Organizational Behavior

Case study

Name : Zeeshan Burhan
Department : Management Sciences
Degree : Bachelors of Business Administration
Isra University

Question : Are Employees In Some Cultures More Satisfied With Their Jobs?

JOB Satisfaction ?
Job Satisfaction Is The Most Widely Investigated Job Attitude, As Well As One Of The Most Extensively Researched Subjects In Industrial/Organizational Psychology
Job Satisfaction Has Been Linked To Productivity, Motivation, Absenteeism/Tardiness, Accidents, Mental/Physical Health, And General Life Satisfaction. It Can Also Be Said A Pleasurable Or Positive Emotional State Resulting From The Appraisal Of One’s Job Or Job Experiences”.
Additionally, Job Satisfaction Has Emotional, Cognitive, And Behavioral Components . The Emotional Component Refers To Feelings Regarding The Job, Such As Boredom, Anxiety, Or Excitement. The Cognitive Component Of Job Satisfaction Refers To Beliefs Regarding One's Job, For Example, Feeling That One's Job Is Mentally Demanding And Challenging. Finally, The Behavioral Component Includes People's Actions In Relation To Their Work, Which May Include Being Tardy, Staying Late, Or Pretending To Be Ill In Order To Avoid Work.
There Are Two Types Of Job Satisfaction Based On The Level Of Employees' Feelings About Their Jobs.
The First, And Most Studied, Is Global Job Satisfaction, Which Refers To Employees' Overall Feelings About Their Jobs
The Second Is Job Facet Satisfaction, Which Refers To Feelings About Specific Job Aspects, Such As Salary, Benefits, And The Quality Of Relationships With One's Co-Workers . According To Kerber And Campbell (1987), Measurements Of Job Facet Satisfaction May Be Helpful In Identifying Which Specific Aspects Of A Job Require Improvements.

The Importance Of Job Satisfaction :
Job Satisfaction Is Significant Because A Person's Attitude And Beliefs May Affect His Or Her Behavior. Attitudes And Beliefs May Cause A Person To Work Harder, Or, The Opposite May Occur, And He Or She May Work Less. Job Satisfaction Also Affects A Person's General Well Being For The Reason That People Spend A Good Part Of The Day At Work. Consequently, If A Person Is Dissatisfied With Their Work, This Could Lead To Dissatisfaction In Other Areas Of Their Life.

Organizational Culture ?
Organizational Culture Includes An Organization's Expectations, Experiences, Philosophy, And Values That Hold It Together, And Is Expressed In Its Self-Image, Inner Workings, Interactions With The Outside World, And Future Expectations. It Is Based On Shared Attitudes, Beliefs, Customs, And Written And Unwritten Rules That Have Been Developed Over Time And Are Considered Valid. Also Called Corporate Culture, It's Shown In
(1) The Ways The Organization Conducts Its Business, Treats Its Employees, Customers, And The Wider Community,
(2) The Extent To Which Freedom Is Allowed In Decision Making, Developing New Ideas, And Personal Expression,
(3) How Power And Information Flow Through Its Hierarchy, And
(4) How Committed Employees Are Towards Collective Objectives.
It Affects The Organization's Productivity And Performance, And Provides Guidelines On Customer Care And Service, Product Quality And Safety, Attendance And Punctuality, And Concern For The Environment. It Also Extends To Production-Methods, Marketing And Advertising Practices, And To New Product Creation. Organizational Culture Is Unique For Every Organization And One Of The Hardest Things To Change.
Understanding Behavior Is One Thing But Understanding How The Culture Of An Organization Influences The Behavior Of An Organization Is Another. Organizational Culture Is A Collective Belief System Of Ethics, Norms And Values That Influence Its Member's Actions (Schermerhorn Et Al, 2005). Organizational Culture Is The Rules That Hold A Company Together By Setting Behavior Standards Either Written Or Implied, And Stem From Experiences That Allow Us To Decide What We Deem Important. The Word Culture Is From The Latin Root Colere, Meaning To Inhabit, Cultivate Or Honor (Wikipedia, 2005). Each Of These Meanings Can Be Applied To The Organizational Sense Of Culture, Because We Exist, Grow, And Respect As Members Of A Group. Many Of Our Behaviors Are Built By The Culture In Which We Exist. A Culture Can Be A Culmination Of Upbringing, Personal Performance Standards, Faith, And Prejudices.
Job Satisfaction And Culture ?

