Hum an Relations, Vol. 52, No.

8, 1999

Testing the Lon gitudinal Impact of Work

Variables an d Perform an ce Appraisal
Satisfaction on Subsequent Overall Job
Satisfaction
Gary Blau 1,2

Using a longitudinal sample of medical technologists (MTs) this study found,

afte r controlling for prior overall job satisfaction, individual difference, and
organization-level variables, that task re sponsibilities and e mployee performance
ap prai sal sat isfac tion sign ifican tly affe cte d subse que nt ove ral l MT job
satisfaction. Ove rall job satisfaction significantly declined for re pe at-responde nts
ove r the 4 -ye a r pe ri od. D at a al so su gge ste d tha t t he im pa ct of tas k
responsibilities on overall job satisfaction can dissipate over time , and that the
supervisors role in affecting employee job satisfaction is important. Re sults and
limitations are discusse d.

KEY WORDS: job satisfaction; performance appraisal satisfaction.

INTRODUCTION
Job satisfaction has probably be en the most ofte n re searche d work at-
titude in the organizational be havior lite rature . In his 1976 revie w of job
satisfaction, Locke (1976) note d that his e stimate of 3350 article s on job
satisfaction was conservative . Despite such exte nsive study, many causal re-
lationships conce rning ante cede nts to and conse quence s from job satisfac-
tion are still ope n to question (Cranny, Smith, & Stone , 1992) . More recent
rese arch on ante cedents to job satisfaction has focuse d on broade ning the
the ore tical base of causal factors affe cting job satisfaction, including: dis-
positional e ffe cts (Agho, Muelle r, & Price , 1993; Judge & Hulin, 1993;
Judge , Locke , Durham, & Kluge r, 1998); organizational obstacle s (Brown
& Mitche ll, 1993), and pe rceptual mediators (Carlopio & Gardne r, 1995) .
1
HRA Departme ntSBM, Te mple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122.
2
Re quests fo reprints should be addressed to Gary Blau, HRA Departmen t SBM, Temple
University, Speakman Hall-# 34, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122. (e-mail: gblau@ sbm.temple.edu)

1099

0018-7267/99/0800-1099 $16.00/1 1999 The Tavistock Institute

1100 Blau

This pape r will continue to broade n the causal base for job satisfaction by
conside ring a thus far unte sted ante cedent, pe rformance appraisal satisfac-
tion. In addition, research on job satisfaction has suffered from re se arch
design limitations (Stone , 1986) , including an over-reliance on imme diate
work variable ante cede nts and ne gle ct of organizatio nal-le ve l variable s
(Porter, 1996) . This study will also addre ss this issue.
Locke (1976) note d three major schools of thought about cause s of
job satisfaction: physical-e conomic, social, and nature of work. The physical-
economic approach emphasize d ade quate physical working conditions. The
social approach focuse d on the importance of effective supe rvision and co-
hesive work groups. The nature of work perspective emphasize d e mploye es
feeling satisfie d due to mentally challe nging tasks. Work-re lated variable s
(e.g., job characte ristics, task responsibilitie s, workload, perceived control
ove r procedures) are conside red to be important for unde rstanding work at-
titude s, such as job satisfaction, because these variable s create an immediate
and strong situational influence (Davis-Blake & Pfeffer, 1989; Ze itz, 1990).
Empirical re search (e.g., Agho e t al., 1993; Carlopio & Gardne r, 1995;
Fox, Dwyer, & Ganster, 1993; Loher, Noe , Moe ller, & Fitzge rald, 1985) has
shown that such immediate or proximal work-relate d variable s directly im-
pact on employe e job satisfaction. Howeve r, the re has be en le ss atte mpt to
first control for the impact of other relevant variable s on job satisfaction, i.e.,
prior job satisfaction (Staw & Ross, 1985); individual differe nce s (e.g., age ,
ge nder, marital status; Agho et al., 1993; Begley & Czajka, 1993; Jiang, Hall,
Loscocco, & Alle n, 1995; Smith, Smits, & Hoy, 1998) , and organizational-
le vel variable s (e.g., downsizing, full/part-time employme nt, shift, job change ;
Be gle y & Czajka, 1993; Feldman, 1990; Frost & Jamal, 1979; Gerhart, 1987),
prior to assessing the impact of such work-relate d variable s.
A more comprehe nsive study design, first controlling for prior job satis-
faction, individual diffe rence and organizational-le ve l variable s, would consti-
tute a more powerful methodological te st for the impact of more proximal
work-re lated variable s on ove rall job satisfaction. Porte r (1996) re cently la-
mented the ge neral tendency for organizational be havior rese archers studying
certain micro topics, such as job satisfaction, to not use more comprehe nsive
study designs. Therefore the first hypothe sis which this study will test is:
Hypothesis 1. Work variable s will significantly impact on subse que nt
ove rall job satisfaction beyond controlle d for prior job satisfaction, individ-
ual diffe rence and organization-le vel variable s.
Pe rformance appraisal satisfaction has bee n a neglected process sat-
isfaction face t which should positive ly impact ove rall job satisfaction. Pe r-
form anc e ap praisa l satisfaction de als with such issue s as e mploye e s
e valuating time line ss, accuracy, goal se tting proce dure s and fe e dbac k
mechanisms (Dobbins, Cardy, & Platz-Vie no, 1990) . Satisfaction with per-
Testin g th e Lon gitu din al Im pact 1101

