The Impact Mechanism Of Individual Differences, Referent Choice And Meaning Construction On Pay Satisfaction

Now China is in transition period with characteristics of rapid change society, high speed growth economy, and continuous adjustment benefit.There exist tradition and modernity culture simultaneously. Compensation is core issue in organizational employment relationship, and pay satisfaction is the necessary but not sufficient condition of attainment of organizational goals. This dissertation has three main goals to extend the existing literature of antecedent of pay satisfaction. First, releases the constraints of individual differences,and research on the the role of individual differences in formantion of pay satisfaction; Second, strengthens understanding the pay comparison process,and clarify effect of pay referents from the paths model and relative importance based on multi characterization; Third, contructs the total perceived value attached to the pay, and expects different pay meaning/value have relative effects on different dimension of pay satisfaction.This dissertation aims to find the impact mechanisms (main effects, mediated effects and moderated effects) of individual differences, pay referent choice and pay meaning contruction on the pay satisfaction with multidimensional nature in generality and unique Chinese feature.This dissertation comprises seven chapters. Chapter 1 reviews the background of reality and theory research, addresses the existing gaps, and puts forward the research questions and technology roadmap. Chapter 2 traces the history of pay satisfaction research, referent selection theory ,compensation related individual differences and meaning of money or pay briefly; Chapter 3 puts forward the research framework and hypothesis, especially on the role of individual difference, referent selection process and four meaning interpretation mechanism of pay satisfaction; Chapter 4 discusses the research design along with definitions and measurements of the variables, sampling, and procedures used in analyzing the data; Chapter 5 presents the results of the statistical analyses. Chapter 6 discusses the results and management implications; Chapter 7 concludes the research and discusses limitations and suggestions for future research.Data was collected from 517 employees both in public and private sector. Exploratory factors analysis and confirmatory factors analysis are used to test the the validility and reliability of the contructs measurement. It found a good fit between our measurement model and our data.The independent variables have no the serious problem of multicollinearity and the common method biases effects were non-significant.Empirical results indicate that:(1)Several individual difference variables have significant effects on several pay characteristics preference. (2)Information about referent and relevance for judgment positively affect the comparison frequency of the certain referent, quantity differentials positively affect the distribute justice or pay satisfaction, comparison frequency negatively affects the distribute justice or pay satisfaction, and distribute justice as a mediator. Integrating the three approaches, the empirical results confirm that seven referents have more relative importance on pay satisfaction. (3)There exsits individual differences in referent choice "possibility", the demography show lower effects on the possibility of referent choice than equity sensitivity, needs of achievement and risk aversion, the referent choice possibility related to the positive,entitled or risk aversion motivation. (4)The absolute meaning show relatively more effects on pay level satisfaction,the relative meaning(excluding the system referent and internal pay rank) also show relatively more effects on pay level satisfaction, the control meaning show more effects on the process dimensions,and fit meaning have more effects on system dimension.Under the four meaning framework, the independents interpret more variance of pay satisfaction.Especially there show relatively effects on pay satisfaction dimensions due to four meaning in private and public sector. (5)Moderator hypothesis were mostly supported, or only for certain employee groups.Love of money moderate the relationship of absolute/relative compensation and pay satisfaction, equity sensitivity moderate the relationship of absolute/relative compensation and justice perception or pay satisfaction, needs of achievement moderate the relationship of pay for performance perception and pay satisfaction, risk aversion moderate the relationship of pay variation and pay satisfaction,and the allocentrics/idiocentrics moderate the relationship of relative compensation and pay satisfaction in all sample or in certain sample.The dissersation puts forward a framework of how and why individual differences could alter an individual's response to the compensation characteristics (ie. influence preference,referent choice and as a moderator), clarifies effect of pay referents from the paths model and relative importance based on multi characterization, and explores the four pay meaning and relative effects on multidimension of pay satisfaction. The dissersation also finds unique phenomenon in china' transition and culture context, such as organizational culture constrain, general rank dependence,reaction on internal and external differently, reference by family cost of living and effect of Zijiren.The dissertation also sets out the limitations of the study and its practical implications, and makes some suggestions for future research.