| Abstract: |
The research on job satisfaction has a long history and is one of the most
intensively studied subjects ¿ not only in the field of industrial and
organizational psychology. The various studies can roughly be classified into
situational, dispositional, and hybrid approaches, depending on whether
working conditions, personality traits or their interaction are emphasized as
determinants. So far, only few studies consider all of these determinants in a
common model. In addition, many studies both in the consideration of
personality variables as well as the influence of factors to explain job
satisfaction, do not offer a theoretical framework. This paper investigates
the influence of personality characteristics and working conditions as well as
the interaction of these two groups of variables on job satisfaction by means
of the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) study. For this purpose, the
Five-Factor Model (FFM) of personality (P. T. Costa und R. R. McCrae 1985; L.
R. Goldberg 1981) and the Effort-Reward Imbalance Model (J. Siegrist et al.
1986) will be used as a theoretical and conceptual framework. OLS regressions
show that both personality and (subjective) working conditions are relevant
predictors of job satisfaction. None of the moderator variables of personality
and working conditions increase the explained variance of the overall model.
Working conditions (effort-reward imbalance and autonomy) have the highest
explanatory power. Four of the five personality traits show highly significant
effects. These findings suggest both a situational and a dispositional
approach. Working conditions (especially a low effort-reward imbalance and
high autonomy) and personality (especially emotional stability) play a crucial
role in achieving higher job satisfaction. |