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The Moderating Effect of Employees’ Growth Need Strength on the
Relationship between Job characteristics and Job satisfaction
Conference Paper · October 2011
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2. 1
Title: The Moderating Effect of Employees’ Growth Need Strength on the Relationship
between Job characteristics and Job satisfaction
Mrs. Shanthakumary Milroy Christy Mahenthiran Aloysius
Senior Lecturer, Dept. of. Human Resource Management, University of Jaffna
shanthamahenthiran@yahoo.com
Abstract
Job characteristics and job satisfaction are positively associated factors in the management
literature. Many researchers like Hackman and Oldham (1978) proved moderating effect of
employees’ growth need strength on the relationship between the above said variables. This
study attempted to find out the extent to which employees’ growth need strength work as
moderator in banking sector of Sri Lanka. For the purpose of the study sixty – two employees
were randomly selected from three private banks and the main objective of the study is to find
out the moderating effect of employees’ growth need strength on the relationship between job
characteristics and job satisfaction. Response of samples was processed with the help of the
SPSS 13.0 software package. Two hypotheses were set out to explain the research problem;
(H1) Employees’ growth Need strength has significant impact on the relationship between job
characteristics and job satisfaction. (H2) Employees’ Growth Need Strength works as
predictor of job satisfaction of bank employees. First hypothesis was rejected because R square
change is not significant but H2 was accepted (r value =0.678)
Key Words: Job Characteristics, Job Satisfaction, Employees’ Growth Need Strength
Introduction
Job satisfaction is an inner feeling that affects physiological, psychological and social
wellbeing of every employee irrespective of the sectors and the nations. Therefore it is
considered as the important determinant of the success of every organization. According to
management literature the lower level of job satisfaction creates many problems in the
organization. Feinstein(2000), quoted by Ishfaq Ahamad and others, says job satisfaction is an
important element from organizational perspective, as it leads to higher organizational
commitment of employees and high commitment leads to overall organizational success and
development. Beside of this statement Atchison (1999) states that many organizations are
spending much time on employee satisfaction initiatives in an effort to reduce turnover,
improve productivity and to help organizations succeed.
Several factors in the work setting determine the level of job satisfaction. Job design is also
one of them. It is defined as the specification of the contents, method and relationships of jobs
to satisfy technological and organizational requirements as well as the personal needs of job
holders (Accel-Team, 2010). Therefore job design is seemed as more instrumental than others.
Job characteristics theories are considered as job design or job enlargement theories that were
designed by Turner and Lawrence (1965) and J.R. Hackman and Oldham(1980) the absence of
some core job characteristics will reduce the level of job satisfaction and internal motivation
when an employee’s growth need strength is high. Many empirical studies also confirmed the
findings of Hackman and Oldham. The important point of all these studies is they have done in
Europe and USA where the work environment is absolutely different from countries like Sri
Lanka. The Social and cultural values, standard of living, and legal protection in relation to
work environment of developed countries in Europe and USA are totally different from South
Asia. These differences may show deviation in earlier findings. This study tried to find out to
the extent to which employees’ growth need strength work as moderator in deciding job
satisfaction of lower level bank employees who perform more repetitive work.