Job Satisfaction And Culture Now That The Relationship Between Job Satisfaction And Turnover Intention Has Been Discussed, The Relationship Between Job Satisfaction And Organizational Culture Will Be Explored. The Conceptual Model Presented Herein Proposes That Satisfaction With Organizational Culture Moderates The Relationship Between Job Satisfaction And Employee Turnover Intention .In Other Words, If There Are Two Employees With Equal Job Satisfaction But One Employee Has High Workplace Cultural Satisfaction And The Other Has Low Workplace Cultural Satisfaction, Then The Employee With High Workplace Cultural Satisfaction Will Have Lower Turnover Intention. Since No Strong Consensus Has Been Formed On A Definition Of Job Satisfaction Or Organizational Culture, These Concepts Are First Defined And Discussed.
Job Satisfaction Has Been Defined As “An Employee’s Affective Reactions To A Job Based On Comparing Desired Outcomes With Actual Outcomes (Egan Et Al., 2004,).” To An Extent, Employee Job Satisfaction Is A Reflection Of How Well An Employee’s Expectations Of A Job Are Aligned With The Reality Of Their Work (Lund, 2003). Employees Assess Job Satisfaction Based On Intrinsic Job Elements, Such As Feelings Of Purpose At Work, And Extrinsic Job Elements, Such As Compensation.
The Level Of Employee Job Satisfaction Reflects The Cumulative Level Of Fulfilled Job Expectations. That Is, Employees Expect Their Job To Provide A Mix Of These Elements, For Which Each Employee Has Distinct Preferential Values (Egan Et Al., 2004). While The Range And Importance Of These Preferences Vary Across Employees, When The Accumulation Of Unsatisfied Expectations Reaches A Critical Threshold There Is Less Job Satisfaction And Greater Possibility Of Dissatisfied Employees, Which Results In Greater Employee Turnover.
Organizational Culture Has Been Identified As An Important Aspect Of Organizational Behavior And It Is Useful In Elucidating How Organizations Function (Silverthorne, 2004). There Exists A Consensus Regarding The Existence Of "Culture" In Every Organization, Although, The Concept Of Culture Connotes A Certain Degree Of Imprecision And It Is Difficult To Find A Measure Of Agreement (Schrodt, 2002; Schein, 1990).
Organizational Psychologist, Edgar Schein (1996), Suggested: “A Culture Is A Set Of Basic Tacit Assumptions About How The World Is And Ought To Be That A Group Of People Share And That Determines Their Perceptions, Thoughts, Feelings, And To Some Degree, Their Overt Behavior .
Organizational Culture Is The Values, Beliefs And Principles Underpinning An Organization’s Management Structure, As Well As The Customs And Conduct That Represent And Reinforce Those Basic Principles (Adkins & Caldwell, 2004; Lee & Yu, 2004). Culture Is Represented Through An Organization’s Internal And External Correspondence, Strategy And Decision-Making, And Daily Work Practices..
In Short, Workplace Culture Is The Established Norms Of Behavior And Shared Ideals Within An Organization. Culture Is Based On Perceptions And Feelings, Rather Than Facts, Making It Different From Other Organizational Processes. The Complex, And Somewhat Intangible Nature Of Organizational Culture Makes Is Difficult To Operationalize; However, It Is A Powerful And Pervasive Force In All Organizations (Deery & Shaw, 1999; Silverthorne, 2004).
Scholars Of Organizational Behavior Have Studied Organizational Culture With Many Different Definitions And Paradigms And Have Yet To Find A Unanimous Measure Of Agreement. In The Model Proposed Herein, Culture Is Operationally Defined By: Respectful Treatment At Work, Trust In Management, Productivity At Work, Smooth Working Environment And Pride In Employer. It Is Posited That The Strength Of The Relationship Between Job Satisfaction And Turnover Intention Is Dependent Of The Level Of Cultural Satisfaction In The Workplace.
Employees Are Likely To Assess Elements Of Job Satisfaction, Especially Intrinsic Elements, More Precisely When The Workplace Culture Is Harmonious And Supportive. In This Way, The Components Of Culture, Such As Respectful Treatment At Work, Are Viewed By Some Researchers As Antecedents To Job Satisfaction (Johnson & Mcintye, 1998; Knudsen, Johnson & Roman 2003; Lund, 2003). A Study By Macintosh And Doherty (2010) Showed That Job Satisfaction Strongly And Inversely Influenced Intention To Leave The Organization For Employees In The Fitness Industry; Furthermore, The Authors Found That That, Of The Dimensions Shown To Impact Job Satisfaction, Atmosphere Appeared To Be Most Meaningful.