formance appraisal is not a specific face t in any validate d multiface t overall

job satisfaction scale (e.g., Job Descriptive Inde x (JDI); Smith, Kendall, &
Hulin, 1969; Job Diagnostic Surve y (JDS); Hackman & O ldham, 1975; Min-
ne sota Satisfa ction Q ue stionn aire ( MSQ ) ; We iss, Dawis , E ngland, &
Lofquist, 1967; Job Satisfaction Surve y (JSS) ; Spe ctor, 1985) . The JDI, JDS,
MSQ , and JSS all measure ou tcom e satisfaction face ts such as pay, bene-
fits, promotions, supervision, work itse lf, co-worke rs, and working condi-
tions (Spe ctor, 1997).
A re cent article on situational occurre nce s affe cting job satisfactio n
by Q uarste in, McAfe e , and Glassman (1992) supports this distinction be -
twe e n outc ome vs. proce ss job satisfaction face ts. The Q uarste in e t
al. (1992) table of situational characte ristics affe cting one s ge ne ral job
satisfaction close ly corre spon ds to the outc ome satisfaction face ts
found across the JDI, JDS, MSQ , and JSS. Pe rformance appraisal issue s
fe ll unde r Q uarste in e t al. s (1992) table of proce ss-orie nte d situational
occurre nce s.
O ne s immediate supe rvisor most ofte n administe rs/ove rsees an e m-
ploye e s pe rformance appraisal, although othe r relevant sources (e.g., co-
workers, customers, subordinate s) can also be involve d (Cardy & Dobbins,
1994). Performance appraisal can affe ct the distributive outcome s (e .g., pay,
promotion, change in work responsibilitie s, job se curity) an employe e receives
(Bretz, Milkovich, & Read, 1992). Work redesign re search (e .g., Anderson &
Terborg, 1988; Pasmore , Francis, Haldeman, & Shani, 1982) suggests that em-
ployee satisfaction with a process positively affe cts e mploye e satisfaction with
outcome s base d on that process. Therefore, e mployee satisfaction with per-
formance appraisal should be positive ly linke d to subse quent satisfaction fac-
ets affected by performance appraisal, such as pay, promotion, supervision,
job security, work, supervision, and co-worke rs. This argument is similar in
logic to proce dural justice or proce ss affe cting distributive justice or out-
comes (Folge r, 1993) . To the author s knowle dge, the causal impact of prior
employe e performance appraisal satisfaction on subsequent ove rall job satis-
faction has not been tested. This leads to the second study hypothesis:
Hypothesis 2. Performance appraisal satisfaction will significantly im-
pact on subse que nt overall job satisfaction beyond prior job satisfaction,
individual diffe re nce, organization-le vel, and work variable s.

