Management 131

B2. VALUES, ATTITUDES and

JOB SATISFACTION
 Learning Objectives

At the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. Contrast terminal and instrumental values
2. List the dominant values in todays workforce
3. Identify Hofstedes five value dimensions of national culture.
4. Contrast the three components of an attitude
5. Identify the different types of attitudes in relation to work
6. Explain the relationship between consistency and attitude
7. State the relationship between job satisfaction and behavior
8. Identify the different responses to dissatisfaction
 VALUES

They represent basic convictions that a specific mode of

conduct or end-state of existence is personally or socially
preferable to an opposite or converse mode of conduct or
end-state of existence.
They lay the foundations for the understanding of
attitudes and motivation and because they influence
perception. They tend to be relatively stable and enduring.
 Types of Values

1. Terminal Values refers to desirable end-states of existence

e.g. a comfortable life, an exciting life, a world at peace, equality,
salvation, social recognition
2. Instrumental Values refers to preferable modes of behavior or
means of achieving the terminal values
e.g. ambitious, open-minded, cheerful, courageous, loving, polite
 Dominant Work Values in Todays Workforce

1. Veterans (entered the workforce in the 1950s to early 1960s)

-hardworking, conservative, conforming, loyal to the organization
2. Boomers (1965-1985)
-success, achievement, ambition, dislike of authority, loyalty to career
3. Xers (1985-2000)
-work/life balance, team oriented, dislike of rules, loyalty to relationships
4. Nexters (2000 to present)
-confident, self-reliant but team-oriented, loyalty to both self and
relationships, financial success
 Hofstedes Five Value Dimensions of
National Culture
1. Power distance the degree to which people in a country accept that power in
institutions and organizations is distributed unequally
China and West Africa - high or low? U.S. and Netherland - high or low?
2. Individualism vs collectivism Individualism is the degree top which people in a
country prefer to act as individuals rather than as members of a group
Are most Asian countries collectivists or individualists?
3. Quantity of life vs quality of life Quantity of life is the degree to which values such as
assertiveness, competition, the acquisition of money and material goods prevail. Quality of life
is the degree to which people value relationships and show sensitivity and concern for the
welfare of others.
Germany and Hong Kong quantity or quality? Russia and Netherlands quantity or quality?
 Hofstedes Five Value Dimensions of
National Culture (Contd)

4. Uncertainty avoidance the degree to which people in a country prefer

structured over unstructured situations.
France and Russia - high or low? Hong Kong and the U.S. high or low?
5. Long-term vs. short-term orientation Cultures with long-term
orientation look to the future and value thrift and persistence
China and Hong Kong- long or short? France and U.S.- long or short?
 ATTITUDES

Definition: Attitudes are evaluative statements either

favorable or unfavorable concerning objects, people or
events
Components of an Attitude
a. Cognition value statement e.g. discrimination is wrong
b. Affect the emotional segment of an attitude
c. Behavior an intention to behave in a certain way towards
someone or something.

In contrast to values, attitudes are less stable.

 Types of Attitudes (in relation to work)

1. Job Satisfaction an individuals general attitude towards his/her job

2. Job Involvement measures the degree to which a person identifies
psychologically with his/her job and considers his/her performance level
important to self-worth
high levels of job involvement have been found to be related to fewer
absences and lower resignation rates
3. Organizational Commitment a state in which an employee identifies with
a particular organization and its goals and wishes to maintain membership in
the organization
 Attitude and Consistency

People seek consistency among their attitudes and between their

attitudes and their behavior. When there is an inconsistency,
forces are initiated to return the individual to an equilibrium. This
can be done by altering either attitudes and/or the behavior or
developing a rationalization for the discrepancy.
Cognitive Dissonance any incompatibility that an individual
might perceive between two or more of his/her attitudes or
between his/her behavior and attitudes.
 Attitude and Consistency (Contd)

Any form of inconsistency is uncomfortable and individuals will

attempt to reduce the dissonance and hence the discomfort.
The desire to reduce dissonance would be determined by the
importance of the elements creating the dissonance, the degree
of influence the individual believes he/she has over the
elements and the rewards that may be involved in the
dissonance.
 Attitude-Behavior Relationship:
Moderating Variables
1. Importance - important attitudes tend to show a strong relationship to behavior
2. Specificity the more specific the attitude, the more specific the behavior
3. Accessibility Attitudes that are easily remembered are most likely to predict
behavior. The more one talks about his/her attitude on a subject, the more likely
he/she will remember it.
4. Social pressure Discrepancies between attitudes and behavior are more likely to
occur when social pressures to behave in certain ways hold exceptional power
5. Direct experience Attitude-behavior relationship is likely to be much stronger if
an attitude refers to something an individual has direct personal experience with.
 Self-Perception Theory

Does behavior influence attitude?

Attitudes are used, after the fact, to make sense out of an
action that has already occurred rather than as devices that
precede and guide action.
 JOB SATISFACTION

1. Job satisfaction and Productivity

Productivity leads to satisfaction rather than the other way around.
It could also be said that happy organizations (not necessarily
employees) are more productive.

2. Job Satisfaction and Absenteeism

There is a consistent negative relationship between satisfaction and
absenteeism but the correlation is moderate.
 JOB SATISFACTION (contd)

3. Job Satisfaction and Turnover

Satisfaction is also negatively related to turnover.
Yet, other factors such as labor-market conditions and expectations about
alternative job opportunities and length of tenure with the organization
are important constraints on the actual decision to leave ones current
job.
Level of satisfaction is less important in predicting turnover for superior
performers since they get pay raises and recognition.
 JOB SATISFACTION (contd)

4. Job Satisfaction and Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB)

Satisfaction influences OCB but through the perception of fairness. If
one thinks that the supervisor, organizations procedure or pay
policies are unfair, his/her satisfaction will suffer significantly.
However, when organizational processes are perceived as fair, trust
is developed and one is more willing to voluntarily engage in
behaviors that go beyond ones formal requirements.
 JOB SATISFACTION (contd)

5. Job Satisfaction and Customer Satisfaction

Satisfied employees increase customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Because satisfied employees are less prone to turnover,
customers are likely to encounter familiar faces and receive
experienced service.
Dissatisfied customers can also increase an employees job
dissatisfaction.
 How employees express dissatisfaction

1. Exit leaving the organization

2. Voice suggesting improvements, discussing problems with
superior or some form of union activity
3. Loyalty - passively but optimistically waiting for conditions to
improve
4. Neglect passively allowing conditions to worsen, including
chronic absenteeism or lateness, reduced effort and increased
error rate.