Relationship between organizational climate and job satisfaction as reported by branch campus executive officers in multicampus community college systems

156 Pages·2002·5.6 MB·English

by  Bailey, Nancee I

THERELATIONSHIPBETWEENORGANIZATIONALCLIMATEANDJOB
SATISFACTIONASREPORTEDBYBRANCHCAMPUSEXECUTIVEOFFICERS
INMULTICAMPUSCOMMUNITYCOLLEGESYSTEMS
n
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UO
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AC
I
By
NANCEEI.BAILEY
ADISSERTATIONPRESENTEDTOTHEGRADUATESCHOOLOFTHE
UNIVERSITYOFFLORIDAINPARTIALFULFILLMENTOFTHE
REQUIREMENTSFORTHEDEGREEOFDOCTOROFPHILOSOPHY
UNIVERSITYOFFLORIDA
2002
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Icouldnothaveaccomplishedthismajorundertakingwithoutthehelpand
supportofmanyfaculty,friends,colleagues,mentors,andfamilymembers.First,special
thanksisextendedtomycommitteechair,Dr.DavidS.Honeyman,whosedown-to-earth
styleandcaringleadershiphasmadethisprocessdelightfulandengaging. Toeachofmy
committeemembersIoweadebtofgratitude;Iappreciatetheirhoursofguidanceand
assistance,andawarmthankyougoestoDr.DaleCampbell,Dr.PaulGeorge,andDr.
BarbaraKeener. Naturally,thefacultyofthedepartment,alongwithDr.Doud,andhis
assistant,AngelaRowe,deservesaccolades,too.
IcouldnothavemadeitwithoutthesupportofthecohortofstudentsthatI
workedwith,studiedwith,andlaughedwithovertheyears. Ithankmycolleagues,
AcademicVicePresident,FrankLombardo,andespeciallythepresidentofDaytona
BeachCommunityCollege,Dr.KentSharpies,foralwaysbelievinginme.
Alovingtributegoestothememoryofmyparents,ThomasandNancyHenry,
whoinstilledinmeastrongworkethic,apassionforlearning,andtheconfidenceto
embracelife'sjourneywithjoy. Finally,andmostimportantly,thanksgotomyprecious
childrenAmberandBeau,andmydarlinggrandchildren,ChaytonandEva—nomatter
whatIaccomplishinlife,theyareandalwayswillbethereasonformybeing. Iam
blessedtohavetheloveandsupportofsuchawonderfulfamily.
ii
TABLEOFCONTENTS
page
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ii
ABSTRACT v
CHAPTERS
INTRODUCTION
1 1
StatementoftheProblem 5
PurposeoftheStudy 6
DefinitionofTerms 7
SignificanceoftheStudy 8
Summary 9
2 REVIEWOFTHELITERATURE 10
JobSatisfaction 12
JobSatisfactionTheories 13
JobSatisfactionVariablesUnderInvestigation 22
OrganizationalClimate 25
OrganizationalClimateTheories 25
OrganizationalClimateFactorsUnderInvestigation 31
OrganizationalClimateandJobSatisfaction 35
TheRoleoftheBranchCampusExecutiveOfficer
inMulticampusCommunityCollegeSystems 37
OtherFactorsThatMayAffectJobSatisfactionandOrganizationalClimate 38
Summary 40
3 METHODS 42
Methodology 43
Summary
5j
4 PRESENTATIONANDANALYSISOFTHEDATA 53
SurveyResponses 54
ProfileforBranchCampusExecutiveOfficersinMulticampusCommunity
CollegeSystems 55
ResearchQuestion1 61
iii
ResearchQuestion2 70
ResearchQuestion3 77
ResearchQuestion4 87
ResearchQuestion5 96
5 CONCLUSIONSANDRECOMMENDATIONS Ill
Findings 112
Conclusions 119
SuggestionsforFurtherResearch 122
APPENDICES
A INFORMEDCONSENT 124
B ORGANIZATIONALCLIMATEQUESTIONNAIRE 126
C TABLEOFCORRELATIONCOEFFICIENTSFORFIELDTEST 134
REFERENCES 135
BIOGRAPHICALSKETCH 148
IV
AbstractofDissertationPresentedtotheGraduateSchool
oftheUniversityofFloridainPartialFulfillmentofthe
RequirementsfortheDegreeofDoctorofPhilosophy
THERELATIONSHIPBETWEENORGANIZATIONALCLIMATEANDJOB
SATISFACTIONASREPORTEDBYBRANCHCAMPUSEXECUTIVEOFFICERS
INMULTICAMPUSCOMMUNITYCOLLEGESYSTEMS
By
NanceeI.Bailey
May2002
Chairman: Dr.DavidS.Honeyman
MajorDepartment: EducationalLeadership
Thepurposeofthisstudywastoinvestigatetherelationshipbetweenmeasuresof
jobsatisfactionandmeasuresoforganizationalclimateasappliedtobranchcampus
executiveofficersinmulticampuscommunitycollegesystems. Additionally,thisstudy
investigatedsignificantdifferencesinjobsatisfactionvariableswhencomparingnine
demographicvariables.