METHOD

Sam ple an d Proced ure

In 1993, the Board of Registry of the American Socie ty for Clinical

Pathologis ts be gan a longitudina l study of care e r patte rns for re cently
1102 Blau

graduate d medical te chnologists (MTs). MTs work in a laboratory in a va-

rie ty of health-re late d se ttings (e .g., hospitals, inde pe ndent laboratorie s).
They are re sponsible for the accurate pe rformance of tests that de te rmine
the pre se nce or abse nce of disease . The basic re quire ment for e ntry into
medical te chnology is a baccalaure ate degree and initial training or work
expe rie nce in the laboratory.
Surve ys were sent to the same randomly stratifie d sample of recently
graduate d MTs in 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1996. In 1993 (Time 1), of the
2002 surve ys maile d out, 1156 (58% ) usable surve ys containing de mo-
graphic (i.e ., gende r, age , marital status), task re sponsibilitie s and overall
job satisfaction data were voluntarily returne d. At this point the cohort
change d to subje cts who initially re sponde d. In 1994 (Time 2), 832 of 1156
(72% ) surve ys were returne d by matched subje cts. Matching was done using
subje ct social se curity numbe r. Information on demographics, work force
reduction, and performance appraisal satisfaction were colle cted. In 1995
(Time 3), 739 of the 1156 (64% ) matche d subje cts voluntarily responde d
to the third survey colle cting de mographics, work force reduction, shift,
schedule , salary, and task responsibilitie s data. Finally, in 1996 (Time 4)
for 672 of 1156 (58% ) matche d subje cts, overall job satisfaction and de mo-
graphic data were colle cted.
Colle cting 1993 to 1995 inde pe nde nt variable data and 1996 depe nde nt
variable data allows for stronge r causal infe rence (Kimbe rly, 1976) . The
highe r initial and subse que nt subje ct mortality rate ove r time le d to the
enclosure of pocke t cale ndars with the surveys to help ensure highe r subje ct
response (Harve y, 1987) . Such a loss in subje cts ove r a 4-ye ar time frame
is not uncommon (e.g., Wine fie ld & Tigge rman, 1990) . Although the re were
672 re pe at-responde nts across the four surve ys, some re sponde nts did not
answer all items on the surveys. Also, responde nts were aske d not to re-
spond to organizational-le ve l, work variable , or satisfaction ite ms for that
surve y year if they were not curre ntly e mploye d in a laboratory. Howe ver,
subje cts were still kept in the sample database in case they became em-
ploye d in a laboratory at a later date . Based on a variable numbe r of re-
sponde nts in a survey ye ar, as well as missing data, the numbe r of response s
for e ach variable analysis varie s.
A 1993 de mographic breakdown of the initial sample showed that: me-
dian age was 25, with a range from 21 to 55 ye ars old; 76% were women;
96% had a baccalaure ate degree , and 4% had advance d de gree s (3% , mas-
te rs; 1% , doctorate ); 60% were not married, while 40% were married; and
59% worked in an urban location, 23% in a suburban location, and 18%
in a rural location. Most subje cts had re cently earne d certification as medi-
cal te chnologists (MTs) and were thus e mploye d. By 1996, 63% of the sam-
Testin g th e Lon gitu din al Im pact 1103

ple were marrie d. The othe r demographics e ithe r re maine d stable or in-
creased as e xpe cted (e.g., age ).

