Job satisfaction and organizational commitment in multicultural work environments in Norway

2014

This research investigates whether the classical determinants of job satisfaction and

organizational commitment are valid in a Norwegian context, with emphasis on

multicultural work environments. Furthermore, this study examines whether

employees with different cultural backgrounds in Norwegian-based companies have

different levels of job satisfaction and organizational commitment. The topic is

relevant in today’s work environments as the workforce is more diverse than before,

and it is important that employers take the subject into consideration as job

satisfaction and organizational commitment affect the job performance and bottom

line of the company.

The topic has not been widely researched in a Norwegian context, however according

to the available literature on job satisfaction and organizational commitment there are

significant differences between people from different countries. As part of the

research a general survey was constructed to confirm the presence of cultural

differences based on power distance in a Norwegian context, and the model and

results were analysed through several statistical methods.

The statistical analysis supported that some of the classical determinants extracted

from theory had a positive effect on job satisfaction and organizational commitment.

However, no evidence of differences in job satisfaction and organizational

commitment between workers from various backgrounds in multicultural work

environments in Norway was uncovered. The only exception was that the supervisor

was perceived differently between foreigners and Norwegians.

From the analysis it can be concluded that the employers should be aware of the

variations in job satisfaction and organizational commitment among the employees,

but these are not necessarily determined by cultural differences. By focusing on the

integration of the employees in the organization through communication and

integration courses, it is likely that the staff will remain in the company.