Attaining Customer Fulfillment through Job Satisfaction

Attaining Customer Fulfillment through Job Satisfaction

Thesis Statement

Employee Job satisfaction has significant impact on the satisfaction of customers. If employees are satisfied they will provide there 100 percent effort to make the customer satisfied and retain them for longer period.

Introduction

Job satisfaction is one of the most frequently studied variables in organizational behavior research. Thousands of articles and dozens of books have been written on the topic from numerous academic and professional perspectives. Job satisfaction has been shown to be simply the “extent to which people like or dislike their jobs” (Spector, 1997, p. 2). While seemingly simple on the surface, the factors that lead to satisfaction and/or dissatisfaction are many and varied. While a full survey of the literature on employee satisfaction would be nearly impossible, in what follows the researcher will attempt to review the aspects of the topic that are pertinent to this research. The study of job satisfaction has a very long history dating back to the mid-1900s when Abraham Maslow developed his theory of a “Hierarchy of Needs” (1943). Recent research has moved away from theories of need fulfillment and tends to focus attention on cognitive processes rather than needs (Spector, 1997). The “expectancy theory of human motivation” was a significant contributor to advancing thinking within the field. The theory goes beyond simple behavioral concepts and attempts to explain motivation as the comparison between perceived value of outcomes of actions and the probability that actions will bring about desired outcomes. In this way, the theory takes into account the intrinsic values that affect satisfaction (Vroom, 1964). Research has often found intrinsic values to be equally important to job satisfaction compared to extrinsic values (Spector, 1997).

Discussion

Motivation-Hygiene Theory directly addresses the issues of both satisfaction and dissatisfaction on the job. This theory and research suggest that job dissatisfaction is caused by the absence of "hygiene" factors such as salary, job security, working conditions, company policies, quality of supervision, and quality of interpersonal relationships (Herzberg, 1975). These factors do not result in job satisfaction, if present, but can cause job dissatisfaction if absent. Accordingly it is the "motivation" factors intrinsic to a job and related to job content that have the power to increase job satisfaction (Herzberg, 1975). Motivation factors include achievement, recognition, responsibility, advancement, the work itself, and possibility of growth.

While job satisfaction can be considered a global reaction to the job, it is typically studied in terms of the numerous facets of the job that impact the more general perception. By looking at multiple aspects of the job, it is possible to more fully understand the pieces that are related to satisfaction and/or dissatisfaction. Two general categories encompass the facets that impact job satisfaction (Spector, 1997). Environmental factors and personal factors both play a critical role in the satisfaction/dissatisfaction process.

The most influential theories regarding the characteristics that affect job satisfaction have five core characteristics. Skill variety, task identity, significance, autonomy, and feedback are thought to lead to three psychological states ...