An Examination of Officer Job Satisfaction and Workgroup Cultural Fit

Abstract

Abstract Research has found officer job satisfaction to be correlated with aspects of their work environment. Police culture serves as a coping mechanism for work environment stressors. Despite the connections, research has yet to investigate the impact of a broad range of cultural norms as well as the influence of cultural fit and strength on job satisfaction. The current study examines how officers alignments with traditional police culture norms, relative to their workgroup peers (i.e. cultural fit), relate to job satisfaction. Results indicated that officers who adhered to traditional norms, in general, were more satisfied; however, officers who subscribed substantially less to traditional cultural norms relative to their workgroup peers (i.e. con-culture misfits) were significantly less satisfied. Being a con-culture misfit was associated with perceptions of danger and role clarity. Collectively, the findings provide practical insights for departments concerned with their officers satisfaction by addressing cultural features of their work environments.