Organizational climate and job satisfaction: do employees’ personalities matter?

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide some insights on the interplay of organizational climate and job satisfaction, taking personality traits as a moderator. Design/methodology/approach The paper reviews the extant literature from which it develops a theoretical model which is then tested empirically in the Malaysian context, using hierarchical regression methodology. Findings The results imply that there are moderating effects of personality traits on the relationship between certain aspects of organizational climate and job satisfaction. Research limitations/implications The cross-sectional nature of this study inhibits the testing of causality between the variables. The research model and hypotheses were tested, using data drawn only from companies operating in a single country. Practical implications The paper provides valuable information to leaders and managers in understanding which personality works better in the potential casual linkage between organizational climate and overall job satisfaction. This paper also helps practitioners to understand better why the same climate can have different impacts on different people. Originality/value It contributes to the conceptualization of the organizational climate by emphasizing Litwin and Stringer’s (1968) dimensions of organizational climate as the important determinants of the job satisfaction. Moreover, it expands the traditional discussion by incorporating the personal traits that moderates the relationship between organizational climate and the job satisfaction.