCB through
perceptions of fairness.
• Customer Satisfaction
– Satisfied frontline employees increase
customer satisfaction and loyalty.
• Absenteeism
– Satisfied employees are moderately less
likely to miss work.
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 Summary and Managerial
Implications

• Managers should watch employee attitudes:

– They give warnings of potential problems
– They influence behavior
• Managers should try to increase job
satisfaction and generate positive job attitudes
– Reduces costs by lowering turnover,
absenteeism, tardiness, theft, and increasing
OCB
• Focus on the intrinsic parts of the job: make
work challenging and interesting
– Pay is not enough

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 Managers should do things that generate the
positive attitudes that reduce absenteeism and
turnover.
 Managers should focus on helping employees
become more productive to increase job
satisfaction.
 Managers identify the external sources of
dissonance.
 Managers provide rewards compensating for
the dissonance.

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Measurement of Job Satisfaction
1. Rating Scale

2. Critical Incidents

3. Interviews

4. Overt Behavioir

5. Action Tendencies

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Rating Scale
Rating scales are direct verbal self reports
Critical Incidents
Employees were asked to describe incidents
on their job that were particularly satisfying
and incidents were particularly dissatisfying.
Interviews
Structured/unstructured
Overt Behavioir
Observing actual employee behaviours.

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 Organizational Citizenship behavior
(OCB)
Discretionary behavior that is not part of an
employee’s formal job requirements but that
nevertheless promotes the effective functioning of the
organization.
Successful org. need employees who will do more
than their usual job duties.
Organizations needs employees who will engage in
good citizenship behaviour such as
helping others on their team,
Volunteering for extra work,
avoiding unnecessary conflicts,
Gradually tolerating occasional work-related
impositions and nuisances

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