| This study investigated the relationship between job satisfaction and psychological climate in a community bank, which may find a standard set of defined assessment tools useful in its strategic planning. Because much of the available research has been limited to domestic, non service sector organizations, community banks must generalize and interpret the results from limited materials to understand and manage risks associated with job satisfaction. Literature revealed that employees' perception is critical to job satisfaction while addressing issues of skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback. Using a conceptual framework based on the theories of job satisfaction and psychological climate, the research questions sought to identify the most pertinent dimensions. All 60 employees of a community bank participated in the study. Using a survey design, the variables of job satisfaction were measured by 83 items from the Job Diagnostic Survey, and the variables of psychological climate were measured by 60 items from the Perceived Work Environment. A quantitative analysis using descriptive statistics utilized a series of correlation, multiple regressions, and t tests to analyze the data. The key results identified the most pertinent dimensions perceived by employees that best described their psychological work environment. Bank employees revealed that job responsibility best described their psychological work environment, whereas task significance and identity were important to job satisfaction. Decision making, pressure to produce, and performance reward were the least important dimensions. The implications for social change include providing bank management with a foundation that addresses the most pertinent dimensions of employees' levels of job satisfaction as well as improving work environments to increase levels of job satisfaction. |