A Positive And Friendly Workplace Was An Important Indicator Of Job Satisfaction In The Study. Similarly, Schwepker (2001) Found Apositive Relationship Between Professionalism In The Workplace And Job Satisfaction. In His Research, Schwepker (2001) Also Noted That Statistically Significant, Negative Relationships Have Been Found Between Turnover Intention And Climates That Are Innovative, As Well As Pleasant. In Researching Various Types Of Organizational Cultures, Silverthorne (2004) Found That, “Involvement In An Organization That Had A Bureaucratic Organizational Culture Resulted In The Lowest Levels Of Job Satisfaction And Organizational Commitment,” Relative To Innovative Cultures And Supportive Cultures. It Is Easy To Imagine That A Workplace With A Culture Of Respect, Harmony, Trust, Pride And Productivity, Lends Itself To An Environment Hospitable To Job Satisfaction. Job Satisfaction, Culture And Turnover Intention
In The United States There Are A Variety Of Industries, Employers And Jobs, And Organizational Culture Varies Across All Of Them. Culture Is Important In All Organizations Because High Performing Cultures Produce Consistently Excellent Results, Attract, Motivate, And Retain Talented Employees, And Adapt Readily To Change. Often, A Company Will Find That Several Candidates Are At Least Minimally Qualified For A Position That They Desire To Fill. When Faced With Comparably Qualified Candidates, The Team Will Generally Choose The Single Candidate Who Is The “Best Fit” For The Position And Team. Silverthorne (2004) Found That The Better The Fit An Employee Is Within The Organization, The Higher The Job Satisfaction, The Higher The Organizational Commitment And The Lower The Turnover Rate. While Cultural “Fit” May Vary Across Employers And Even Within Departments, Culture Is Important In All Working Environments. Due To The Practical Implications And Potential To Impact Worker Productivity, Researchers In A Variety Of Disciplines Have Explored The Relationship Between Job Satisfaction, Turnover Intention And Productivity.
Organizational Scholars Have Shown That Job Satisfaction Is Positively Associated With Worker Productivity And Negatively Associated With Employee Turnover (Egan Et Al., 2004; Silverthorne, 2004). In Other Words, Greater Job Satisfaction Is Associated With Greater Productivity, So More Satisfied Employees Ought To Be More Productive, Relative To Lesser-Satisfied Employees (Silverthorne, 2004).
These Findings Are Aligned With Research Showing That Job Satisfaction Is Positively Related To Employee Engagement. Research Has Shown That More Satisfied Employees Are More Engaged In Their Work, While Less Satisfied Employees Are Less Engaged.
Lower Levels Of Engagement Are Associated With Employee Withdrawal, Particularly In Terms Of Voluntary Turnover (Lambert Et Al., 2001). Therefore, It Is Accepted That Job Satisfaction And Employee Turnover Intention Are Inversely Related. For Practical And Performance Reasons, It Is Essential That Organizations Identify Specific Factors Associated With Employees’ Job Satisfaction, Especially In Competitive, Fast-Paced Environments (Benko & Weisberg, 2007; Becker, 2007).
As Egan Et Al. (2004) Noted, Decreases In Turnover Led To Increases In Organizational Performance And A Reduction In Costs Associated With Losses Of Firm And Job-Specific Knowledge, Hiring, And Retraining Of Replacement Employees. Furthermore, Turnover Is Associated With Many Indirect Costs Such As Lower New Employee Productivity, Additional Time Needed By Managers In Support Of New Employees, And Diminished Productivity Of Established Employees As They Serve As Mentors To New Employees. Similarly, Silverthorne (2004) Noted That, “Turnover Causes Significant Expense To An Organization,” Including Direct Costs Of Replacing An Employee And Indirect Cost Related To Loss Of Experience And Lowered Productivity. These Costs Have Important Implications For An Organization, Noted Silverthorne, And Anything That Can Be Done To Reduce Turnover Will Lead To Significant Benefits To An Organization.

