Job Satisfaction and Job Performance: The Case of Research Productivity

In order to meet social needs, and address societal challenges, the University is dependent upon the research productivity of its staff. Satisfaction contributes to the retention of, as well as the job performance of, academic staff. However, knowledge of the relationships between job satisfaction and research productivity is absent from the literature in the South African context. An exploratory cross sectional quantitative research design is applied to a sample of 225 respondents of academics from a large regional South African university. Correlation, partial correlation, and multiple linear regression analysis are used to test seminal theory that predicts relationships between job satisfaction and research productivity as a dimension of job performance. Findings indicate that academics that produce more internationally accredited journals are relatively more job-dissatisfied. Junior academics, particularly those without doctoral degrees, are found to be more job-satisfied. It is argued that remuneration and retention systems need to address this discrepancy. Self-efficacy and an internal locus of control were found to be predictors of job satisfaction in this context. Recommendations are made on the basis of the findings.