Abstract  摘要
 

本研究探讨了员工满意度与员工选择影响策略的关系。具体来说，作者有关员工满意度的子维度（工作条件、人际关系、组织承诺、工作压力）六最常用的影响策略（自信、交流、友好、向上的情趣，联盟，和合理性）。收集的数据，从中国煤炭企业在四月和可能2013。的200个管理的问卷调查，140人返回，给予约70%的回应率。结果表明，员工对组织的承诺与员工满意度呈正相关。员工压力水平呈正相关，其使用的自信，向上的吸引力，和交换。对该组织的承诺与交换负相关。理论和实践的影响进行了讨论。This study investigated the relationship between employee satisfaction and employees’ choice of upward influence tactics. Specifically, the author related sub-dimensions of employee satisfaction (working conditions, interpersonal relationships, commitment to organization, job stress) with six most commonly used upward influence tactics (assertiveness, exchange, friendliness, upward appeal, coalition, and rationality). Data were collected from a Chinese coal venture between April and May 2013. Out of the 200 administered questionnaires, 140 were returned, giving a response rate of approximately 70%. Results showed that employees’ commitment to the organization was positively related to employee satisfaction. Employees’ stress level was positively related to their use of assertiveness, upward appeal, and exchange. Commitment to the organization was negatively related to exchange. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed.  

 

Key words: Employee satisfaction; Upward influence tactics; Commitment; Job stress; Working conditions; Interpersonal relations 

                          

Executive Summary  执行摘要
 

Researchers’ attention recently focused on how employees use upward influence tactics (UITs) to influence the behavior of their superiors or leaders. This research focuses on employees’ choices of upward influence tactics in organizations when relate to the employee satisfaction. Therefore, in this study, the relationship between employee satisfaction and employees’ choice of upward influence tactics was examined. This research took place during April and August 2013 in a state-owned business in China. Data collection completed before the end of May, 2013.  An extensive literature review revealed that the upward influence tactics are sorted into eight dimensions: Assertiveness, Ingratiation, Rationality, Sanctions, Exchange of Benefits, Upward Appeal, Blocking, and Coalitions (Kipnis, 1980). In this research, the author chose six most commonly used upward influence tactics namely assertiveness, rationality, exchange, upward appeal friendliness and coalition to analyse the relationship between employee satisfaction and their choice of upward influence tactics. Hokey (2007) illustrated that employee satisfaction is influenced by four categories: demographic variables (i.e., gender ,age and educational level), occupational variables (i.e., skill level, experience and tenure), organizational variables (i.e., firm size, industry, job content and working environment) and individual variables (i.e., pay scale, job security, reward, advancement opportunity, job involvement and work ethic). This research paid much attention to some factors such as working conditions, interpersonal relations, job stress and commitment to exam the connection with employee satisfaction as well as the choice of upward influence tactics.  After illustrated the relevant literature, there were a problem statement and three research questions were created, covering the relationship between employee satisfaction and the choice of upward influence tactics.  The thesis research methodology is quantitative, whereby questionnaires were the chosen tool. Besides, in order to examine the relationship between employee satisfaction and their choice of upward influence tactics in organizations, the questionnaires was divided into two parts, one specified for independent variables: employee satisfaction and the other for dependent variables: the six upward influence tactics (assertiveness, ingratiation, rationality, exchange, upward appeal, and coalitions). The questionnaire had a rating system with a 1-7 scale measure rating from agree to disagree. In total, 200 questionnaires was handed out and 140 questionnaires were used which met a response rate of approximately 70%.   

The result of the data showed that commitment in the organization can strongly influence employee satisfaction. Furthermore, working conditions, interpersonal relations also had correlation with employee satisfaction. Another important finding of this study was that employees’ overall job satisfaction do not have any relationship with the choices of any single upward influence tactics such as assertiveness, friendliness, upward appeal, and rationality.  Nevertheless, the subsidiary of employee satisfaction namely job stress, commitment and working conditions have a directly relationship with some upward influence tactics. More specifically, job stress had the most significant connection with assertiveness, exchange, and upward appeal tactics compared with other variables. Besides, there was a directly positive connection between working conditions and assertiveness tactic. Commitment had a directly negative relationship with the choice of exchange upward influence tactic.