Su rvey Item s

Individua l Difference Variables. Age is base d on subje cts filling in the ir

ye ar of birth. This information was transforme d to the individual s age in
1993. G ender was reporte d (1 = fe male ; 2 = male ) and Marital Status was
indicate d as 1 = not married; 2 = marrie d, at 1993 (Time 1).
Organizational-Leve l Variables. Subje cts were asked in 1994 (Time 2)
and 1995 (Time 3) about employme nt perceptions using two items: did
your institution downsize ? (1 = yes, 2 = no) (Institu tion Down size), and
was the numbe r of laboratory pe rsonne l re duce d? (1 = yes, 2 = no)
(Lab Reduction). In 1994, 39% of re sponde nts re porte d that the ir institu-
tion downsize d, and 61% indicate d no downsizing, while in 1995, 49% in-
dicate d downsizing and 51% said no. This change from 1994 to 1995 for
downsizing (M = 1.65 1.54) was significant, [t(600) = 4.26, p < .01] . For
lab staff re duction, in 1994, 38% indicate d there were reductions, and 62%
indicate d no reduction, while in 1995, 46% reporte d re ductions and 54%
said no. This change from 1994 to 1995 for staff re duction (M = 1.66 to
1.57) was significant, t(597) = 3.88, p < .01. In 1995, Shift, Schedule and
Job Chan ge data were colle cted. Shift was measure d as 1 = day (51% ),
and 2 = nonday (49% ), while schedule was 1 = full-time (89% ), and 2 =
part-time (11% ). Job change was measure d by asking did you change jobs
during 1995? , whe re 1 = ye s (18% ) and 2 = no (82% ).
Work Variables. Task responsibilitie s data were colle cted in 1993 (Time
1) and 1995 (Time 3). Task responsibilitie s were identifie d using 30 items
comprise d of laboratory tasks ranging from routine (e .g., pe rforms routine
laboratory te sts ; re cognize normal and abnormal value s ; colle ct and
prepare specimens ) to comple x (e.g., trouble shoot lab instrume nts ; e s-
tablish te chnical proce dure s ; purchase re age nts ), which MTs pe rform
(Rudman, Lunz, & Summe rs, 1995) . Item re sponse s were made using a
4-point format, where 1 = never; 2 = rarely; 3 = some time s; and 4 =
fre quently. Factor analysis identifie d two factors, routine tasks (nine ite ms)
and comple x tasks (18 items)(Ludlow, in pre ss). Items within each factor
were summe d to create Rou tin e Tasks and Com plex Tasks scale s. The com-
plex tasks scale contains tasks which are highe r on pe rceive d job scope
(Hackman & O ldham, 1980) than the routine tasks scale (Ludlow, in press;
Rudman e t al., 1995) . Wage (in 1995 or Time 3), is base d on se lf-reporte d
hourly income code d to the neare st dollar.
Perform ance Appraisal Satisfaction (At 1994 or Tim e 2). Performance
appraisal satisfaction (Dobbins et al., 1990) is measure d by asking about
1104 Blau

subje ct satisfaction with four proce ss characte ristics of the ir pe rformance

appraisals (time line ss, proce dures, setting goals, fe edback) . Response s were
made on a 4-point scale , whe re 0 = not available ; 1 = not satisfie d; 2 =
some what satisfie d; 3 = satisfie d; and 4 = very satisfie d.
Overall job satisfaction (At 1993, Tim e 1; 1996, Tim e 4). Overall job
satisfaction is measure d using Hackman and O ldham s (1975) 15-ite m scale ,
which asks about the outcome face ts of pay, job security, supe rvision, co-
workers, and the work itself. Item re sponse s were made using a 4-point
format, whe re 1 = strongly disagre e; 2 = disagre e ; 3 = agre e, and 4 =
strongly agre e . Adding satisfaction outcome face ts toge the r, as is ofte n
done with multiface ted scale s such as the MSQ , JDI, or JDS, can re pre se nt
ove rall job satisfaction (Wanous, Reichers, & Hudy, 1997) .

RESULTS

Means, standard de viations, re liabilitie s and corre lations of continuous

variable s are reporte d in Table I. Due to missing data and sample size fluc-
tuations across surve y years, the numbe r of re sponse s for e ach corre lation
analysis varie s. Correlations are not reporte d for gende r, marital status, in-
stitution downsize , lab re duction, shift, sche dule , and job change , since
the se variable s are cate gorical. Multi-ite m scale s, with the exception of 1995
routine tasks (.68) , had internal consiste ncies of at least .70 using Cron-
bach s alpha (Nunnally, 1978) . There were 587 re pe at-responde nts on 1993
and 1996 overall job satisfaction, and 631 re pe at-responde nts on 1993 and
1995 comple x tasks. Based on the se repeat-responde nts, the re was a sig-
nificant mean de crease in ove rall job satisfaction from 1993 (M = 46.52)
to 1996 (M = 41.88) , t(586) = 13.26, p < .01, and a significant mean in-
crease in perceived comple x tasks from 1993 (M = 29.20) to 1995 (M =
33.40) , t(630) = 12.62, p < .01.
Corre lation re sults include stronge r positive re lationships be twe e n
1993 and 1995 routine -routine (.49) and comple x-comple x (.60) tasks vs.
mixed routine -comple x task combinations (.32, .26, .20, and .27) , which sup-
ports the construct validitie s of the two task re sponsibilitie s scale s (Camp-
bell & Fiske, 1959) . The correlations with 1995 wage sugge st that olde r
MTs who do more comple x tasks earn more mone y. The correlation of
only .34 be twee n 1993 and 1996 ove rall job satisfaction sugge sts that MT
satisfaction is not ve ry stable over the 4 years. This is supporte d by the
above -mentione d significant mean de crease in re pe at-responde nt overall
job satisfaction from 1993 to 1996. The othe r significant positive correlate s
to 1996 overall job satisfaction are 1993 age , 1994 performance appraisal
satisfaction and 1995 comple x tasks and wage , while 1995 routine tasks was
negative ly re lated.
 Table I. Means, Standard Deviations, Re liabilities, and Correlations of Continuous V ariables (N = 495 903)
Variable s M SD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Measured in 1993
1. Overall Job Satisfaction a 46.0 7.3 (.86) c
Testin g th e Lon gitu din al Im pact

