Further Analyses of the Dispositional Argument in Organizational Behavior

Dispositional and situational influences on organizational behavior were examined with reference to the job redesign literature, particularly the research of Staw and Ross (1985). Dispositional and situational influence was assessed through investigation of the stability of job attitudes and affect among young professional engineers experiencing situational change arising from (a) change from university studies to full-time employment and (b) change of employer. Although correlational analyses suggested attitude and affect stability, t test results indicated attitude and affect instability. The inconsistency of these findings are discussed, and methodological problems in research in this area are noted.