IMPACT OF LOCUS OF CONTROL ON JOB SATISFACTION OF OPERATIONAL LEVEL EMPLOYEES AT COCONUT OIL MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY IN SRI LANKA

Abstract

The study empirically investigates the impact of Locus of control on job satisfaction of selected coconut oil manufacturing industry in Sri Lanka. The study's specific objectives are to identify the effect of Locus of control on employee job satisfaction, to analyze the relationship between locus of control and job satisfaction, to analyze the relationship between dimensional perspectives of locus of control and to recommend suggestions to enhance job satisfaction.

The data was collected using a simple random sampling technique, and the sample size was 238 operational-level employees in the company. Out of 238 employees, 226 respondents were selected to analyze the data. A structured questionnaire was administered to collect the data, and that was analyzed using SPSS version 23.0. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficient and regression analysis were used to analyze the data. Locus of control was evaluated using the two dimensions, i.e., Internal and external locus of control.

The study's findings revealed that locus of control positively correlates with job satisfaction (r = 0.352, p< 0.01). Moreover, the findings indicated that the Internal locus of control has a positive significant relationship with job satisfaction. Still, the external locus of control negatively correlates with job satisfaction among operation-level employees. The study concluded that while there is a negative relationship between external locus of control and job satisfaction, the positive impact of internal locus of control on job satisfaction outweighs and mitigates this negative effect. According to the findings, the coconut manufacturing industry should implement strategic human resource practices to enhance the level of positive mindset of employees to enhance their job satisfaction.