2. Age 27.6 6.6 .10* (NA)

3. Routine Tasks 30.7 3.5 .12* .03 (.70)
4. Comple x Taskb 29.6 8.7 .16** .11* .32** (.89)
Measured in 1994
5. Perf Appraisal Satisfaction 9.8 3.4 .23** .01 .01 .02 (.91)
Measured in 1995
6. Routine Tasks 31.0 3.5 .06 .03 .49** .20** .02 (.68)
7. Comple x Tasks b 33.4 7.6 .03 .08 .26** .60** .03 .27** (.90)
8. Wage d 14.6 3.4 .10* .18** .04 .17** .05 .04 .16** (NA)
Measured in 1996
9. Overall Job Satisfaction a 41.9 7.1 .34** .11* .01 .07 .24** .10* .20** .11* (.85)
a
Significant diffe re nce for N = 587 repe at-responde nts on Overall Job Satisfaction [t(586) = 13.26, p < .01 (two-taile d)].
b
Significant diffe re nce for N = 631 repe at-responde nts on Complex Tasks [t(630) = 12.62, p < .01 (two-tailed)].
c
Coefficient alpha, NA = not applicable.
d
Reported as nearest $/h.
*p < .05 (two-tailed).
**p < .01 (two-tailed).
1105
1106 Blau

Additional analyse s were conducte d to test for the significant de cline

in repeat-re sponde nt ove rall job satisfaction be ing re al as oppose d to a
function of sample mortality. First, for the 1993 sample the re were 1092
MTs who comple ted the 1993 overall job satisfaction scale . O f these 1092,
636 MTs also re sponde d to the 1996 ge neral survey while 456 MTs did not.
An inde pende nt sample s t-te st comparison be tween these two groups on
1993 overall job satisfaction was non-significant [t(1090) = 1.58, p > .11.]
The 636 continuing re sponde nts had a mean of 46.32 while the 456 drop
outs had a mean of 45.60. This nonsignificant 1993 job satisfaction diffe r-
ence be tween continuing re sponde nts and drop-outs at le ast indicate s that
the continuing responde nts did not start out in the longitudinal study more
unhappy than those subje cts who at le ast te mporarily droppe d out of the
sample .
O f the se 636 MTs who participate d in the 1996 general survey, as note d
above there were N = 587 matche s on 1993 and 1996 overall job satis-
faction. The large r gene ral surve y N of 636 is be cause subje cts who were
not e mploye d in the laboratory in 1996 would have fille d out basic em-
ployme nt, certification, and demographic ite ms, but not the 1996 job sat-
isfaction scale . The re were 613 MTs who fille d out the 1996 job satisfaction
scale, of which 587 were re pe at-re sponde nts from 1993. This differe nce
le aves 26 ne w MTs who fille d out the 1996 overall job satisfaction scale .
In 1993, these 26 MTs were not e mploye d in a laboratory setting so the y
did not fill out the 1993 overall job satisfaction scale . An inde pende nt sam-
ples t-te st comparison betwee n the re pe at-re sponde nt (N = 587) vs. new
(N = 26) groups was non-significant, t(611) = .27, p > .79. The repeat-
responde nt 1996 job satisfaction mean was 41.88, while for the ne w group
it was 41.50. Colle ctively, these additional analyse s support the significant
decline in re pe at-responde nt 1993/1996 job satisfaction as being legitimate ,
rathe r than due to sample mortality, (i.e., only unhappy MTs responding) .
Hierarchical regre ssion was use d to te st the two study hypothe ses, the
longitudinal impact of work variable s (H1) and performance appraisal sat-
isfaction (H2) on subse quent overall job satisfaction beyond controlle d-for
variable s. The results are shown in Table II. Prior ove rall job satisfaction
is e ntered first to control for a pote ntial dispositional influe nce (Gerhart,
1987; Staw & Ross, 1985) . Controlling for prior overall job satisfaction also
create d a more rigorous te st by forcing performance appraisal satisfaction
to transce nd the general influe nce of prior overall job satisfaction on sub-
seque nt overall job satisfaction. The orde r of subse que nt variable block en-
try, i.e ., individual diffe re nce , the n organizati on-le ve l variable s, be fore
te sting for the impact of work variable s (H1), and the n also controlling for
work variable s before testing for performance appraisal satisfaction (H2),
Testin g th e Lon gitu din al Im pact 1107

