Job Satisfaction and General Systems Theory
Abstract
Organizational managers have studied employee job satisfaction for decades because of its anticipated relationship to organizational outcomes (satisfied personnel tend to quit less and do better work). Many studies prove this theory. Furthermore, employee motivations such as affective disposition, career orientation, and organizational commitment moderate the link between job satisfaction and organizational outcomes. (For example: job satisfaction affects organizational turnover directly; it also affects organizational commitment, which in turn affects organizational turnover). Current job satisfaction literature extensively investigates these linkages through various moderators, but a gap exists in the premise of these studies. The gap is where job satisfaction fits within a holistic organizational system framework. This paper seeks to advance job satisfaction scholarship by refining its conceptualization as one component of a greater interactive and complex multi level system. It explores the ongoing debate concerning how exactly to define job satisfaction, how to measure it, and why it matters to organizations. Further, it examines several moderators at multiple levels (individual, unit, and organization) through the lenses of general systems theory, work design theory, and human resource management all in the context of time (static vs dynamic). Finally, it offers some managerial implications and recommendations for further research. Ultimately, managers can better leverage their organizational knowledge and strengths, enabling them to achieve desirable organizational outcomes by elevating their perspective from job satisfaction as simply a concept in isolation to that of one component within a holistic framework.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 13, 2020
- Accession Number
- AD1177440
Entities
People
- Sean M. Andrews
Organizations
- Marine Corps University