3. 2
Problem Statement
According to the approach of Hackman and Oldham(1976), and some other researchers,
(George, Scandura and others(1986), Tiegs, Tetrick and others, Pierce and others(1979)
employees growth need strength works as strong moderator in between different variables.
Even though some of the content and context factors are strong enough to determine the level
of job satisfaction, the relationship between them and satisfaction shaped by growth need
strength of employees. Further in lower level, bank employees’ work seems routine and they
have very limited opportunities to use different skills and their talents. But they paid handsome
salaries than the employees who are working in other private sectors. Banking sector is more
competitive in Sri Lanka, several private and state banks are competing to attract more
customers. However, the work load handle by every lower level bank employee is fairly high
and the expected outcome from the employees also certainly high. The following statement
shows the problem of the study
Does employees’ growth need strength influence the relationship between job characteristics
and job satisfaction in the private sector bank staff in Jaffna district?
Objectives of the study
The specific objectives of the study are set out below:
1 To find out the impact of employees’ growth need strength on the relationship between
job characteristics and job satisfaction
2 To find out the relationship between employees’ growth need strength and Job
satisfaction
Significance of the study.
It is proved by several researchers that there is a positive relationship between job
characteristics and job satisfaction. Hackman and Oldham, (1976), Panzano & Seffrin,(2003),
Lawrence(2001) Samad(2006), Jansen and others(1995), Dore(2005), Hoonakker and others,
Cornelißen(2006), Voydanoff(1980), Ünuvar(2006) have examined the impact of job
characteristics on job satisfaction and also there has been much discussion about moderating
effect of employees’ growth need strength to explain job satisfaction. Likewise, many other
researchers analyzed moderating effect of employees’ growth need strength on the relationship
between different independent and dependent variables. George, Scandur and others (1986),
De Jong, Van Der Velde, and Jansen, (2001) and Robert (1977) are some of them. According
to George, Scandur and others, relationship between growth opportunity and productivity is
moderated by employees’ growth need strength.
Research exploring the influence of growth need strength on the relationship between job
characteristics and job satisfaction in the private banks in Jaffna district is needed so as to fill
the gap that has not been filled by researchers. Therefore the study will give a value addition to
the existing knowledge base and be a guide to the HR policy makers of the private banks to
understand the level of employees’ growth need strength and then to capitalize it.
Methodology
Sample employees for the research study have been selected from three private banks which
have large customer base and been functioning for last eight years in Jaffna. 62 lower level
bank staff randomly selected using simple random sampling technique.
Research Design
This study was conducted using self administrate questionnaires. Employees were asked to fill
out a survey about their demographics, job characteristics, growth need strength and Job

4. 3
satisfaction. Prior to the analyses, all variables were examined for accuracy of data entry and
missing values. Missing cases were excluded from the data while carrying out analyses using
the statistical software SPSS13.0. The data was analyzed using descriptive analysis,
correlation and regression techniques.
Validity and Reliability
Job Characteristics: Job characteristics were operationalized using the Job Diagnostic Survey
(JDS) originally developed by Hackman and Oldham in 1980. The JDS measures the five core
job dimensions of skill variety (SV), task identity (TI), task significance (TS), autonomy (AU),
and feedback (FB). It consists of two parts using 15 items. In the first part, the respondents
indicate directly the amount of each job characteristic they perceive to be present in their job.
In the second part, the respondents indicate the accuracy of a number of statements about the
characteristics of their job (Hackman & Oldham, 1976). five different items measure each job
characteristic. A five-point rating scale anchored by 1 = “Very Inaccurate” and 5 = “Very
Accurate” was used. There were reverse scored items in the JDS. The internal consistency
reliabilities range from a high of .88 to a low of .56, (Ünuvar, 2006).
Employees’ Growth Need Strength: Employees’ growth need strength was operationalized
using the Job Diagnostic Survey (JDS) originally developed by Hackman and Oldham in 1980.
The questionnaire has questions about Employees’ Total Growth Need Strength’ and their
internal consistency reliability is 0.71. The respondents are asked to indicate the degree to
which they would like to have specific elements present in their job using seven point Likert
scale used by Lawrence but with small modifications. (Lawrence, 2001)
Job Satisfaction: Job satisfaction was operationalized by the Minnesota Satisfaction
Questionnaire. This is a 20-item questionnaire rated on a 5-point Likert type scale with anchors
1 = “Very Dissatisfied” and 5 = “Very Satisfied”. The internal consistency reliability of the job
satisfaction scale was found to be .82. (Ünuvar, 2006).
Though the standard questionnaires were used (with small modification) to measure the
reponse of the sample employees. Reliability and the validity of the questionnairee was
measured using the SPSS 13.0
Table 1 Reliability Test
Variables Cronbach’s Alpha
Total Job characteristics .759
Skill Variety .854
Task Identity .858
Task Significance .844
Autonomy .893
Feedback .846
Job Satisfaction .899
Employees’ Growth need
Strength
.835