Cultural Effects On Employee Satisfaction
Employee Job Satisfaction And Cultural Diversity In The Workplace Have Become Highly Important. Employee Satisfaction Is Consistently Rated Highly On Most Respected Studies And Scholarly Research. Ethnic Diversity Can Often Enhance Or Reduce Employee Job Satisfaction. Learning How This Sometimes Complex Interrelationship Works Is Beneficial To All Managers And Business Owners. Learning How Culture Affects Employee Workplace Behavior Helps Management Maximize The Positive And Minimize The Negative Effects On Employee Job Satisfaction.
Authority Level Views
Employee Views Of Authority And Power Often Result From Cultural Influences. Their Craving For Equality Is Strong In The United States, While In Parts Of Europe And Asia The Perception Of A Gap In Authority And Power Is Stronger, But, In Most Cases, Accepted. Employees In The U.S., However, Tend To Be Less Satisfied With Highly Structured Authority Levels. This Dissatisfaction Becomes More Prevalent If Employees Perceive Inequalities In Promotions And Those With Power That Appears To Be Undeserved.

Corporate And Ethnic Culture
Every Business Has A "Corporate Culture," Whether It Is Clear Or Hidden. Many Companies Are Now Trying To Manage Negative Corporate Culture To Improve Its Effect On Their Workplace. When Corporate Culture Meets Ethnic Culture, There Is Always An Effect, Either Positive Or Harmful To Job Satisfaction And Performance. If A Corporate Culture Is Upbeat, Team-Oriented And Pleasant, Even Ingrained Ethnic Culture May Be Suppressed For The Company Good. A Negative Corporate Culture May Engulf All Employees, Regardless Of Diverse Cultural Issues.
Sociological Culture Issues
In Some Cases, The Sociological Environment Of Diverse Cultures Plays A Role In Employee Job Happiness And Values. Many Cultures Place Strong Value On Work Importance, High Achievement And Recognition Of Authority. Other Sociological Environments Place Less Value On These Classic Issues And More On Individual Prestige Or Titles To Achieve Job Satisfaction. Business Owners Should Become Aware Of The Values Held By Different Employees To Better Understand How To Relate To Them.

Employee Engagement And Culture
Human Resource Observers Trumpet That Employee Engagement Leads To Job Satisfaction. Engaged Employees Are Those That Care About Their Jobs, Their Employers, Their Products, Their Co-Workers And Their Managers. Corporate And Ethnic Culture Factor Into Employee Views Of Their Jobs, Employers And Empowerment, Such As Participating In Decisions And Implementing Workplace Changes. Western European And U.S. Cultures Place High Value On Empowerment, While Asian, Eastern European And Some Other Cultures Tend To Undervalue Employee Engagement And Empowerment. Understanding These Diverse Viewpoints Permits Business Owners To Tailor Their Relationships With Different Employees To Generate The Most Pride Of Achievement From Each.