work environment that hinder performance. When someone has (1) no ability, (2) no motivation, or (3) pressing situational constraints, performance will be poor. If a person has no musical ability, all the motivation in the world will not make him or her a good musician. People perform best when they have the needed resources, abilities, and the desire to perform a task well.
Motivation, therefore, is only one factor determining performance.
Job Satisfaction has a weak relationship with job performance. Study shows that there is a stronger link when workers have control over their intentions and behaviors and when social constraints are taken into account. Social constraints include the norms, affiliation and other group pressures. This means that the social constraints in the work place depend on the intentions of the employee. If the social constraints turned out a negative effect in the employee, job satisfaction becomes weak as well as its job performance.
(www.hrm.strath.ac.uk 2005)
A qualitative and quantitative review on the relationship of job satisfaction and job performance conducted to 312 samples revealed a low correlation (Judge, Thoresen, Bono and Patton, 2001).
D. Putman (1990) also concluded that job satisfaction and job performance are too closely linked to one another, and that they affect each other. He pointed that if a person is highly satisfied with his/her job, this would lead the person to want to do a good job and to perform well. On the other side is the person’s ability level. If the person is struggling with performing the job, it may give the appearance that the person is a poor performer even though he/she may be exhausting a great deal of effort in trying to perform the job. This person’s frustration then in turn leads to job satisfaction. In 2002, D. Putman conducted another study revealing that job satisfaction and performance will never be able to pinpoint an exact correlation. Doing a job well may improve job satisfaction, being satisfied may encourage a person to try harder, and each person’s personal value system will have an effect on how he/she reacts to motivators and impediments. It is best to understand that performance is a complex issue and recognize the where one must control to address issues affecting an individual’s performance.
A study conducted to employees of an electronic company covered the dimensions of employee satisfaction which includes environment, salary/benefit, management practices, promotion, company profit sharing, and vision while for employee performance, factors such as character and ability, attitude of work, individual growth, outcomes and performance were included. Result showed that employees placed higher importance on “salary/benefit” and
“environment”. Second is that Job satisfaction has significant positive relationship with personal performance. This means that higher job satisfaction, the higher the job performance. Lastly, different personal variables haven’t significant difference on employee satisfaction and performance (S. Lin, 2002).
Buciuniene et al (2005) concluded that total job satisfaction of doctors working at primary health care establishments in Lithuania is relatively low, and compensation, social status, and workload are among the key factors that condition doctors’ dissatisfaction with their job. Stamps and Piedmonte’s (2000) research shows that the more autonomy activities possess and the less monotony exists at work, the more employees are satisfied with their work.
Ubom and Joshua (2004) study showed that Needs Satisfaction variables such as physiological needs, security needs, social needs, self-esteem needs and self-actualization needs have significant and positive contributions in the prediction of job performance of employees. The possible reason for these findings is that a worker needs adequate and reasonable payment for him to satisfy his physiological needs like food, clothing, health-care and other needs in life. An employee needs adequate security especially at work place and at living place. He has to be given adequate payment for socialization with relations and friends. The organization must recognize his worth and ensure his dignity and self-esteem. There must be that understanding between an employee and the organization in the provision of needs. It is such understanding that
would make the employee to achieve self-fulfillment as a worker, and to work harder to achieve high job performance in the organization.
However, a work place whereby the workers feel that they are cheated, underpaid and are made to work in insecure conditions; where the organization has no regard for the workers’ dignity and self-worth; and the workers attribute the causes of their poor situation to the organization, they will not work hard and the level of job performance will be comparatively low. This is true because the workers are human beings with various needs to be satisfied. Failure to have such needs satisfied therefore leads to frustration, nonchalant attitude to work and rebellion.
2.2.1. Influence of Communication on Performance
We can view performance on a number of levels, including individual task performance, group productivity, and the effectiveness of entire organizations.
Research shows that communication does influence performance. We have long known that knowledge of results and feedback facilitates performance.
Whether the feedback comes from the organization, a supervisor, co-workers, or the task itself (Greller & Herold, 1975), it has both informational and motivational components. Feedback focuses attention on relevant aspects of the task and gives direction as to which behaviors are most desirable or appropriate. Feedback improves job performance in many tasks, ranging from visual search (Mudd& McCormick, 1960) to complex decision-making (Schmitt, Coyle, & Saari, 1977).