Development of a rating scale for measurement of the concept of modal organizational orientation and the prediction of work satisfaction on the basis of personal/organizational congruence

Author

Bruce J. Sherwin

Date of Award

6-1981

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Major

Educational Psychology and Guidance

Major Professor

Siegfried C Dietz

Abstract

The goal of this research was to simplify the process of career decision making through the articulation of a comprehensive two level decision making model.

The research strategy was centered on the extension of Holland's occupational selection model to the level of organizational choice using conceptually compatible criteria. A general environmental descriptor, "organizational climate", was selected as the organizational variable to classify and differentiate among various types of organizations.

The methodology of the study Included the development of a rating scale to measure the climates of four generic organizational types. Underlying the rating scale development was the assumption that generic organizational types were well understood as stereotypes within the general culture. The Modal Organizational Orientation (MOO) Rating Scale Type I I I was designed to tap the stereotype Images of Bank, University, Business School and Community CoIIege.

An extraorganizationaI rating group comprised of 90 community college psychology students enrolled at Housatonic Community College, was selected to rate the climates of the four organizational types. In order to control the accuracy of the student generated ratings, 30 employees representing each of the four organizational types were also used as raters of their own organizational climates. Secretaries were asked to rate Banks and Business Schools and Social Science Instructors were asked to rate Universities and Community Colleges.

Once the ratings of the two groups were cross verified, a second phase of the research was designed as a field study for the purpose of evaluating the practical utility of the rating scale and resulting organizational ratings. Since Holland had shown that personaI/occupational congruence generally Increased achievement and satisfaction, It was hypothesized that the expanded personaI/occupational/organizational congruence would lead to measurably higher levels of satisfaction. Therefore, the concept of personaI/organizationaI congruence was conceived as a predictor of work satisfaction differences. Thirty eight secretaries and 26 social science Instructors representing the four generic organizational types were selected as field study subjects on the basis of personal/ occupational congruence. The latter was controlled as an important extraneous variable in the field study phase.

The results of this study demonstrated that a rating Instrument could be used to measure generic organizational climates using an extraorganizationaI rating group. Single sample Chi Square (X²) was used to validate both student and employee generated rating frequencies at P < .01 (two tailed test). Moreover, the student and employee ratings for Bank, University and Community College were shown to have operational correspondence.

In phase I I of the study, 2x2 tables were designed to establish personaI/organizationaI congruence as the independent variable. Difference In work satisfaction was the dependent variable. The Chi Square (X²) test for two Independent samples was employed to evaluate the 2x2 table frequencies at P < .05 (one tailed test).

Secretaries whose personaI/organizationaI congruence was determined from employee rated climates were found to have higher levels of work satisfaction than secretaries without congruence or secretaries whose congruence was determined from student generated climate ratings. No significance was found with Social Science Instructors using either climate classification approach.

The Phi ( Φ ) Coefficient was used to determine the magnitude of relationships between personaI/organizational congruence and work satisfaction differences for secretaries using employee rated climates. A Phi ( Φ ) value of .32 Indicated a low to moderate positive correlation between the variables. Phi ( Φ ) was converted to the Index of prediction, PRE = .10, which Indicated that 10% of the error in predicting work satisfaction differences could be accounted for by using congruence as the predictor variable.

Recommended Citation

Sherwin, Bruce J., "Development of a rating scale for measurement of the concept of modal organizational orientation and the prediction of work satisfaction on the basis of personal/organizational congruence. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 1981.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/13517