The impact of budgetary participation and role stress on job satisfaction and job performance in Thai organisations

Abstract

This study examines the impact of budgetary participation and role stress on job satisfaction and job performance in Thai organisations. That society has been found to be a high power distance/collectivistic culture. However, there is evidence of a "counterdependent reaction" for Thai managers, who desire to be consulted before decision making by their superiors. This suggests that the direct relationship between budgetary participation and job satisfaction/job performance will be significant if this desire is fulfilled.

In Thai society, the unequal status of males and females is evident. Females are viewed as having a lower status in society and organisations. They also have immediate-family responsibilities. These factors could generate more role conflict and therefore decrease the job satisfaction of working women. With this increased level of conflict, participation in decision-making, that reduces role stress of male managers may not reduce the role conflict for female managers.

A survey was undertaken in five Thai organisations. Questionnaires were received from 71 male and 46 female subjects of middle manager level. Significant relationships between budgetary participation and both job satisfaction and job performance were found. Both role conflict and role ambiguity were found to have, at best, a weak indirect effect on the relationships tested. As expected, role conflict was found to be related to job satisfaction only for the females sampled. Further, with the lower status of females and high conflict from family and work role, the study found that budgetary participation was not significantly related to the role conflict of female managers.