Final answer:
The most strongly predictive factor of overall job satisfaction is work content, which includes job variety, difficulty, and role clarity. The Job Characteristics Model suggests that greater autonomy and involvement in decision-making processes can notably improve worker motivation and satisfaction.
Step-by-step explanation:
Job Satisfaction and the Job Characteristics Model
When considering what factors most strongly predict job satisfaction, we must consider various influences beyond just financial rewards. Research by Saari & Judge (2004) and Kohn et al. (1990) has demonstrated that work content, which includes job variety, the level of difficulty, autonomy, and role clarity, is a significant predictor of job satisfaction. This stands in contrast to the assumption that workers are only motivated by money. Financial incentives have a weaker correlation with job satisfaction compared to factors like autonomy and the meaningfulness of the work itself.
The Job Characteristics Model emphasizes that designing jobs to allow workers greater autonomy and involvement in decision-making processes can enhance their motivation and job satisfaction. Notably, workers are happier when they feel a sense of control over their work, and freedom from excessive oversight, and believe they are integral to the outcomes of their work. Therefore, contrary to the idea that jobs should be simple, repetitive, and require only a single skill, modern job design values creating roles that are challenging, and varied, and allow employees to develop a range of skills.