Allbranchcampusexecutiveofficersinmulticampuscommunitycollegesystems
whowerelistedinthe2001HigherEducationDirectory(HED)wereinvitedto
participateintheresearchstudy. Atotalof429surveysweremailedtobranchcampus
executiveofficersatmulticampuscommunitycollegesacrossthenation.Atotalof199
surveyswerereturned,gleaninga46%returnrate;however,totalnumberofusable
surveyswas155.
Ananalysisoftherelationshipbetweenthemeasuresoforganizationalclimate
andmeasuresofjobsatisfactionforbranchcampusexecutiveofficersinmulticampus
communitycollegesystemsrevealedthatregardforpersonalconcernsandevaluation
weretheorganizationalclimatefactorsthatweresignificantlyrelatedtojobsatisfaction.
Moreover,branchcampusexecutiveofficersinmulticampuscommunitycollegesystems
weremostsatisfiedwiththeoverallsatisfactionoftheirpositionswhenopeninternal
communicationwaspresentintheirorganization.Also,additionalfactorsthat
contributedtooverallsatisfactionweretheperceivedregardforpersonalconcerns,
professionaldevelopmentopportunities,andapoliticalclimatethattendednottobe
highlypolitical.
Fiveofthejobsatisfactionvariables-decision-making,relationshipwith
subordinates,relationshipwithsupervisor,salary,andbenefits-resultedinsignificant
differenceswhencomparingninedemographicvariables.Finally,branchcampus
executiveofficers'overallsatisfactionwiththeirposition,inthecontextoforganizational
climate,wasfoundtovarysignificantlywhencomparingthedemographicvariablesof
numberofbranchcampusesinthesystem,andforthesizeoftherespondent'scampus.
vi
CHAPTER
1
INTRODUCTION
Historically,motivationandjobsatisfactionwerenotconsideredofmuchimport
untilthe1930safterthestudiesrelatedtoefficiencywerereleasedabouttheWestern
ElectricCompanyinHawthorne,Illinois(Hersey,Blanchard,&Johnson,1996). Priorto
thattheideasabouthumanproductivityweresimilartothatoftinkeringwithmachines;
itwasbelievedthatiftheenvironmentwhereindividualsworkedwasmanipulatedtoan
optimum,thenincreasedproductivitywouldresult(Lunenburg&Ornstein,1991;
Roethlisberger&Dickson,1939).
TheHawthornestudies,astheycametobeknown,werebasedontestingthe
optimalilluminationofaproductionplant. Thereweretwogroupsofemployeesthat
werestudied;onereceivedanincreaseofilluminationandtheotherdidnot. As
expected,thegroupreceivingtheincreasedlightalsoincreasedproductivity. However,
whatwassurprisingwasthatthegroupthatdidnothaveincreasedilluminationalso
increasedproductivity.
TheHawthornestudiesraisedmorequestionsthantheyanswered. EltonMayo
(1933)wasdeterminedtoexplorethebehavioralconsiderationsthatmayhavehadan
impactontheHawthorneresearch. TheMayostudiesrevealedthatperceptionandjob
satisfactionarefactorsthatdirectlyrelatedtojobperformance. Mayowasconsideredto
beoneofthepioneersoftheadventofbehavioralscience(Herseyetal.,1996).
1
2
BuildinguponMayo,thehumanrelationsmovementfocusedupontheideathat
managersneededtotakeintoconsiderationhumanfeelingsandattitudes.Thepowerof
anorganizationreliedheavilyontheinterpersonalrelationshipsthatweredevelopedin
theworkplace(Herseyetal.,1996). Motivationtheory,theprecursortojobsatisfaction
theory,investigatedhowhumanneedsweredirectlyrelatedtomotivatingindividualsat
work(Herseyetal.,1996;Herzberg,1976;Lunenburg&Ornstein,1991).
Herzbergevaluatedthespectrumofmotivationalfactorsandchangedtheway
theywereviewed. Initially,thetheorywasthatallfactorswereonasinglecontinuum,
withjobsatisfactionandjobdissatisfactionattheoppositeendsofthespectrum;
however,Herzbergandhisassociatesrevealedthatcertaingroupsoffactorsfellintotwo
separateareas. Onesetoffactorswasbelievedtocontributetodissatisfaction(hygiene
factors)andtheothersetHerzbergbelievedcontributedtomotivation(motivation
factors). Thus,Herzbergconcludedthatindividualshavetwodifferentcategoriesofneed
andthesecategories,ineffect,actindependentlyuponwhetherornotpeoplefeeleither
motivatedordissatisfiedwiththeirjobs(Herzberg,Mausner,&Snyderman,1959).