5. 4
Literature Review
Job design is a generally accepted one of the important elements that decides good or bad
feeling of the employees with regard to their job. Theories related to job design or redesign
started with the invention of F.W Taylors’ scientific management approach. Taylors’ approach
suggested ways to improve efficiency and productivity. But other scholars like Mayo stressed
the importance of human relations in this regard. The thought of Mayo and other management
theorists were the guidance for follower to think of increasing organizational effectiveness
through human side factors. Job characteristic theories also came to solve employees’ lower
level satisfaction and motivation with the intention of increasing greater productivity and
profitability.
The spark of the scientific management approach and the pioneering work of Herzberg(1966)
were the foundation of Job characteristics model. Lawrence (2001) says the Job Characteristics
Model has its roots in the pioneering works of Herzberg (1966), Turner and Lawrence (1965),
Blood and Hulin (1967) and Hulin and Blood (1968), all of who examined the relationship
between certain objective attributes of tasks and employees’ reactions to their work. On the
basis of these works, Hackman and Oldham developed the theory that the job itself should be
designed to possess fundamental characteristics needed to create conditions for high work
motivation, satisfaction and performance.
Employees’ Growth Need Strength
Growth-need strength refers to an individual’s desire to be challenged and to grow on the job
or one’s need for personal accomplishment, learning, and development on the job (Hackman
and Oldham, 1980, p.85). Hackman and Oldham believe that individuals with strong growth
needs will respond more positively to jobs that are high on the core job dimensions because
such jobs provide opportunities for professional advancement. On the other hand, individuals
with weak growth needs will experience little internal motivation from complex jobs, either
because they do not recognize or value, the opportunities present for professional development
(Lawrence, 2001)
Growth need strength is the extent to which a person desires to advance, to be in a challenging
position and generally to achieve (L. Tosi, R.Rizzo and J. Carroll, 1986). Psychologists who
emphasis human potential argue that everyone has within him at least a spark of the need to
grow and develop personally. Steadily accumulating evidence shows, however, that unless the
spark is pretty strong, chances are it will get snuffed out by one’s experience in typical
organization.
Influence of Employees’ growth need strength was analyzed, as a moderator in between
different variables, by many researchers. Shanthakumary (1998) found strong positive
relationship between job characteristics and job satisfaction among school teachers in Colombo
district when their growth need strength was high. Graen and Others (1986) found in their
study that the employees’ growth need strength work as moderator in between growth
opportunity and productivity.
B. Tiegs, E. Tetrick and Yitzhak Fried did a study on growth need strength and context
satisfactions as moderators of the relations of the job characteristics model using the sample of
6405 employees from variety of jobs and found both of the moderators have no influence on
the relationship between job characteristics and job satisfaction. Likewise, Robert (1976) found
in his study that employee growth need strength as a moderator of relationships between job
attributes and job satisfaction.

6. 5
.
Conceptual Model
In the above model, Job characteristics were considered as an independent variable and Job
Satisfaction was treated as dependent variable. Growth need strength of the employees was the
moderator that had influence on the relationship between core job characteristics and job
satisfaction.
The terms used in the model have the following meaning
Skill Variety: Skill variety is the degree to which a job requires a variety of different activities
in carrying out the work, involving the use of a number of different skills and talents of the
person for successful completion.
Task Identity: Task identity is the degree to which the job requires the completion of a
“whole” and identifiable piece of work (i.e.; doing a job from beginning to end with a visible
outcome).
Task Significance: Task significance is the degree to which the job has a substantial impact
on the lives of other people, whether those people are in the immediate organization or in the
world at large.
Autonomy: Autonomy is the degree to which the job provides substantial freedom,
independence, and discretion to the individual in scheduling the work and in determining the
procedures to be used in carrying it out. More autonomy leads to a greater feeling of personal
responsibility for the work. Efforts to increase autonomy might lead to job enrichment
Feedback: Feedback is the degree to which carrying out the work activities required by the
job provides the individual with direct and clear information about the effectiveness of his or
her performance.
Job Satisfaction: The degree to which an individual feels positively or negatively about
various facets of the tasks, the work setting and relationship with co-workers
Employees’ Growth Need strength: The desire to obtain professional growth and
achievement.
Core Job
Characteristics
Skill Variety
Task Identity
Task
Significant
Autonomy
Feedback
Job Satisfaction
Employees’ Growth
Need Strength

