Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment at Sherwin-Williams

Job satisfaction and organizational commitment are the two most commonly used
metrics to predict the behaviors of employees. Job satisfaction is the feeling that an employee
has about different aspects of their job (Khagendra & Agrawal, 1). It is considered a
multidimensional construct because it consists of different elements referred to as job
satisfaction facets (Khagendra & Agrawal, 1). Some of the most common job satisfaction
facets include pay, benefits, promotion, job conditions, relationship with co-workers,
appreciation, and the company’s policies. Since it has many facets, it is common for
employees to be satisfied with one aspect of their job and be dissatisfied with other aspects.
Job satisfaction has a major impact on the performance of an organization because it affects
various aspects of employee behaviors (Khagendra & Agrawal, 1). For instance, it has been
found to affect productivity of the employee, their efficiency, intention to quit, and
absenteeism.

Organizational commitment, on the other hand, is how strongly an employee
identifies and involves themselves with the organization that they are working for
(Khagendra & Agrawal, 1). There are three types of organizational commitment. These three
types describe the nature of an employee’s commitment to the organization. The components
are affective commitment, continuance commitment, and normative commitment (Khagendra
& Agrawal, 1).

Employees who have affective commitment to an organization have a psychological
attachment to it (Khagendra & Agrawal, 1). They feel proud to be part of the organization
and desire to see it succeed in all of its goals. On the other hand, employees with continuance
commitment to an organization remain at the organization because of the fear that they have

3
of leaving it. It could be that they do not have viable alternatives and, therefore, fear that
leaving the organization may leave them in a worse position than their current position.
Employees with this type of commitment only remain in an organization because they feel
that they need it (Khangendra & Agrawal, 1). Lastly, employees who exhibit normative
commitment remain at an organization because they feel that they have an obligation to
remain at the organization.

Job satisfaction and organizational commitment are closely related concepts. The
main difference between the two concepts is that organizational commitment is an
employee’s emotional response to the organization that they work for while job satisfaction is
non-emotional response of an employee to their organization. Thus, while an employee may
have positive feelings towards an organization, they may still be unsatisfied with their job for
reasons such as poor relations with their boss or colleagues.

There are various ways that Sherwin-Williams ensures that its employees are satisfied
with their job and are committed to the organization. With regard to job satisfaction, the
company offers its employees good pay and lost of benefits that address their personal well-
being and financial success (Meyerson, 2). Additionally, it also maintains a policy of
sourcing leaders within the organization thus offering employees with a lot of opportunities
for promotion (Meyerson, 2). These and other measures of the organization have helped it to
achieve high levels of employee satisfaction.

As for organizational commitment, Sherwin-Williams has strived to achieve high
level of affective commitment from its employees. Through adhering to high ethical
standards, producing high quality products, and treating its employees with respect and
dignity, the company has been able to establish itself as one that employees are proud to
associate with (Meyerson, 2).

4

Motivation Theories

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

This theory holds that people usually increase what they want to achieve in life and
prioritize their needs according to what they want to achieve at a given time. People begin by
first satisfying their basic physical and biological needs and then advance to satisfying social
and psychological needs (Salem, 3). The five categories of needs under this theory are
physiological needs, security and safety needs, social needs, esteem needs, and self-
actualization needs. Based on this theory, an organization should seek not just to help
employee meet their physiological (adequate salary) and security needs (safe working
environment) but also their social (work-life balance), and physiological needs (promotion
and awards).

Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory

The theory is also called Motivator-Hygiene theory. The theory lists factors that lead
to satisfaction of employees and factors that lead to demoralization of employees. Factors that
contribute to employee satisfaction include responsibility, recognition, and achievement
while factors that demoralize employees include management approach, relationships at
work, pay, and institutional politics (Salem, 3).

Equity theory

According to this theory, employees will weigh their input into a job (number of
hours they work, efforts needed to perform their job) against the output that they receive from
the job (rewards) (Salem, 3). Employees who perceive the output that they receive from their

5
jobs to be more than their inputs are more likely to be satisfied with their jobs than employees
who perceive their input to be more than the output that they receive from their jobs.

Performance Management Principles

Involves alignment of the efforts of the organization’s leadership and employees
toward the achievement of the goals of the organization. There are five key principles of
performance management. The first one is assessment of the needs of the organization. The
second one is development of training for employees in order to equip them with the skills
that they need to help the organization to achieve its goals. The third principle is training the
employees. The fourth one is implementing feedback structures for the employees. Last
principle is improvement of any deficiency that may be identified in the organization. Thus,
performance management establishes goals and then determines what employees need to do
in order to achieve the set goals. Employees are then equipped with the relevant skills and
morale through training and other measures so that they are in a position to make the
organization achieve its goals (Salem, 3).

Application of Motivation Theories and Principles of Management to Sherwin-Williams

With regards to Maslow’s Theory, Sherwin-Williams pays its employees generously
so that they are able to meet their basic needs, such as food, clothing, and shelter. As a
chemicals company, it has put in place various safety measures, such as factoring in
employee safety in workplace designs, as way of meeting safety/security needs of employees.
The company also meets the physiological needs of its employees through offering them
opportunities for advancement within the organization.

Based on Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory, Sherwin-Williams motivates its employees
through offering them opportunities to grow within the organization (Meyerson, 2). On the

6

demoralization side, it pays its employees generously to prevent them from getting
demoralized. With regards to Equity theory, Sherwin-Williams provides its employees with
lots of benefits (wealth creation and person well-being benefits) and good pay which could be
considered to be more than the input of employees (Meyerson, 2).

As for performance management principles, Sherwin-Williams regularly trains its
employees to equip them for higher positions in the company. It then motivates them through
good pay and generous benefits. For feedback, the management ensures that employees
receive timely communication about their work. Good performance is rewarded with
promotion and various awards (Meyerson, 2).

7

Source List

1. Nath Gangai Khagendra and Rachna Agrawal. 2015. Job Satisfaction and
   Organizational Commitment: Is it Important for Employee Performance?
   International Journal of Management.
   http://ijmbr.srbiau.ac.ir/article_7957_00f359f786fbf60d13a40db3cc4b4497.pdf
2. Rita Meyerson. 2019. “Historically Speaking: A Case Study of the Organizational
   Identity Dynamics of an Iconic American Brand after Acquisition.” PhD diss.
   https://media.proquest.com/media/hms/PFT/2/gsfBB?_s=EHml0Ka%2FzzjzDIF%2F
   6nNmsEF0sZM%3D.
3. Mohammed Salem. 2015. Employee Motivation Importance in the Performance
   Management Process. Journal of Management.