Components of Attitudes

1. Cognitive
2. Affective
3. Behavioral
 genetics

Informational/
Cognitive
(i.e. beliefs)

Attitude Behavior
socialization

Affective
(i.e. emotions)

observable

learning
 An attitude is a predisposition to respond
in a certain way to people and things.
 Cognitive dissonance occurs when a
person’s attitude and behavior are
inconsistent.
1. Job Satisfaction
2. Job Involvement
3. Organizational Commitment

Job satisfaction
Job satisfaction refers to an individual’s
general attitude toward his or her job. A
person with a high level of job satisfaction
holds positive attitudes toward the job, while a
person who is dissatisfied with his or her job
holds negative attitudes about the job.
Desire to reduce dissonance
• Importance of elements creating dissonance
• Degree of individual influence over elements
• Rewards involved in dissonance
• Any form of inconsistency is uncomfortable and that individuals
will attempt to reduce the dissonance and, hence, the discomfort.
• Therefore, individuals will seek a stable state in which there is a
minimum of dissonance.

E.g., Mrs Smith is a corporate managers. She strongly

believes that no company should pollute the air or water.
Unfortunately, Mrs. Smith, because of the requirements of
her job, is placed in the position of having to make
decisions that would trade off her company’s profitability
against her attitudes on pollution. She knows that dumping
the company’s sewage into the local river (which she
assume is legal) is in the best economic interest of her
firm. What she will do? Clearly, she is experiencing a high
degree of cognitive dissonance.
Recent research indicates that the
attitudes (A) significantly predict
behaviors (B) when moderating
variables are taken into account.
Moderating Variables
• Importance of the attitude
• Specificity of the attitude
• Accessibility of the attitude
• Social pressures on the individual
• Direct experience with the attitude
When asked about an attitude
toward some object, individuals
recall their behavior relevant to
that object and then infer their
attitude from their past behavior.
The preceding review indicates that a knowledge of employee
attitudes can be helpful to managers in attempting to predict
employee behavior.
 Based in history of Job Satisfaction
 Formal research began in mid-1930’s
• 1932 I/O textbooks had no mention of job
satisfaction or organizational
commitment
• By 1972 over 3000 articles published
specifically exploring worker attitudes
 Why interest developed
• Methodological breakthroughs
Survey methods
• Statistical techniques
 Most Indians like their jobs overall
 People are relatively satisfied with the
nature of the work itself:
• How interesting it is
• Having lots of contact with people
 People still feel happy with rewards
like:
• Pay
• Benefits
• Chances for promotion
Determinants of Job Satisfaction
Influences on Job Satisfaction
• Mental challenge in the work itself
• Pay
• Promotions
• Supervision
• Work Group
• Working Conditions
Outcomes of Job Satisfaction
• Satisfaction and Performance
• Satisfaction and Turnover
• Satisfaction and Absenteeism
• Other Effects and Ways to Enhance
Satisfaction
 Satisfaction and Productivity
• Satisfied workers aren’t necessarily more
productive.
• Worker productivity is higher in organizations
with more satisfied workers.
 Satisfaction and Absenteeism
• Satisfied employees have fewer avoidable
absences.
 Satisfaction and Turnover
• Satisfied employees are less likely to quit.
• Organizations take actions to cultivate high
performers and to weed out lower
performers.
Isa happy worker a productive
worker?
Correlations positive and low to
moderate
• .16 with overall satisfaction in individual
studies
• .30 with overall satisfaction in meta-
analytic studies
• .10 with specific facets
Why is the association not larger?
TheMeaning of Organizational
Commitment
• Affective
• Continuance
• Normative
Guidelines
to Enhance Organizational
Commitment
• People-first
• Communication Mission
• Org. Justice
• Create a community
• Support employee development
Organizational Citizenship Behaviors
(OCBs)
Satisfaction and Organizational
Citizenship Behavior (OCB)
• Satisfied employees who feel fairly treated
by and are trusting of the organization are
more willing to engage in behaviors that go
beyond the normal expectations of their job.