7. 6
Hypotheses
H1: Employees’ need for achievement has significant impact on the relationship between
job characteristics and job satisfaction.
H2: Need for achievement works as predictor of job satisfaction of bank employees.
Data Analysis
Participants’ mean tenure within the organisation was approximately 4 years. The level of
qualifications amongst the sample was quite impressive with approximately 51.2% of the
sample have completed or are reading banking diploma, 23% reported to G.C.E(A/L); 25.8%
have completed an undergraduate degree.
Table 2 Number and percentage of perceived job characteristics and level of job
satisfaction based on sex
No
High
%
SV
TI
TS
AU
FB
Low
%
SV
TI
TS
AU
FB
High
Low
High
%
Low
%
Male 22 8 36.3 8 14 22 4 8 14 63.7 14 8 0 18 14 16 6 14 33 8 40
Fem
ale
40 22 55.0 14 30 26 16 18 18 45.0 26 10 14 24 22 32 8 28 66 12 60
Source: Survey Data
According to the above table 64.5% of sample are female remaining 35.5% are male. With
respect to job satisfaction 77.4% of sample employees were satisfied with their job whereas
22.6% of total samples were less satisfied in the job. On the other hand 73% of male and 80%
of female revealed higher satisfaction in the job. Hence female respondents were highly
satisfied than their male counterparts.
In the case of perceived job characteristics, 48.4% of total sample perceived high job
characteristics presence in their job whereas 51.6% of staff perceived presence of job
characteristics low in their job. Among male and female respondents36.3%of male and 55% of
female perceived high job characteristics are associated in their job. However majority of the
male staff perceived low job characteristics in their job.
As far as employees’ growth need strength is concerned 67.7% of bank staff falls into the high
growth need strength category whereas 32.3% of employees are in the low growth need
strength category. Sex wise classification shows 22.6% of male and 45.2% of female are in the
Job Characteristics Job
Satisfac
tion
Employees’
Growth Need
Strength

8. 7
high growth need strength category. On the other hand 12.9% of male and 19.4%of their
female counterparts are in the low growth need strength category. But 63.6% of male and 70%
female have high growth need strength when their individual category is concerned. However
female employees in the sample branches have high growth need strength than their male
counterparts.
Table 3 Multiple Regression Output
Model Summ ary
.458a .210 .197 5.33721 .210 15.947 1 60 .000
.702b .493 .475 4.31315 .283 32.873 1 59 .000
.702c
.493 .466 4.34997 .000 .005 1 58 .941
Model
1
2
3
R R Square
Adjusted
R Square
Std. Error of
the Estimate
R Square
Change F Change df1 df2 Sig. F Change
Change Statistics
Predictors: (Constant), ToJobC
a.
Predictors: (Constant), ToJobC, EGNS
b.
Predictors: (Constant), ToJobC, EGNS, moderat
c.
Coefficients
a
14.659 4.619 3.174 .002
.280 .070 .458 3.993 .000
14.455 3.733 3.873 .000
.127 .063 .207 2.020 .048
.976 .170 .588 5.734 .000
13.555 12.761 1.062 .293
.142 .210 .231 .675 .503
1.058 1.120 .637 .944 .349
-.001 .018 -.064 -.074 .941
(Constant)
ToJobC
(Constant)
ToJobC
EGNS
(Constant)
ToJobC
EGNS
moderat
Model
1
2
3
B Std. Error
Unstandardized
Coefficients
Beta
Standardized
Coefficients
t Sig.
Dependent Variable: Tosat
a.
The above tables show the extent to which employees’ growth need strength work as
moderator on the relationship between Job Characteristics and Job Satisfaction. Stepwise
multiple regression output shows employees’ growth need strength is not work as moderator in
between independent and dependent variables. The value of F is more than 0.05 and the R
Square change is not significant. Therefore the moderator did not have significant impact on
the relationship between Job Characteristics and Job satisfaction. So the H1 (Employees’ need
for achievement has significant impact on the relationship between job characteristics and job
satisfaction) was rejected.