Morerecentstudieshavebeguntorefertomotivationtheoryasjobsatisfaction
theory. Astimehasprogressed,researchershavefoundthattherewasnotaneasy
explanationforjobsatisfactionandthatmanyotherfactorsmayinfluenceone's
satisfactionwiththeirjob. Howanindividual'sorganizationalclimatewasperceivedhas
beenshowntoplayaroleinoveralljobsatisfaction(Downey,Hellriegel,Phelps,&
Slocum,1975;Friedlander&Margulies,1969;Spector,1997).
Thestudiesoforganizationalclimateandjobsatisfactionhaveprimarilycentered
uponbusinessandindustry. Therehavebeensomestudiesofthistopicastheyappliedto
educationalsettings,however. Industryandbusinesshavehadadifferentfocusand
outcome—namelyprofit~andthushavehadadifferentpurposeandstructurewhen
comparedtoeducationalenvironments. Ineducation,theintenthasbeentoaffect
students'learninganddevelopment,nothowfastorhowmanystudentscouldbe
graduated. Butrecently,themeasurementofeducationhasshiftedtogreater
accountabilityandperformancemeasures(Honeyman,Wattenbarger,&Westbrook,
1996;ReportoftheWinspreadWingspreadGroup,1993).
Alongwiththeaforementionedshifttowardaccountability,ithasalsobecome
obviousthathighereducationmustnowbefast,responsive,andflexibleasthe21st
centurybeginstounfold(Dolence,&Norris,1995;Meister,1998;Roueche,1993).
Highereducationwasfacedwithfindinganewwaytoserveandproduce,muchas
industryhashadtodointhepast. Ashiftinhowoneworksinthearenaofhigher
educationwastakingplace,andthisshiftwillaffectthosewhoworkinthisclimate. For
thesereasons,itwasbothtimelyandimportantthatspecificresearchaboutjob
satisfactionandorganizationalclimateinthecontextofhighereducationtookplace.
AsorganizationsuniquetohighereducationintheUnitedStates,community
collegeslonghavebeenthoughtofasthemostresponsivetowardstheirstudents'and
communities'needsaswellasrespondingtosocietyatlarge(Cohen,&Brawer,1996;
Levine,1993;Witt,Wattenbarger,Gollattscheck,&Suppiger,1994). Theleadersof
communitycollegesremainatthehelmeverheightenedtochangesonthehorizon.
O'Banion(1997)discussedthecontinualimprovementofthequalityofeducationas
evidencedbyadjustmentsmadeatcommunitycolleges. However,theloomingshiftand
changesforhighereducationwouldhaveanimpactonthecommunitycollegesandthey,
alongwithallinstitutionsinhighereducation,havenotbeenimmunetothe
organizationalclimatetransformationthathastakenplace.
Effectiveleadershipincommunitycollegeswastobemeasuredbytheirabilityto
createaclimatethatwouldenhanceexcellenceandpromotelearning(Dolence&Norris,
1995;Fryer&Lovas,1990;Gleazer,1998;O'Banion,1997). Successdependedonthe
administrativeteamthatledtheinstitution,whichutilizedateamapproach,andcentered
onlearningprinciplesandconstantrenewal(AmericanAssociationofCommunity
Colleges[AACC], 2000;Gratton,1993;Senge,1991). Animportantmemberofthat
teamwasthebranchcampusexecutiveofficerinthemulticampuscommunitycollege.
Theroleofthebranchcampusexecutiveofficerwaspivotalinthatthedaily
administrativeresponsibilitiesoftheentirecampuswereoverseenbythisposition.
Branchcampusesatcommunitycollegeswerecreatedtomeetthegrowingneedsofthe
largestudentbaseinthedistrictstheyserved. Therewassuchahighdemandforthe
servicesofthecommunitycolleges,especiallybetweenthe1950sthroughthemid-1970s,
thatbranchcampusesbecameanormalresponsetomeetthedemandcreatedbythe
TrumanCommissionReportin1948(Peterson,Dill,Mets,&Associates,1997).
Manypositionsofleadershipinthecommunitycollegestructurehadclearly
definedrolesanddefinitions;however,theroleofthebranchcampusexecutiveofficer
didnot-itwasaquasi-anomalyinthehierarchyofadministration. Therewereno
affiliateorganizationsthatofferedacleardefinitionoftheposition,aswasthecasefor
chiefacademicofficersorbusinessofficers. Booksthatreferredtohighereducational
organizationalstructuredidnotrecognizethepositionofbranchcampusexecutive
officereither.Incontrast,thepositionof"branchmanager"wasinfusedintheliterature
andwasanormalpartofthebusinessculture,especiallyforfinancialinstitutions
(Chapelle,1999;Das,1996;Nadler,2000).