job involvement: predictors
A variety of predictors are identified throughout the literature including job design (the characteristics of a job), level of support (supervisory) and personality. The research presented here demonstrates some of the information unearthed about what can predict job involvement.
Job Characteristics
Research on job satisfaction conducted during the 1980’s demonstrated there was a degree of temporal stability to the construct. Researchers debated whether this was from internal dispositions or situational influences like job characteristics (according to the Job Characteristics Theory). Steel and Rentsch (1997) presented both sides of this debate and further questioned whether temporal stability could be found for other attitudinal variables. As such, they determined job involvement would be a good attitudinal measure to research because the literature had widely supported the situational influence of job characteristics to greatly influence whether an employee was involved in his/her job. However, Steel and Rentsch actually predicted job involvement would exhibit higher temporal stability than job satisfaction given the stronger influence of dispositional traits in determining one’s level of job involvement. To study these questions, Steel and Rentsch conducted a 10 year study which measured both job satisfaction and job involvement within a U.S. Department of Defense organization. The initial survey was conducted in groups at the organization. Ten years later, the second survey was administered at the organization or mailed to individuals who no longer worked for the organization. Job involvement was tested with a four-item scale that took from Lodahl and Kejner’s job involvement scale from 1965. The construct of job characteristics was measured using items from the Job Diagnostic Survey. To analyze the relationships found within the study, Steel and Rentsch (1997) divided the participants into two groups; similar work to the first administration of the survey and different work. Steel and Rentsch found the results supported a higher degree of stability in job involvement, suggesting dispositional variables contribute to the construct (r = 0.41). Overall, Steel and Rentsch found job characteristics accounted for 20 percent of the variance between time one and two with job involvement. Given these results, Steel and Rentsch conducted more analyses and found that for individuals with a low degree of attitudinal stability, job characteristics accounted for 43 percent of the variance in job involvement. These results lend support to both the dispositional and situational views regarding job attitudes, in particular for job involvement. For organizations, this means they should not continue to undertake job redesign efforts without first determining what individuals are low in attitudinal stability. Doing so will allow them to focus their efforts upon individuals whose job involvement could change with changes in their environment. Therefore, the situational influence job characteristics have on job involvement remains important for organizations to consider. |
Supervisory Support
As generation Y increasingly enters the workforce, there is a mounting desire for work such individuals enjoy and allow them time for other activities in their life outside work; work-family balance. Kong (2013) explored this phenomenon in terms of how it relates to job involvement, as well as overall job satisfaction for Chinese employees. Typically, work-family policies have not been introduced into Chinese organizations. Therefore, Kong examined more specifically how supervisory support of work-family practices influenced job involvement. Kong proposed that career competencies mediated the relationship between work-family support and job involvement because if one is more capable of performing a job one could develop intrinsic motivation leading to a willingness to devote more to their job. However, Kong also proposed that a direct positive correlation between the work-family supportive supervisors and job involvement existed because such support leads to a desire to devote more to one’s job (see Figure 2). Kong (2013) surveyed Chinese hotel employees from four and five star hotels in China. Work-family supervisory support perceptions were measured on a nine-item scale from Thomas and Ganster in 1995. Job involvement was measured by the 1982 scale created by Kanungo. The data analysis consisted of a two-stage structural equation modeling (SEM) method to test the generalizability of Kong’s proposed model, as well as exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to determine the weight of each portion of the model in the overlapping portions of the constructs. Fit indexes indicated good fit between the proposed model in Figure 2 and the collected data. Furthermore, positive relationships between the proposed structural paths were confirmed. The results of the study imply important information for organizations. Kong outlined these as pertaining to creating a work-family supportive environment through policies and programs wherein the level of perceived supervisory support increases or is more apparent. Examples of such policies include flex-time, childcare benefits and flexible schedules. One other important finding by Kong was that career competencies can mediate the relationship between perceived supervisory support of work-family needs and job involvement. Focusing some resources and efforts around the development of employee capabilities could increase one’s job involvement. Kong suggests future research should explore whether the title of the supervisor changes this relationship, and why the relationship exists. |
