International Organizational Behavior-Cultural Differences in Job Characteristics and Job Satisfaction
How do various factors of one’s job contribute to satisfaction in different cultures?
A recent study attempted to answer this question in a survey of over 49 countries. The authors of the study distinguished between intrinsic job characteristics (having a job that allows one to use one’s skills, frequently receiving recognition from one’s supervisor) and extrinsic job characteristics (receiving pay that is competitive within a given industry, working in an environment that has comfortable physical conditions) and assessed differences between the two in predicting employee job satisfaction.
The study found that, across all countries, extrinsic job characteristics were consistently and positively related to satisfaction with one’s job. However, countries differed in the extent to which intrinsic job characteristics predicted job satisfaction. Richer countries, countries with stronger social security, countries that stress individualism rather than collectivism, and countries with a smaller power distance (those that value a more equal distribution of power in organizations and institutions) showed a stronger relationship between the presence of intrinsic job characteristics and job satisfaction.
What explains these findings?
