Attitudes to work flashcards

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Job satisfaction vs organisational commitment?

Satisfaction = liking the job; commitment = loyalty to the organisation — can be satisfied but uncommitted (contract work) or committed despite facet dissatisfaction.

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Affective commitment?

Emotional attachment — 'I want to stay' — strongest predictor of performance and low turnover.

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Continuance commitment?

'I have to stay' — pension, scarce alternatives, high switching costs — stay but may withdraw effort.

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Normative commitment?

'I ought to stay' — loyalty obligation, organisational investment in training — guilt about leaving.

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Turnover predictors?

Low job satisfaction, low affective commitment, strong alternative jobs, unfair treatment, role stress.

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Work ethic?

Belief that hard work is morally good and leads to success — varies culturally and generationally; oversimplified stereotypes lack evidence.

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What is the Protestant Work Ethic (PWE)?

A concept by Max Weber (1905) describing a belief system where hard work, discipline, and frugality are seen as a moral duty. In modern psychology, it's a dispositional variable reflecting the value an individual places on work.

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Define Affective Commitment.

A component of Allen & Meyer's model. It is the employee's emotional attachment to, identification with, and involvement in the organisation. The employee stays because they 'want to'.

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Define Continuance Commitment.

A component of Allen & Meyer's model. It is an awareness of the costs associated with leaving the organisation. The employee stays because they 'need to'.

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Define Normative Commitment.

A component of Allen & Meyer's model. It is a feeling of obligation to continue employment. The employee stays because they feel they 'ought to'.

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What are Turnover Intentions?

An employee's cognitive, deliberate, and conscious plan to leave their current job. It is a strong predictor of actual employee turnover.