Personality
Liao and Lee (2009) present individual differences as a variable that organizations can measure and utilize to select better fitting employees or design better intervention programs to increase job involvement. Personality characteristics can also be utilized to predict who is more likely to be involved in their jobs. Such uses for personality dimensions have not occurred in the past, and Liao and Lee predict they could be instrumental in job involvement, and thus an organization’s performance. The hypotheses outlined by Liao and Lee have four of the five personality traits as positively correlated with job involvement, with neuroticism being negatively correlated to job involvement. The rationale behind these predictions as Liao and Lee present is that an individual who is neurotic is less likely to devote him or herself to an organization and easily distracted from his/her job. Individuals high on extroversion are more likely to respond quickly and decisively to customer problems, leading to better feedback and increased job involvement. When individuals are high on openness they seek out new ideas and concepts, often leading them to take chances in exploring ambiguous, new work settings with which they can become more involved. Highly agreeable individuals tend to be flexible and cooperative, leading to contentedness with one’s job and consequently high job involvement. Finally, highly conscientious people strive more toward and achieve their work goals. This may influence then the degree of job involvement an individual feels.
The study examined small and mid-sized organizations within the plastics industry in Taiwan through a mail survey. Job involvement was measured through Lodahl and Kejner’s 1995 job involvement five-item scale. To measure personality, Liao and Lee (2009) utilized the NEO Personality Inventory. The results confirmed Liao and Lee’s hypothesized relationships, and all correlations were significant. Such results have a variety of implications. Most importantly though, as Liao and Lee highlight, organizations need to consider what personality dimensions come into play when selecting prospective employees and when implementing job involvement policies. Effectively, this suggests companies should hire according to the characteristics that would lead to higher levels of job involvement within its particular jobs. Future research needs to explore the causal direction of this relationship and other potential individual characteristics (e.g. sex, age, experience) which could mediate this relationship.
Liao and Lee (2009) present individual differences as a variable that organizations can measure and utilize to select better fitting employees or design better intervention programs to increase job involvement. Personality characteristics can also be utilized to predict who is more likely to be involved in their jobs. Such uses for personality dimensions have not occurred in the past, and Liao and Lee predict they could be instrumental in job involvement, and thus an organization’s performance. The hypotheses outlined by Liao and Lee have four of the five personality traits as positively correlated with job involvement, with neuroticism being negatively correlated to job involvement. The rationale behind these predictions as Liao and Lee present is that an individual who is neurotic is less likely to devote him or herself to an organization and easily distracted from his/her job. Individuals high on extroversion are more likely to respond quickly and decisively to customer problems, leading to better feedback and increased job involvement. When individuals are high on openness they seek out new ideas and concepts, often leading them to take chances in exploring ambiguous, new work settings with which they can become more involved. Highly agreeable individuals tend to be flexible and cooperative, leading to contentedness with one’s job and consequently high job involvement. Finally, highly conscientious people strive more toward and achieve their work goals. This may influence then the degree of job involvement an individual feels.
The study examined small and mid-sized organizations within the plastics industry in Taiwan through a mail survey. Job involvement was measured through Lodahl and Kejner’s 1995 job involvement five-item scale. To measure personality, Liao and Lee (2009) utilized the NEO Personality Inventory. The results confirmed Liao and Lee’s hypothesized relationships, and all correlations were significant. Such results have a variety of implications. Most importantly though, as Liao and Lee highlight, organizations need to consider what personality dimensions come into play when selecting prospective employees and when implementing job involvement policies. Effectively, this suggests companies should hire according to the characteristics that would lead to higher levels of job involvement within its particular jobs. Future research needs to explore the causal direction of this relationship and other potential individual characteristics (e.g. sex, age, experience) which could mediate this relationship.