Table II. Hie rarchical Regressio n Te sting for the Impact of Prior Overall Job Satisfaction,
Individual Difference, Organizational-Level, Work V ariables and Pe rformance Appraisal
Satisfaction on 1996 (Time 4) Subse quent Ove rall Job Satisfaction
Change
Overall
Predictors B R2 Adj R2 R2 Adj R2 F

Prior ove rall job satisfaction (T1) a .34**

Step one total .116 .111 43.74**
Individual difference variables
Gende r (T1) .08
Age (T1 ) .10*
Marital status (T1 ) .06
Step two total .136 .129 .02* .018* 10.58**
Organization-level variables
Institution downsize (T2) .02
Lab reduction (T2) .06
Institution downsize (T3) .04
Lab reduction (T3) .18**
Shift (T3 ) .12*
Sche dule (T3 ) .04
Job Change (T3 ) .01
Step three total .187 .173 .051* .044* 7.49**
Work variables
Routine tasks (T1) .02
Complex tasks (T1) .07
Routine tasks (T3) .10*
Complex tasks (T3) .19*
Wage (T3) .11*
Step four total .259 .237 .072* .064* 6.59**
Step five
Performance appraisal .16**
satisfaction (T2 )
Step five total .286 .260 .027* .023* 6.78**
a
T1 = Time 1 (1993) ; T2 = Time 2 (1994); T3 = Time 3 (1995) .
*p < .05.
**p < .01.

refle cts a more distal to proximal orde ring of job satisfaction ante cedents
(Cranny et al., 1992; Spe ctor, 1997) .
As the change in R2 value s show, each variable block, afte r prior (Time
1) overall job satisfaction, explaine d a significant amount of subse quent
(Time 4) ove rall job satisfaction variance . Within each block and consiste nt
with the correlations in Table I, 1993 overall job satisfaction and age , 1995
wage and comple x tasks, and 1994 pe rformance appraisal satisfaction have
significant positive be ta value s, while 1995 routine tasks has a significant
negative beta value . In addition, 1995 lab re duction has a significant posi-
tive be ta value , while 1995 shift has a significant negative be ta value . The
positive relationship betwee n lab reduction and job satisfaction indicate s
that if MTs pe rceive no work force re duction, the ir job satisfaction in-
1108 Blau

creases. Pairwise de le tion of missing data capture d more of the ove rall sam-
ple (Bateman & Strasse r, 1984). Listwise deletion results are consiste nt with
those shown in Table II. Cumulative ly, 26% (Adjuste d R2 ) of 1996 overall
job satisfaction was explaine d and both study hypothe se s were supporte d.
As a more conse rvative e stimate of variance explaine d, the adjuste d R2
statistic is more appropriate , since job satisfaction re se arch is prone to se lf-
report inflation (Crampton & Wagne r, 1994) .

