THE INTERACTION EFFECT OF GENERAL COGNITIVE ABILITY AND JOB CHARACTERISTICS ON INTRINSIC JOB SATISFACTION

Abstract

452 employees participated in the study exploring the interaction effect of General Cognitive Ability and Job Characteristics on Intrinsic Job Satisfaction. To address the research question, the following instruments were used in the study: General Aptitude Test Battery – GATB (The U.S. Employment Service, 1947-1996), Minnesota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (1966), and Karasek’s Job Content Questionnaire (1979).  General cognitive ability was assessed from two different perspectives – cognitive ability as a predictor and cognitive ability as a moderator in the relationship between job characteristics and job satisfaction.  Since job characteristics variables (Decision authority, Decision latitude, Skill discretion) are mainly associated with intrinsic job satisfaction, the study focused on the relationship between cognitive ability,  job characteristics and intrinsic job satisfaction as well as on the role of job characteristics in the given  relationship.  The study showed that job characteristics moderate the relationship between general cognitive ability and intrinsic job satisfaction. Also, general cognitive ability strengthens relationship between job characteristics and intrinsic job satisfaction. General cognitive ability has a significant negative effect on intrinsic job satisfaction only in those employees, who perform monotonous and repetitive work and have limited control and decision authority. Under such working conditions, highly developed cognitive ability is associated with low levels of intrinsic job satisfaction. High levels of cognitive ability are related to the satisfaction with the intrinsic factors of work (responsibility, independence, creativity, diversity, etc.), whereas employees with low levels of cognitive ability tend to have a more positive attitude to work, if their work is redesigned to include increased decision latitude.