Premium
A self‐regulation account of the job performance–job satisfaction relationship
Author(s) -
Heidemeier Heike,
Moser Klaus
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
european journal of social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.609
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1099-0992
pISSN - 0046-2772
DOI - 10.1002/ejsp.2573
Subject(s) - psychology , disappointment , job satisfaction , social psychology , core self evaluations , job attitude , job performance , supervisor , management , economics
We present a self‐regulation account of the job performance–job satisfaction relationship according to which job performance leads to job satisfaction, if it involves optimal expectancies for successful performance. Using response surface methodology ( n = 747 employees), we found that employees who held overly negative (self‐effacement) or overly positive self‐perceptions of performance (self‐enhancement) gained less satisfaction from their jobs. As hypothesized by self‐discrepancy theory, self‐effacement promoted fear‐related negative emotions, whereas self‐enhancement was linked to disappointment. Self‐enhancers also reported lower trust and reduced satisfaction with interpersonal relationships, which may partly explain why self‐enhancement had particularly detrimental effects. Furthermore, among employees high in performance‐goal orientation, attaining high normative performance, as indicated by above‐average supervisor evaluations, rather than optimal expectancies for success, explained job satisfaction. Our findings support the conclusion that need satisfaction and the ensuing self‐regulatory processes determine the shape and the size of the performance–satisfaction relationship.