DISCUSSION

The re sults support a significant situational impact on subse que nt

job satisfaction, beyond controlle d for prior job satisfaction (Gerhart, 1987) .
Howe ver, within this situational impact, 1995 but not 1993 comple x and
routine tasks affe cted 1996 ove rall job satisfaction. Ye t 1993 comple x and
routine tasks were significantly re late d to 1993 overall job satisfaction. The
time gap betwee n measure s is one e xplanation for the nonsignificant re-
lationship be tween 1993 task responsibilitie s and 1996 ove rall job satisfac-
tion. A lte rnative ly, howe ve r, the se re sults sugge st that the e ffe ct of
perceived task responsibilitie s on e mploye e job satisfaction may wear off
ove r time (Roberts & Glick, 1981) . In comparing job satisfaction to organ-
izational commitment, Porter, Ste ers, Mowday, & Boulian (1974, p. 608)
spe culate d that job satisfaction was a more rapidly formed and transi-
tory work attitude , large ly associate d with specific and tangible aspe cts
of the work e nvironme nt.
The pote ntial dissipation of task characte ristic effects on job satisfac-
tion over time, as well as the some what mode st corre lation of .34 be tween
job satisfaction measure s se parate d by four years, supports Porter et al.s
(1974) characte rization of job satisfaction as a more transitory work at-
titude . O the r longitudinal re search whe re job satisfaction measure s are
separate d by at least four years (e.g., Gerhart, 1987; Staw & Ross, 1985)
has found a similar size correlation versus re search (e .g., Agho e t al., 1993)
where job satisfaction measure s have a much shorte r time frame separation.
1996 MT overall job satisfaction be ing influe nce d by 1995 laboratory re-
duction, shift, task responsibilitie s, and wage variable s would see m to reflect
the spe cific and tangible work environme nt aspe cts which Porte r et al.
(1974) discusse d. The significant impact of laboratory reduction and shift
on subseque nt overall job satisfaction supports Porte rs (1996) call for more
compre he nsive rese arch designs whe n studying micro variable s such as
job satisfaction.
Additional analyse s supporte d the significant decline in ove rall MT job
satisfaction betwee n 1993 to 1996 as be ing more re al than due to sample
mortality. The present results sugge st that such a job satisfaction de cline
Testin g th e Lon gitu din al Im pact 1109

is at le ast partially due to the incre ase in pe rceive d laboratory staff re duc-
tions. Job loss re search (e.g., Le ana & Feldman, 1988) supports this finding.
The laboratory staff re duction variable re pre se nts a more finely tune d
measure than the nonsignificant gene ral institutional downsizing variable .
This comparative finding points out that researchers need to conside r the
scope of the construct (Adler & Weiss, 1988) the y are measuring. Despite
the increase in mean le ve l of pe rceive d comple x tasks from 1993 to 1995,
28% of the MTs indicate d that the ir le ve l of comple x tasks had droppe d
betwe en 1993 and 1995. A correlation of .19 (p < .01) was found for MTs
betwe en change in comple x tasks and change in overall job satisfaction,
such that as perceived comple x tasks de creased, satisfaction de crease d. To
the e xtent that MT supervisors influe nce the assignme nt of task re sponsi-
bilitie s via delegation (Baue r & Gree n, 1996) , subordinate MT re action to
task assignme nt se ems important for supe rvisors to monitor.
The supe rvisor s role in affe cting ove rall employe e job satisfaction
(Locke , 1976) is also supporte d by the significant influe nce found for 1994
performance appraisal satisfaction on 1996 overall job satisfaction. As such,
performance appraisal satisfaction see ms to be an important proce ss sat-
isfaction facet affe cting composite outcome satisfaction facets, such as
pay, job security, work itse lf, and othe r working conditions. Employe e sat-
isfaction with the pe rformance appraisal process is logically relate d to the
perceived fairne ss of this proce ss (Organ, 1988) . Perhaps the positive ap-
praisal satisfaction overall job satisfaction re lationship found can be con-
ce ptual ize d as re pre se ntin g a focuse d ap plic ation of the positive
proce dural/inte raction justice to job satisfaction re lationship (Moorman,
1991) . Procedural/inte raction justice measure s the gen eral degre e to which
fair (satisfactory; O rgan, 1988) formal proce dure s are use d by the organi-
zation, (e .g., colle ct accurate information necessary for making decisions ),
as well as how procedure s are carried out, (e.g., your supe rvisor conside red
your vie wpoint ) (Moorman, 1991, p. 850). Employe e satisfaction with per-
formance appraisal spe cifically focuse s on fairne ss associate d with the ap-
praisal, (i.e ., time line ss, fe edback, and goal-se tting, procedure s).
While an employe e may be unhappy with the outcome s received based
on an appraisal, the key to an adve rse e mploye e re action to such outcome
negativity is the process (Folge r, 1993) , (i.e., procedural fairne ss or satis-
faction) (Organ, 1988) . If the appraisal process imple mented by one s su-
pervisor is pe rceive d as satisfactory, this positive ly affe cts overall employe e
job satisfaction. Eve n if an e mploye e re ceive s le ss than what is e xpe cted
from an appraisal, s/he can re act by saying Ill show them for next time,
base d on the e mploye e s be lie f in a fair e valuation proce ss. Such a belief
helps to e nhance the appraisal proce ss dese rve d outcome s linkage for an
employe e (Bre tz e t al., 1992) .
1110 Blau

