The mediating role of work atmosphere in the relationship between supervisor cooperation, career growth and job satisfaction

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating role of work atmosphere which have a positive influence on job satisfaction. Specifically, it focuses on how supervisor’s cooperation and career growth affect job satisfaction mediating through work atmosphere in a private corporate entity.

Design/methodology/approach

To attain this objective, a research framework with a mediating variable of work atmosphere was formulated. Using measurement scales created to assess different aspects of job satisfaction, career growth, supervisor’s cooperation and work atmosphere, a survey instrument was developed to test the various relationships implied by the framework. Data (n = 325) were collected from the employees of a local chemical company in Bangladesh following convenience sampling procedure. The analysis has been done by bootstrapping procedure following structural equation modeling (SEM).

Findings

The result shows that work atmosphere has a significant mediating role in linking supervisor cooperation and job satisfaction of the employees in the organization.

Research limitations/implications

As with any study, there are limitations to the study described here. One possible drawback is the use of a single company’s employees as respondents. Second, the sample size is not very large, because respondents were observed to be negligent in filling the questionnaire provided to them. If the sample size could be increased a bit more, then the authors might have better outcomes as postulated in the paper. Nevertheless, the usual cautions about over-generalizing findings from this sample, to populations for which it is not strictly representative, apply. The sample was not randomly drawn to represent a population to which findings could be generalized. Instead, it was a convenience sample, and as such, the ability to generalize the findings very far beyond the sample is limited.

Practical implications

From a practical perspective, as a cumulative body of work on job satisfaction with mediating variable of work atmosphere emerges, the authors will be better able to advise employers on the elements they need to address to increase their employee retention rate. In this study, the one area of findings that may help business and commercial organizations the most concerns work environment in the workplace. The authors found that supervisor cooperation and work atmosphere were associated with positive path value toward job satisfaction. Similarly, career growth and work atmosphere also exhibit positive path value towards job satisfaction. The implication is that employers can focus on supervisor cooperation in rightly and duly promoting the deserving employees, and in doing so, they can generate positive attitudes toward these activities.

Originality/value

This paper will add immense importance of work atmosphere to the organizational learning and behavior.

Citation

Ashraf, M.A. (2019), "The mediating role of work atmosphere in the relationship between supervisor cooperation, career growth and job satisfaction", Journal of Workplace Learning, Vol. 31 No. 2, pp. 78-94. https://doi.org/10.1108/JWL-12-2017-0113