Individual-Level Determinants of the Propensity to Shirk

Employee shirking, where workers give less than full effort on the job, has typically been investigated as a construct subject to group and organization-level influences. Neglected are individual differences that might explain why individuals in the same organization or work-group might shirk. The present study sought to address these limitations by investigating subjective well-being (a dispositional construct), job satisfaction, as well as other individual-level determinants of shirking behavior. Results identified several individual-level determinants of shirking. Implications of the results are discussed

Job Satisfaction and Subjective Well-Being As Determinants of Job Adaptation

An important controversy in the literature on employee withdrawal/adaptation concerns whether job satisfaction predicts behaviors that are manifestations of this construct. Although the area has not lacked for empirical research, Hulin (1991) has argued that several unresolved issues have limited the generalizations we can make about the role of job satisfaction in influencing isolated work behaviors. Hulin (1991) hypothesized that there is a general construct underlying many adaptive behaviors, including job withdrawal. When this general construct is assessed through combination of individual behaviors, the ability of constructs such as job satisfaction to influence job adaptation was hypothesized to increase over the prediction of specific behaviors. In the present study, individual behaviors thought to represent the adaptation construct were obtained through three different sources of data. Job satisfaction, subjective well-being, and other variables were hypothesized to influence the adaptation construct within the framework of a causal model. Results indicated support for both the job adaptation construct and its relation to job satisfaction and subjective well-being

A Test of Ghiselli\u27s Hobo Syndrome

Ghiselli (1974) observed that some workers possess internal impulses to migrate from one job to another irrespective of better alternatives or other apparently rational motives. Ghiselli labeled this tendency the hobo syndrome. The present study tested the validity of the hobo syndrome using a national longitudinal sample of young workers. Results of event history analyses indicated support for the hypothesis that turnover depends on the number of times an individual has left his or her job in the past. Implications of the results are discussed

Dispositional Source of Job Satisfaction: The Role of Self-Deception

Despite providing strong indication that there is a dispositional source of job satisfaction, past research has not fully addressed the cardinal questions of how--or what--dispositions influence job satisfaction. This study suggests that self-deception may serve as an important psychological variable that partly explicates the dispositional source of job satisfaction. Using three sources of data obtained from a sample of university employees, our results indicated that employees who tend to engage in self-deception indeed experienced more satisfaction in their lives and with their jobs. Results also suggested that the relationship between subjective wellbeing and job satisfaction is reciprocal. All these findings were observed in a model including a significant link from affective disposition to subjective well-being. The results suggest that dispositional variables such as self-deception are important explanations of the dispositional source of job satisfaction

Measures of New Constructs or Old Ones? The Case of Organizational Commitment and Job Satisfaction

The construct validity of organizational commitment has recently been investigated in several studies. The authors of these studies have concluded that organizational commitment is a valid construct, sufficiently distinct from job satisfaction. Our re-analysis of data reported in these studies, however, suggests that the construct validity evidence is unconvincing. Analysis of meta-analytic results cast further doubt on the discriminant validity of organizational commitment as typically measured. Based on these findings, suggestions for future research are offered

The Effect of Dysfunctional Thought Processes on Subjective Well-Being and Job Satisfaction

While the dispositional approach to job satisfaction has received a good deal of recent attention, a fundamental deficiency in past dispositional research is a failure to use existing theories to explain why individuals are unhappy and dissatisfied with their jobs. Locke (1976), Judge (in press), and Judge and Hulin (in press) suggested that thinking processes should be studied in relation to job satisfaction. This study tested the thesis that the cognitive theory of depression, which focuses on irrational thought processes, will help in understanding both subjective well-being and job satisfaction. A causal model involving subjective well-being, job satisfaction, dysfunctional thought processes, and other relevant influences was hypothesized and tested using a stratified random sample of university employees. Ratings were obtained from two sources in order to reduce single-source bias. The results indicated strong support for the overall model and for the efficacy of dysfunctional thought processes

Effects of Compensation Systems on Job Search Decisions: An Application of Person-Organization Fit

Past research has demonstrated the importance of pay level in job search and choice processes. Compensation policies other than pay level may have important effects on applicant attraction, yet there has been little research examining this possibility. The role of person-organization fit in job search and job choice decisions has also been supported. Because pay systems define an organization\u27s expectations and culture, they may be an important organizational attribute for individuals to compare with their needs and values; thus the corresponding level of fit between compensation policies and individuals\u27 dispositions may affect subsequent job search and choice decisions. Using several research methods and a sample of individuals currently involved in the interviewing process, this stugy examines both the main and interactive effects of various pay system attributes on job search. Resulting analyses primarily supported the hypotheses, suggesting that many facets of pay systems may have important effects on individuals\u27 job search and choice decisions

The Role of Person-Organization Fit in Organizational Selection Decisions

This paper presents and tests a theoretical model of person-organization fit and organizational selection decisions using data from 35 organizations making hiring decisions. Results suggested that (a) interviewers were able to assess applicants\u27 values with above-chance levels of accuracy, (b) interviewers compare their perceptions of applicants\u27 values with their organizations\u27 values to assess person-organization fit, and (c) it is perceived values congruence and not actual values congruence between applicants and organizations that predicted interviewers\u27 person-organization fit perceptions. Results also suggested that interviewers\u27 person-organization fit assessments had the largest effect on their hiring recommendations even after controlling for competing applicant characteristics (e.g., demographics, human capital), and that interviewers\u27 hiring recommendations had large and significant effects on organizations\u27 hiring decisions (e.g., job offers)

The Effect of Work Values on Absence Disciplinary Decisions: The Role of Fairness Orientation and Supervisor Attributions

The present study investigated the role of the work value of fairness and attributions regarding the causes of absence in supervisor disciplinary decisions. It was hypothesized that supervisors who valued fairness, and those who made internal attributions regarding the cause of a particular absence incident, render more severe disciplinary decisions than supervisors who value fairness less, and who make external attributions about the cause of a particular absence incident. Furthermore, it was hypothesized that the degree to which supervisors valued fairness moderates the relationship between external attributions and the severity of disciplinary decisions. Using a policy capturing approach, results were consistent with predictions. Implications of the results for research and practice are discussed

Social and Situational Influences on the Performance Rating Process

The effects of social and situational influences on the performance rating process has received relatively little attention by past research, yet merits increased attention. While there has been greater acknowledgment of the role of social and situational factors on rater cognition and evaluation, research has typically proceeded in a piecemeal fashion, isolating on a single influence at a time. This approach fails to recognize that performance rating is a process with multiple social and situational influences that need to be considered simultaneously. In the present study, a model of the performance rating process was tested, employing several social and situational variables that have been infrequently investigated and typically not in conjunction with one another. Results indicated support for the overall model and specific influences within the model. Implications of the results for performance rating research are discussed