Analysis Of Theories Of Job Satisfaction

Motivation refers to the drive and effort to satisfy a want or goal. Satisfaction refers to the contentment experienced when a want is satisfied. Motivation implies a drive toward an outcome, and satisfaction is the outcome already experienced. Job satisfaction is a general attitude, which is the result of many specific attitude in three areas such as job factors, individual or personal characteristics and other social and groups relationship outside the job. When people join an organization, they bring with them certain drives and needs that affect theirs on the job performance. Sometimes these are immediately apparent, but often they not only are difficult to determine and satisfy but also vary greatly from one person to another. Understanding how needs create tensions which stimulate effort to perform and how effective performance brings the satisfaction of rewards is useful for managers.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (1943)

Maslow has developed the well-known hierarchy of needs, positioning the concept of self-actualisation at the top level. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is the most widely mentioned theory of motivation and satisfaction. Capitalizing mainly on humanistic psychology and the clinical experiences, Abraham Maslow postulated that an individual’s motivational needs could be arranged in a hierarchy. Once a given level of needs is satisfied, it no longer helps to motivate. Thus, next higher level of need has to be activated in order to motivate and thereby satisfy the individual. Maslow identified five levels in his need hierarchy as shown in figure below.

Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory (1959)

Herzberg analyzed satisfaction and dissatisfaction of person’s work in the scope of two-factor theory and pointed out that they were determined by different factors. Work as a vehicle for self-actualization certainly seems to be important in the life of some individuals. Although work is not the unique source of personal satisfaction in life, there is considerable evidence to show that the job is one of the central sources of this need for satisfaction. Herzberg concluded that job satisfiers (motivators) are related to job content and that job dissatisfiers (hygiene factors) are allied to job context. According to Herzberg, the motivational factors yield positive satisfaction. These factors are inherent to work. These factors motivate the employees for a superior performance. These factors are called satisfiers. These are factors involved in performing the job. Employees find these factors intrinsically rewarding. The hygiene factors do not motivate/satisfy rather prevent dissatisfaction. Hygiene factors are those job factors which are essential for existence of motivation at workplace. These do not lead to positive satisfaction for long-term. But if these factors are absent at workplace, then they lead to dissatisfaction.

McGregor’s Theory X & Y (1960)

McGregor suggested in his theory that man is a self-actualizing creature. After viewing the way in which managers dealt with employees, McGregor concluded that a manager’s view of the nature of human being is based on a certain grouping of assumptions and that he or she tends to mold his or her behavior toward subordinates according to these assumptions.

Theory X Assumptions:

• Average human beings have an inherent dislike of work and will avoid it if they can.
• Because of disliking work, most people must be coerced, controlled, directed, and threatened with punishment to get them work for organization.
• Average human beings prefer to be directed, wish to avoid responsibility, have relatively little ambition, and want security.

Theory Y Assumptions:

• Physical and mental efforts in work are as natural as play and rest.
• External control and threat are not the only means for producing effort toward organizational objectives. People will exercise self-direction and self-control in achieving committed objectives.
• Degree of commitment to objectives is in proportion to the size of the rewards associated with achievement.
• Average human beings learn, under proper conditions, not only to accept responsibility but also to seek it.

There are various definitions of general satisfaction with the job. However, all of them are mostly confined to the affective relationship to work, taking into account the favourable and unfavourable aspects of the job. Job satisfaction is usually defined as pleasant feeling which arises from the perception that one's job fulfils or allows the fulfilment of the important aspects of the value system of a person. The level of job satisfaction is not easy to measure because the definition of satisfaction is not the same for all people. Motivation and satisfaction of employees has become the basis of stability of modern companies. Dissatisfied workers may not provide the growth and development of the company and the presence of dissatisfaction is an important indicator of future problems. Understanding the issues of job satisfaction is essential for the design of the workplace, implementing organizational culture, creating motivation system and reward system and defining management style.