Impact of Self-Orientations and Work-Context–Related Variables on the Well-Being of Public- and Private-Sector Turkish Employees

ABSTRACT

The authors (a) explored the impact of individual differences in self-orientations (i.e., relatedness and individuation) of 383 Turkish public- and private-sector employees on their basic need satisfaction at work and their well-being (i.e., life satisfaction and psychological well-being); (b) considered differences in perceived autonomy- and relatedness-supportiveness of the work contexts; and (c) tested a model in which the relationship between self-orientations and well-being is partially mediated by the perceived supportiveness of the work context and the need satisfaction of employees at work, using structural equation modeling. Results suggest that self-orientations of employees predict their well-being both directly and indirectly through the mediation of perceived supportiveness and need satisfaction provided by the work context, which seem to vary according to sector type.

Keywords:

• Balanced Integration–Differentiation Model
• basic need satisfaction at work
• employee well-being
• public–private sector
• relatedness–individuation
• Self-Determination Theory

Acknowledgments

This article is based on extended theoretical and statistical analyses of the data collected as part of a doctoral study conducted by the second author under the supervision of the first. The authors extend their appreciation to Dr. Türker Özkan for his advice in statistical analysis.

Notes

A different but somewhat related idea is presented in optimal distinctiveness theory (ODT, Brewer, 1991), which maintains that to achieve a satisfying and self-affirming identity people try to balance individual autonomy and distinctiveness against belonging to the right group. Unlike the BID model which is about individual differences in self-constructions, ODT is concerned with individuals’ attempts to maintain optimal distinctiveness in their group memberships. Accordingly, ODT considers the interplay between the needs to feel similar to (assimilation) and distinct or separate from others (differentiation), which are proposed to be opponent processes. The BID model, on the other hand, proposes that individuation and relatedness (involving authentic intrapersonal and interpersonal processes, respectively) are distinct and, in fact, complementary self-orientations. Still, however, since social identities, derived from group memberships, are important components of self-concepts, it would be interesting to explore how individuals with different self-orientations (as considered by the BID model) satisfy their assimilation and differentiation needs at the group level (as considered by ODT).

The principle axis factoring analysis with varimax rotation conducted on the initial data set, which consisted of 12 items, supported the two-factor solution, and explained 43.37% of the variance. The Perceived Relatedness–Supportiveness Factor had an eigenvalue of 2.64 and explained 21.86% of the variance whereas those respective values for the Perceived Autonomy–Supportiveness Factor were 2.57 and 21.48. Based on the factor analysis results, two items were extracted from the scale reducing the total number of items to 10.

Second order factor analysis of the present data involving the six subscales of the PWB scale confirmed the one factor solution of the scale with an explained variance of 40%.

Factor analysis of the present data confirmed the one factor solution of the Life Satisfaction scale, for the present data from a Turkish sample, with an explained variance of 52%.

Although some reports indicate that the centered and noncentered regression models are almost identical (e.g., Kromrey & Foster-Johnson, 1998), in all the analyses involving interaction effects, we have used centered scores, as recommended by Aiken and West (1991).

Observed variables approach is a commonly used, valid and feasible technique (Stephenson & Holbert, 2003; Şimşek, 2007). For instance, Stephenson and Holbert (2003) found that the observed variable approach is the most conservative approach and is generally viable especially for models that include single item variables or composite measures of multiple items; however, estimates of paths of the latent variable model and observed variable model were not significantly different from each other, particularly when the measures had high reliability. The model tested in the present study includes variables that are made up of composite scores of multiple items (except for the variable of sector type) with generally satisfactory alpha reliabilities, and regarding the relatively low alpha coefficient of the individuation measure, reliability control was made. Results of a confirmatory factor analysis, which provided support to the present conceptualization of the psychological constructs, can be requested from the authors.

The variances explained by self-orientations, sector type, and the interaction of sector type with individuation were: 19% for perceived autonomy support, 32% for perceived relational support, 32% for basic need satisfaction at work, 14% for life satisfaction, and 24% for psychological well-being. In general, the model explained 49% of the variance in basic need satisfaction at work, 19% of the variance in life satisfaction, and 27% of the variance in psychological well-being.

Although self-determination theorists did not consider relational support, they considered autonomy–support in a broader sense, somewhat overlapping with the relational dimension; for instance, the Work Climate Questionnaire, used by SDT researchers to measure perceived autonomy–support (e.g., Baard et al., 2004), contains some items (e.g., “My manager handles people's emotions very well”; “I feel a lot of trust in my manager”; “I feel that my manager accepts me”; “I feel that my manager cares about me as a person”) which, according to the present conceptualization, tap relational–support more than autonomy–support.