The paper discusses the various definitions of job satisfaction highlighting the aspects that bring about job satisfaction in the work place. This paper also looks how job satisfaction relates to organizational socialization and organizational commitment. In the paper it is discussed how an organization can use organizational socialization and organizational commitment to influence job satisfaction.
Job Satisfaction
According to (Hulin & Judge, 2003), job satisfaction is viewed a multidimensional psychological response one has towards a their job. The responses are affective, cognitive behavioral (Hulin & Judge, 2003). There is however no clear agreement of what job satisfaction stands for given the wide usage of the term. Vroom in his definition focuses on employee's role in the work place defining job satisfaction as the effective orientation of the employee towards their roles in current employment position (Vroom, 1964). A widely accepted definition of job satisfaction is one by Spector who acknowledges job satisfaction to be the feeling people have considering the respective aspects of their job. According to the Spector it has to do with how people dislike of like their job (Mullins, 2005).
Job satisfaction represents a combination of like and dislike feeling possessed by employees towards their work assignments. To some extent, it has been argued that job satisfaction is related to the extent that an employee's expectations are met by the job (Mullins, 2005)Job satisfaction counts for a sense of achievement that an employee perceives in relation to their productivity in the job as-well-as their personal well-being. (Kaliski, 2007) argues that Job satisfaction is the enthusiasm and happiness one has in undertaking a task. The recognition that follows through income rises, promotion, and attainment of related goals add to the job satisfaction.
(Armstrong, 2006)presents his definition of job satisfaction as the feeling and attitude people have about their work. Job satisfaction is indicated by their favorable and positive attitudes employees show towards a job. The opposite of this shows dissatisfaction with the job. To complement this definitions (George & Jones, 2008)defines job satisfaction as a collection of feeling and beliefs that people poses in regards to their current jobs. Employees in a work place can have differing attitudes towards various aspects of their jobs and co-workers there influencing the a prorportionate in the job satisfaction measures (George & Jones, 2008). According to (George & Jones, 2008) satisfaction can range from extreme satisfaction to extreme dissatisfaction.
Organizational Socialization and Job Satisfaction
Organizational socialization is the measure that an individual makes sense of the surrounding at work place understanding the values, methods and beliefs (Gruman et al., 2006). It is a process of appreciating the shared values, social knowledge and expected behaviors crucial in adopting an organizational role and enabling to participate as a member of the organization (Hulin & Judge, 2003). Organizational Socialization contributes to a wide variety of outcomes within an organization especially so in the early stages of employment. According to (Shaemi, Ali, Asghari, & Jhila, 2010) organizational socialization has a part to play in influencing possible job satisfaction.
Organizational socialization significantly influences attitudes, involvement and motivation of employees in an organization's affairs. Higher levels of job motivation, satisfaction, and involvement can be noticed among employees who have been effectively socialized in aspects of the organization (Hulin & Judge, 2003). Organization socialization is an aspect that can breed stress or yield satisfaction. In the case of a new worker, the work place, the co-workers, the job, the organization culture and the work environment are all unfamiliar grounds. The unfamiliarity breeds anxiety and uneasiness that causes stress. Organizational socialization hastens the pace to help an individual to learn and adopt the various aspects of the organization. The new employee is capacitated to handle various aspects of the organization that may seem unconventional in their previous community. With ease in adoption to the new environment it is possible for a new employee to hold a positive attitude and, participate in the organizations objectives effectively.
Motivation to learn and motivation to transfer are considered as important determinant of training effectiveness (George & Jones, 2008). Given the immense amount of learning required of newcomers, one would expect that "newcomers" motivation to learn will facilitate task, role, group, and organizational socialization and motivation to transfer will facilitate "newcomers" application of what they learn. Along these lines, (Gruman et al., 2006) explain organizational socialization can facilitate to "newcomers" motivation in participating in organization's activities and their subsequent commitment to self-efficacy. It is therefore emphasized that grounds for organizational socialization be created to ensure that motivation to prepare participants to receive maximum job satisfaction.
Organizational Commitment and Job Satisfaction
The concept of organizational commitment attracts interest in creating an understanding in employee dedication towards an organization's objective. The association of organizational commitment is linked with the employee's attitude since it relates to their mindset and preconception about an organization. (Gruman et al., 2006), contends that an organization stands a better change to attain its objective given the positive acceptance of its goals by the employee and their respective wiliness to exert more effort for purposes of meeting the set goals. Employee's level of organization commitment will create an avenue for greater job satisfaction that is attained through rewards and recognition. While job satisfaction is a determinative of organizational commitment there is a difference. The main difference between organizational commitment and job satisfaction is that while organizational commitment can be defined as the emotional responses that an employee has towards his organization; job satisfaction is the responses that an employee has towards any job (Gruman et al., 2006).
Where it is said that there is organizational commitment among employees, it is anticipated for job satisfaction to be higher (Gruman et al., 2006). This is the case since organizational commitment is viewed as a psychological connection between individuals and the organization. This connection builds a bond for cohesive action with a unique goal target that contributes to optimal completion of task and attainment of organizational goals. Organizational commitment breeds three concepts of commitment that are; continuance, affective, and normative (Shaemi et al., 2010).
Job satisfaction is related to the type, variety and convenience in undertaking a task. In the case for organizational commitment it is seen that factors such as type and variety of work reduce the monotony in work and significantly contribute to employee commitment. It is therefore deduced that job satisfaction and organizational commitment will result from same aspects. An employee is likely to stay committed to an organization if they feel satisfied in the task they are undertaking and more so if they embrace the fruits of their effort. The latter is likely to occur through promotion, salary increments and benefits through work recognition.
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