Types of Work Attitudes

TYPES OF WORK ATTITUDES
The importance of attitude-behaviour relationships can best be demonstrated by

examining two key work attitudes-
 Job satisfaction and
 Organizational commitment
JOB SATISFACTION
Perhaps the attitude of greatest interest to managers and team leaders is job satisfaction.
Do people generally like their jobs?
Despite what you may hear in the news about dissatisfied workers going on strike or even
acting violently toward their coworkers and / or manager, people are generally quite
satisfied with their jobs.
These feelings, reflecting attitudes towards a job, are known as job satisfaction. Low job
satisfaction can result in costly turnover, absenteeism, tardiness, and even poor mental
health. Because job satisfaction is important to organizations we need to look at the
factors that contribute to it.
SOURCE OF JOB SATISFACTION
The sources of job satisfaction and dissatisfaction vary from person to person. Obviously
you may be satisfied with some aspects of your job and at the same time be dissatisfied
with others.
Sources important for many employees include
 the challenge of the job,
DR Types of Work Attitudes 1

 interest that the work holds for the employee,
 physical activity required, working conditions,
 rewards available from the organization,
 nature of coworkers and the like.
An important implication suggested is that job satisfaction be considered an outcome of

an individual’s work experience. Thus high level of dissatisfaction should indicate to
managers that problems exist, say, with working conditions, the reward system or the
employee’s role in the organization.
RELATION TO JOB BEHAVIOUR
Of special interest to managers and employees are the possible relationships between
job satisfaction and various job behaviour and other outcomes in the workplace. A
common sense notion is that job satisfaction leads directly to effective performance.
(A happy worker is a good worker). Yet numerous studies have shown that a simple
direct linkage between job satisfaction and job performance often doesn’t exist. The
difficulty of relating attitudes to behaviour is pertinent there.
These principles explain at least, in part, why the expected relationships often don’t
exist. As indicated previously job satisfaction is a collection of a numerous attitudes
towards various aspects of job and represents a general attitude. Performance of a
specific task such as preparing a particular monthly report can’t necessarily be
predicted on the basis of general attitudes. However studies have shown that the level
of overall workforce job satisfaction and organizational performance are linked. That
is organizations with satisfied employees tend to be more effective than organizations
with unsatisfied linkage between customer satisfaction and the satisfaction of
employees who interact with their customers.

EFFECTS OF VARIOUS WORK FACTORS ON JOB SATISFACTION
WORK FACTORS EFFECTS

Work itself Mentally challenging work that the individual
can successfully accomplish is satisfying
Physical demands Tiring work is dissatisfying
Personal interest Personal interesting work is satisfying
Reward structure Rewards that are equitable and that provide
accurate feedback for performance are
satisfying
Working Conditions Satisfaction depends on the match between
Physical working conditions and physical needs
Goal attainment Working conditions that promote goal are
satisfying
Self High self-esteem is conducive to job
satisfaction
Others in the organization Individuals will be satisfied with supervisors,
co-workers or subordinates who help them
attain rewards. Also individuals will be more
satisfied with colleagues Who see things the
same way they do.
Organization and Management Individuals will be satisfied with
organizations that Have policies and
procedures designed to help them attain
rewards. Individuals will be dissatisfied
with conflicting roles and/or ambiguous
roles imposed by the organization.

Fringe benefits Benefits do not have a strong influence on
job satisfaction for most workers.
Source: Adapted from Landy, F.J.Pschology of Work Behaviour ,4 th Edition ,Pacific
Grove, California.Brooks/Cole , 1989.
ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT
Another important work attitude that has a bearing on organizational behaviour is
commitment to the organization. Organizational commitment refers to the strength of
an employee’s involvement in the organization and identification with it. Strong
organizational commitment is characterized by
 A support of and acceptance of the organizational goals and values.

 A willingness to exert considerable effort on behalf of the organization; and
 A desire to remain with the organization.
Organizational commitment goes beyond loyalty to include an active contribution to

accomplishing organizational goals. Organizational commitment represents a broader
work attitude than job satisfaction because it applies to the entire organization rather
than just to the job. Further, commitment typically is more stable than satisfaction
because day-to-day events are less likely to change it.
SOURCES OF COMMITMENT
As with job satisfaction, the sources of organizational commitment may vary from
person to person. Employees’ initial commitment to an organization is determined
largely by their individual characteristics
(E.g.) personality and attitudes and how well their early job experiences match their
expectations.
Later, organizational commitment continues to be influenced by job experiences, with
many of the same factors that lead a job satisfaction also contributing to organizational

commitment or lack of commitment: pay, relationships with supervisors and
coworkers, working conditions, opportunities for advancement, and so on.
Overtime, organizational commitment tends to become stronger because

 Individuals develop deeper ties to the organization and their coworkers as they
spend more time with them;
 Seniority often brings advantages that tend to develop more positive work
attitudes; and
 Opportunities in the job market may decrease with age, causing workers to
become more strongly attached to their current job.
RELATION TO JOB BEHAVIOR
Managers are interested in the relationships between Organizational commitment and

job behavior because the lack of commitment often leads to turnover. The stronger an
employee’s commitment is to the organization, the less likely the person is to quit.
Strong commitment also is often correlated with low absenteeism and relatively high
productivity. Attendance at work (being on time and taking little time off) is usually
higher for employees with strong organizational commitment. Moreover, committed
individuals tend to be more goal directed.

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TYPES OF WORK ATTITUDES

The importance of attitude-behaviour relationships can best be demonstrated by

Do people generally like their jobs?

SOURCE OF JOB SATISFACTION

DR Types of Work Attitudes 1

An important implication suggested is that job satisfaction be considered an outcome of

RELATION TO JOB BEHAVIOUR

DR Types of Work Attitudes 2

WORK FACTORS EFFECTS

DR Types of Work Attitudes 3

 A support of and acceptance of the organizational goals and values.

Organizational commitment goes beyond loyalty to include an active contribution to

DR Types of Work Attitudes 4

Overtime, organizational commitment tends to become stronger because

RELATION TO JOB BEHAVIOR

Managers are interested in the relationships between Organizational commitment and

DR Types of Work Attitudes 5

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