Psychological empowerment and job satisfaction of engineers in a petrochemical industry

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between psychological empowerment and job satisfaction of engineers in a chemical industry. A cross-sectional design was used. Stratified random samples of engineers (N=91) were taken. The Measuring Empowerment Questionnaire and the Minnesota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire were used as measuring instruments. Pearson-moment correlations indicated a correlation of large effect between psychological empowerment and job satisfaction. Overall empowerment was found to be positively related to all satisfaction subscales. Positive correlations of large effect were obtained between job satisfaction and meaning, impact, and self-determination. A positive correlation of medium effect was obtained between job satisfaction and competence. Multiple regression analysis indicated that 70.5 per cent of the variance of job satisfaction was explained by subdimensions of psychological empowerment, although impact was not found to hold a significant amount of predictive value with regard to job satisfaction.