The impact of employee perceptions of organizational work environment and job satisfaction on innovative climate

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between three variables: the organizational work environment; job satisfaction; and innovative climate. The study proposes that the innovative climate is an outcome of a positive relationship between job satisfaction and organizational work environment. A model was developed based on the literature review and on the motivation theories. In this model, organizational work environment contained the learning environment and the support environment. While job satisfaction consisted of job content, career development, salary and work hours. The aim of proposing a model was to come up with a final study model that suggests factors impacts the innovative climate in the telecommunication industry in Jordan/Amman. The obtained data from the conducted interviews modified and expanded the proposed model leading to model two. Additional factors emerged as new findings as shown below: Organizational work environment, which included: Learning environment: consisted of learning, training, and rotation. Support environment: contained physical work environment and psychological work environment, which in turn incorporated communication and encouragement. Organizational working structure: included policy, progression and monitoring plans, process, communication, leadership style, flexible working hours, transparency, and delegation. Job satisfaction, which included: rewards and compensations; culture; routine; teamwork; headcounts; job content; and recruitment. All emerging factors are proposed to create a positive innovative climate. Model two was tested to answer the research questions and to come up with the final study model. The study was applied in the Jordanian context focusing on the telecommunication sector. Two companies were examined. A comparative approach was conducted between managers that are at the same managerial level. The approach was taken to understand what were the most important factors according their views. The methodology in this study adopted a mixed method approach. Data collection was conducted in three stages. Stage one involved the application of semi-structured interviews with 21 participants, including directors, managers, and supervisors. Findings from the interviews and observations aided in the survey development and model refinement. Stage two was the distribution of the survey which resulted in 304 completed filled surveys. In addition, observation took place during the data collection process. Stage three was triangulating the data obtained from the analysis of the interviews, survey analysis (correlation, frequency distribution, and regression) and observation done in stage one and two. The above lead to the final research model designated the innovative climate model. This model expands the current understanding of innovative climate by adding new groups of factors in the areas of job satisfaction, organizational work environment personal behaviour. The model has been validated through empirical research in Jordanian telecommunication organizations.

Date of Award	2012
Original language	English