Develop And Test A Hypothesis In Industrial Organizational P
Develop and Test a Hypothesis in Industrial Organizational Psychology
All work must be original, APA format & will be submitted to Turnitin. Develop and test a hypothesis relevant to industrial-organizational psychology, explaining how you designed the survey study to test your hypothesis. Include the setting, participants and how they were selected, and ways to improve survey response rates. Use a cross-sectional design.
Paper For Above instruction
In the field of industrial-organizational (I-O) psychology, understanding factors that influence employee engagement and productivity is paramount. This study aims to explore the relationship between perceived organizational support (POS) and job satisfaction among employees. The hypothesis posited is: Higher levels of perceived organizational support are positively associated with increased job satisfaction among employees. This hypothesis is grounded in established theories suggesting that employees who feel supported by their organization are more likely to experience higher motivation, commitment, and satisfaction (Eisenberger et al., 1986; Rhoades & Eisenberger, 2002).
Designing a survey study to test this hypothesis involved meticulous planning to ensure reliability and validity of findings. A cross-sectional research design was selected because it allows the measurement of variables at a single point in time, providing a snapshot of the relationship between POS and job satisfaction (Creswell, 2014). This approach is efficient and suitable for exploring associations without the need for extended longitudinal data collection.
The setting for this study was a medium-sized manufacturing company located in an urban area. The organization was chosen due to its diverse workforce, which includes employees across various departments such as production, administration, and maintenance. This diversity enhances the generalizability of the findings across different occupational roles within similar industrial settings. Participants were selected through stratified random sampling to ensure proportional representation across department categories. This method involves dividing the population into strata based on department and then randomly selecting participants within each stratum, reducing sampling bias and increasing the representativeness of the sample (Patton, 2015).
The inclusion criteria for participants were being full-time employees with at least six months of tenure in the organization to ensure familiarity with organizational support mechanisms. Exclusion criteria included part-time or temporary employees, as their experiences might differ significantly from full-time staff. The total sample comprised approximately 200 employees, which provides adequate statistical power for correlation analyses (Krejcie & Morgan, 1970).
To measure perceived organizational support, the survey employed the short version of the Survey of Perceived Organizational Support (SPOS), a widely validated instrument with high internal consistency (Eisenberger et al., 1986). Job satisfaction was assessed using the Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS), which captures various facets of work-related satisfaction. Both questionnaires used a Likert scale format, facilitating quantitative analysis of responses.
Improving survey response rates was a critical aspect of the study design. Strategies implemented included personalized invitation emails, reminders sent one week and two days before the deadline, and assurances of confidentiality to reduce social desirability bias. Additionally, the surveys were made available in both online and paper formats to accommodate preferences and increase accessibility (Dillman et al., 2014). Incentives such as entry into a raffle for gift cards were offered to motivate participation, a method supported by research indicating increased response rates with appropriate incentives (Singer & Ye, 2013).
This survey study, by employing a cross-sectional design, aims to provide valuable insights into the correlation between organizational support and job satisfaction. The findings are expected to contribute to practical applications in enhancing employee well-being and organizational effectiveness. Implementing targeted interventions based on these insights can foster a more supportive work environment, ultimately improving employee outcomes and organizational success.
References
- Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Sage publications.
- Dillman, D. A., Smyth, J. D., & Christian, L. M. (2014). Internet, phone, mail, and mixed-mode surveys: The tailored design method (4th ed.). Wiley.
- Eisenberger, R., Huntington, R., Hutchison, S., & Sowa, D. (1986). Perceived organizational support. Journal of Applied Psychology, 71(3), 500–507.
- Krejcie, R. V., & Morgan, D. W. (1970). Determining sample size for research activities. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 30(3), 607–610.
- Patton, M. Q. (2015). Qualitative research & evaluation methods. Sage Publications.
- Rhoades, L., & Eisenberger, R. (2002). Perceived organizational support: A review of the literature. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(4), 698–714.
- Singer, E., & Ye, C. (2013). The use and effects of incentives in surveys. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 645(1), 112–130.