The influence of employee’s sense of purpose on job satisfaction through psychological ownership

Abstract

In recent years, purpose-driven organizations have received growing attention, since an increasing number of employees seek to find purpose in their job. The present study aims to examine the relationship between employee’s sense of purpose and job satisfaction and its mediation through job-based psychological ownership. This study focuses on the individual level of purpose experienced by employees, within an organizational context. To do so, a randomized online survey with 218 participants, employed by several organizations, was carried out in German. The results showed that employees who feel a higher sense of purpose tended to be more satisfied with their job because they perceived a higher level of psychological ownership towards their job. This study has several contributions to theory and practice and suggests important directions for future research.

Date of Award	24 Nov 2022
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Ana Paula Giordano Silva Gonçalves (Supervisor) & Tatiana Iolanda Pires Marques (Co-Supervisor)