Examining the effect of disposition on job satisfaction: An empirical study of resident doctors in India

Abstract

The construct of job satisfaction has been of considerable interest to organizational behaviorists. Research shows that stable dispositional factors may bring considerable consistency in job attitudes, particularly in work satisfaction. This study examines the effects of dispositional and situational variables on the job satisfaction of resident doctors working as medical professionals in India. One hundred and fifty-seven resident doctors from Delhi and NCR region have been surveyed to test the hypothesis that there is a significant dispositional component to their job satisfaction apart from the situational factors. Statistical and logical relationships among overall job satisfaction, intrinsic satisfaction, extrinsic satisfaction, and predisposition of the doctors have been explored by the researcher. The findings of this empirical study disclose significant positive relationships between the disposition of the doctors and their overall as well as facet satisfaction. Results reveal a 39.7% variation in overall job satisfaction of the resident doctors being affected by disposition at a .01 level of significance in comparison to a 23.9% variation caused by the satisfaction on intrinsic factors. This paper orients itself toward presenting the results and discussion on the empirical research undertaken.