1. Taylor, Courtnie
INTS 3300: L4A1: Annotated Bibliography
July 27, 2016
Annotated Bibliography
My research question is: What are the causes and effects of employee dissatisfaction. In
order to properly answer this question it is necessary to approach this with an interdisciplinary
perspective. When looking at the causes and effects of employee dissatisfaction, there is a need
to use many different disciplines in order to fully comprehend the issue. Human Resources, for
example, can have insight into the causes of employee dissatisfaction such as compensation or
poorly explained job expectations. Another discipline such as organizational leadership can have
insights into how employee dissatisfaction can affect the organization as a whole such as
decreased productivity. In short, employee dissatisfaction can better be understood when
approached from an interdisciplinary perspective in order to fully address the issue. For this
paper, I have chosen to use the disciplines of organizational leadership and human resources in
order to answer this research question. There are many ways to restate the research question
when looking through the perspective of these disciplines. For example, when looking through
the human resources lens, the question could appear as: what are the causes of employee
dissatisfaction. When looking at the question from the organizational leadership prospective we
can ask: How does employee dissatisfaction affect the organization as a whole, or perhaps how
can an organization prevent employee dissatisfaction.
Human Resources
When answering the research question of the causes and effects of employee
dissatisfaction from the viewpoint of human resources we must attempt to understand the causes

2. of employee dissatisfaction. One human relations article that is important is “An Employment
Systems Approach to Turnover: Human Resources Practices, Quits, Dismissals, and
Performance” by Rosemary Batt and Alexander J. S. Colvin. The authors of this article are both
human resources professors at Cornell University and was published in the Academy of
Management Journal. This article researches the relationship between employee resignations and
three human relations phenomenon of work organization, commitment-inducing long term
incentives, and performance-enhancing short term incentives.
The authors of this article used the “turnover theory.” This theory states that functional
turnover is when poor performers leave, or are fired and dysfunctional turnover is when high
performers leave, or quit. High turnover is a symptom of dissatisfied employees and researching
this can give valuable insight. The research method used in this study was quantitative. The
hypothesis tested was the additive effect of quit rates and dismissal rates mediates the
relationship between human resources practices and performance.
Another article that can be insightful when researching the causes of employee
dissatisfaction is “Performance Management and Employee Engagement” by Jamie A. Gruman
and Alan M. Saks. Both authors are professors of organizational behavior and the article was
published in the Human Resource Management Review. It focuses on the human resource
phenomena of performance management and employee engagement. Employee engagement and
job appreciation are key to employee satisfaction. In order for employee satisfaction to be high
within an organization, according to this article, employee engagement is crucial.
The main theory that is used in this article is the Job Demands – Resources model. This
theory divides the work environment into job demands and job resources. High job demands
exhaust employee resources and create an atmosphere of dissatisfaction. Job resources can add

3. motivational and positive attitudes that help the work environment become more productive.
This article uses a qualitative research approach. The conclusion of this paper offers several
possible employee management process that can be help when trying to increase employee
satisfaction.
Organizational Leadership
When approaching the causes and effects of employee dissatisfaction from the
organizational leadership perspective, one must ask the question what are the effects of employee
dissatisfaction upon the organization as a whole. One article that helps to answer this question is
“The impact of employee satisfaction on quality and profitability in high-contact industries” by
Rachel W. Y. Yee, Andy C. L. Yeung, and T. C. Edwin Cheng. The authors all belong to the
Department of Logistics at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the article was published
in the Journal of Operations Management. This study measures the relationship between
employee satisfaction and profitability. Increased profitability is an advantageous effect of
employee satisfaction.
The study is based upon the Hawthorne Studies that is the basis of organizational
behavior theories that employee satisfaction has a direct correlation to organizational
performance. The hypothesis that was tested was: customer satisfaction has a positive influence
on firm profitability. They used a quantitative research method to empirically prove trough the
use of hard numbers that employee satisfaction can affect profitability. The study concluded that
the hypothesis was supported.
Another research article that can be useful when asking about the effects of employee
dissatisfaction is “A study on relationship among leadership, organizational culture, the

4. operation of learning organization and employee’ job satisfaction” by Chang and Lee. Both
authors are experts in organizational leadership and was published by The Learning
Organization. This article also attempts to show the relationship between organizational
leadership, such as culture and leadership, and employee satisfaction.
This article uses the theory of job satisfaction as a basis. The theory states that the mental,
physical and environmental satisfaction of employee and the extent of job satisfaction can be
known by inquiring employees about the job satisfaction extents. The research method used was
qualitative. The data was used to establish a relationship between the two variables. The authors
suggest at the end of the article that organizations should not be rigid in their practices and
should develop a culture that is beneficial to employee satisfaction.

5. References
Batt, R., & Colvin, A. J. (2011). An Employment Systems Approach to Turnover: Human
Resources Practices, Quits, Dismissals, and Performance. Academy of Management
Journal, 54(4), 695-717. doi:10.5465/amj.2011.64869448
Chang, S., & Lee, M. (2007). A study on relationship among leadership, organizational culture,
the operation of learning organization and employees' job satisfaction. The Learning
Organization, 14(2), 155-185. doi:10.1108/09696470710727014
Gruman, J. A., & Saks, A. M. (2011). Performance management and employee
engagement.Human Resource Management Review, 21, 123-136.
Yee, R. W., Yeung, A. C., & Cheng, T. E. (2008). The impact of employee satisfaction on
quality and profitability in high-contact service industries. Journal of Operations
Management, 26(5), 651-668. doi:10.1016/j.jom.2008.01.001