9. 8
Table 4 Correlation coefficient, correlation determinant and Regression between Job
Characteristics and Job Satisfaction
Correlations
1 .428**
.001
62 62
.428** 1
.001
62 62
Pearson Correlation
Sig. (2-tailed)
N
Pearson Correlation
Sig. (2-tailed)
N
ToJobC
Tosat
ToJobC Tosat
Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level
(2-tailed).
**.
Model Summ ary
.428a
.183 .170 5.40486
Model
1
R R Square
Adjusted
R Square
Std. Error of
the Estimate
Predictors: (Constant), ToJobC
a.
The correlation between job characteristics and job satisfaction was 0.428, the value shows
there was a positive moderate correlation between job characteristics and job satisfaction. At
the same time the value of the R Square was 0.183, i.e. 18.3% of variation in job satisfaction is
explained by job characteristics.
Table 5 Correlation coefficient and correlation determinant between Employees’ Growth
Need Strength and Job Satisfaction
Correlations
1 .678**
.000
62 62
.678** 1
.000
62 62
Pearson Correlation
Sig. (2-tailed)
N
Pearson Correlation
Sig. (2-tailed)
N
Tosat
Tonarch
Tosat Tonarch
Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level
(2-tailed).
**.
Model Summ ary
.678a
.459 .450 4.39888
Model
1
R R Square
Adjusted
R Square
Std. Error of
the Estimate
Predictors: (Constant), Tonarch
a.

10. 9
ANOVAb
985.328 1 985.328 50.921 .000a
1161.010 60 19.350
2146.339 61
Regression
Residual
Total
Model
1
Sum of
Squares df Mean Square F Sig.
Predictors: (Constant), Tonarch
a.
Dependent Variable: Tosat
b.
Coefficients
a
21.019 1.733 12.128 .000
1.120 .157 .678 7.136 .000
(Constant)
Tonarch
Model
1
B Std. Error
Unstandardized
Coefficients
Beta
Standardized
Coefficients
t Sig.
Dependent Variable: Tosat
a.
According to the above tables, Correlation between Employees’ growth need strength and job
satisfaction was 0.678. The value showed there was a moderate positive relationship between
employees’ growth need strength and job satisfaction. At the same time the value of the R
Square was 0.459, i.e. 45.9% of variation in job satisfaction is explained by employees’ growth
need strength. Therefore hypothesis 2 (Employees’ growth need strength works as predictor of
job satisfaction of bank employees.) was accepted.
Findings
1 Lower level bank staff perceived low job characteristics associated with their job. They
have limited opportunity to participate in decision making. On the other hand they deal
with computerized system, so the chance to use different skills and talents of them also
limited.
2 Even though they perceived low job characteristics in their job, their level of job
satisfaction is very high due to the promotion system adopted by the private banks.
They understood that if they are efficient they can easily pass the present efficiency bar.
3 Majority of the employees in this level is very young and they have lot of ambitions
about their career.
4 They reported they enjoy prestige in the society as they are bank employees and their
earnings is fairly higher than the people who are in the other sectors.
Conclusion
Many previous studies about job characteristics and job satisfaction accepted that the
employees’ growth need strength work as moderator. But some authors argue that the role of
employees’ growth need strength is not significant. The present study also did not confirm the
earlier findings of the researchers who confirmed moderating effect of employees’ growth need
strength on the relationship between job characteristics and job satisfaction among the
homogeneous job holders. Bank employees in the private sector do not bother much about
presence of core job characteristics due to the positive expectation of future promotions and the
handsome remuneration packages of the banks.

11. 10
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