“A person can have thousands of attitudes but organizational behaviour focuses its attention on a very limited number of job-related attitudes.” Explain the different job-related attitudes. How do they differ from other non-job-related attitudes?

Job-Related Attitudes: A Detailed Examination

Job-related attitudes are evaluations of various aspects of an individual’s job and the organization. They significantly impact employee behaviour, influencing decisions about effort, persistence, and organizational citizenship. Key job-related attitudes include:

1. Job Satisfaction

Definition: Job satisfaction represents an individual’s general attitude toward their job. It’s a positive emotional state resulting from an appraisal of one’s job as achieving or facilitating the achievement of one’s work values.

• Dimensions: Facet satisfaction (satisfaction with specific aspects like pay, promotion, coworkers) and global satisfaction (overall feeling about the job).
• Impact: High job satisfaction is linked to increased productivity, reduced absenteeism, and lower turnover rates.
• Example: An employee who feels valued, adequately compensated, and enjoys their work tasks is likely to exhibit high job satisfaction.

2. Organizational Commitment

Definition: Organizational commitment reflects the degree to which an employee identifies with and is involved in their organization.

• Types:
  • Affective Commitment: Emotional attachment to the organization.
  • Continuance Commitment: Perceived costs of leaving the organization.
  • Normative Commitment: Feeling of obligation to remain with the organization.
• Impact: Strong organizational commitment leads to increased loyalty, reduced intention to quit, and enhanced organizational performance.
• Example: An employee who consistently goes above and beyond their job description because they believe in the organization’s mission demonstrates high affective commitment.

3. Job Involvement

Definition: The degree to which one identifies psychologically with one’s job and considers their perceived performance important to self-worth.

• Impact: High job involvement often correlates with reduced absenteeism and increased organizational citizenship behaviour.
• Example: A surgeon who deeply cares about the outcome of their surgeries and invests significant effort in patient care exhibits high job involvement.

4. Employee Engagement

Definition: An individual’s involvement with, enthusiasm for, and commitment to their work and the organization.

• Impact: Highly engaged employees are more productive, innovative, and contribute to a positive work environment.
• Example: Employees actively participating in company initiatives, offering suggestions for improvement, and demonstrating a proactive approach to their work are considered highly engaged.

Distinguishing Job-Related Attitudes from Non-Job-Related Attitudes

While individuals hold numerous attitudes, job-related attitudes are specifically focused on the work environment and its components. Here’s a comparative analysis:

Feature	Job-Related Attitudes	Non-Job-Related Attitudes
Focus	Work, organization, colleagues, tasks	Politics, religion, hobbies, social issues
Impact on Behaviour	Directly influences work performance, absenteeism, turnover	Indirectly influences work behaviour (e.g., mood, interpersonal interactions)
Measurement	Utilizes standardized questionnaires like Job Descriptive Index (JDI), Organizational Commitment Questionnaire (OCQ)	Measured through surveys, opinion polls, or observed behaviour in non-work contexts
Organizational Relevance	Critical for managing employee motivation, productivity, and retention	Less directly relevant to organizational goals, but can impact workplace dynamics

For instance, an employee’s attitude towards climate change (non-job-related) might influence their lifestyle choices but won’t directly affect their sales performance. However, their attitude towards their supervisor (job-related) can significantly impact their motivation and willingness to collaborate. Furthermore, non-job related attitudes can *spillover* into the workplace, creating conflict or impacting team dynamics, but the primary focus of OB remains on the attitudes directly impacting work outcomes.