An investigation of the influence of job level and functional specialty on job attitudes and perceptions

Abstract

152 jobs in a large ( N = 1,313) midwestern printing company were classified into vertical (job level) and horizontal (functional specialty) distributions to investigate differences in employee attitudes. Descriptions of leader behavior (the Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire's Initiating Structure scale) and 4 aspects of satisfaction (the Job Descriptive Index Scales: Satisfaction with Work, Pay, Supervision, and Coworkers) were assessed. A 3 (job level) × 5 (functional specialty) multivariate analysis of variance demonstrated significant differences in job attitudes for both job level and functional specialty. A discriminant analysis separated the functional specialty and job-level groupings along 2 dimensions in terms of satisfaction with work itself and pay, and initiating structure. Results suggest that these 2 organizational structure characteristics summarize influences of managerial style, local norms, goals, and job requirements that affect individual attitudes and perceptions of work situation. (18 ref) (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)