It is important to note various limitations of this study. Fore most, only

26% of the variance in ove rall job satisfaction was explaine d, despite the
large sample size and more comprehensive research design. The nature of
the sample , variable ope rationalization and omitte d variable s are partial
explanations for this. The sample characte ristics of being predominantly
full-time fe male , with little job change , limite d the impact of the gende r,
schedule , and job change dichotomous variable s on job satisfaction. Al-
though 1995 laboratory re duction was found to have a significant impact
on job satisfaction, this variable was re stricted by its ope rationalization. Pe r-
haps by supple menting this measure with a pe rceptual variable , i.e., job
insecurity (Caplan, Cobb, French, Harrison, & Pinne au, 1975) , stronge r re-
sults could have bee n found.
Although measuring prior job satisfaction controls for a dispositional
influe nce on job satisfaction, no dispositional variable s were dire ctly meas-
ured (Judge e t al., 1998) . Pe rceived resource constraints (e .g., inade quate
equipme nt) can also impact on job satisfaction (O Connor, Pe te rs, Pooyan,
We ekley, Frank, & Erenkrantz, 1984) , as well as nonwork variable s (e.g.,
family satisfaction; Frone, Russe ll, & Coope r, 1994) , but these were not
include d in this study. Also, give n the dive rsity of organizations sample d,
more spe cific de tails on the pe rformanc e appraisal syste ms be ing use d
could not be gathe red.
To summarize , despite its limitations, this study has presente d evide nce
that the effe cts of perceived task re sponsibilitie s on subse que nt overall job
satisfaction may dissipate , and that it is important for supe rvisors to be
aware of e mploye e reactions to their task de legation e fforts. In addition,
the relationship be tween e mploye e pe rformance appraisal satisfaction and
subse quent overall job satisfaction highlights the nee d for supe rvisors to
enhance employe e belief in a fair e valuation process. Recent re se arch show-
ing the de velopme nt of highe r-leve l le ade r membe r e xchange to be a trust-
building proce ss, with successful delegation-pe rformance (leade r membe r)
interactions (Baue r & Green, 1996) , prese nts ide as for strengthe ning such
an employe e belief.
From a practical standpoi nt, this finding supports the call for in-
crease d rate r appraisal training and rate r accountability within organiza-
tions ( Bre tz e t al., 1992; Me ro & Motowidlo, 1995) . From a re se arch
pe rspective , give n that job satisfaction has bee n found to be an important
ante ce dent affe cting a numbe r of be haviors, including: turnove r (Hom,
Caranikas-Walke r, Prussia, & Griffeth, 1992) ; abse nce (Dalton & Me sch,
1991) ; late ne ss (Blau, 1994) ; and organizational citize nship be havior (O r-
gan & Ryan, 1995) , furthe r re se arch on the ante cede nts of job satisfaction
se ems warrante d.
Testin g th e Longitud in al Im p act 1111

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The author e xpre sses thanks to the Research and Developme nt Com-
mitte e for the Board of Registry of the American Socie ty of Clinical Pa-
thologists for pe rmission to use this data. The manuscript comme nts of
Mary Lunz and Thomas O Neill from the Board of Registry are grate fully
acknowle dge d. In addition, the author thanks John Deckop, Frank Linne -
han, Nga Nguye n, Mike Saltis, Debra Sinclair, and Paul Spe ctor for the ir
helpful comments on earlie r versions of this pape r.

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BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
GARY BLAU rece ived his PhD from the University of Concinnati and is curre ntly a Profe ssor
of Human Resource Administration at Temple University. His curre nt research interests in-
clude unde rstanding e mployee attitudes (e.g., work commitment facets, job satisfaction) and
behaviors (e.g., job performance , work role transitions). He is a member of the Research and
Developme nt Committee for the Board Registry of the American Society of Clinical Patholo-
gists.