An analysis of individual difference and job context variables in relation to job involvement with particular emphasis on sex difference

The purpose in this study was to investigate sex differences in job involvement and also whether sex, as an individual difference variable, influenced the relationship between job involvement and other individual difference and job context variables. The sample for this study consisted of 282 community residents in Knoxville, Tennessee, who worked in a variety of jobs in a variety of organizations. These people were administered a questionnaire regarding their jobs and job attitudes including job involvement. Job involvement was measured via a 12-item job involvement scale and was computed in three ways in order to reflect total job involvement, job involvement as performance-self-esteem contingency, and job involvement as central life interest. Appropriate bivariate correlational techniques, t tests, analyses of covariance, moderated regression analyses, and subgroup analyses were employed in testing the results.

Results indicated that sex differences in job involvement were not existent or were not maintained after statistically controlling for various factors. In addition, sex did not moderate the relationship between job involvement and any of the independent variables. Results also indicated that the relationship between job involvement and the independent variables studied may depend on the type of job involvement studied and also how the job involvement measure is computed. These findings cast doubt on the reliability and validity of previous research done in the area of job involvement and serve to emphasize the importance of the need for clarification of the conceptual foundations of job involvement and the need for better measurement techniques.