Human Needs and Job Satisfaction: A Multidimensional Approach

Abstract

Francophone (n = 90) and Anglophone (n = 106) managers for a national consumer lending company in Canada responded to measures of human needs (Personality Research Form) and Job Satisfaction (Job Descriptive Index). Needs are transformed to remove multicollinearity and a multivariate model developed to account for variation in job satisfaction. A considerable amount of the variance in job satisfaction is accounted for by human needs that are highly independent of social desirability responding. There are differences in the explanatory variables of the two samples. Implications regarding job redesign are discussed. In particular, the normative orientation in the literature regarding appropriate needs for organizational research is questioned, and the importance of considering the multidimensional nature of need structure is stressed.