The impact of expectations and values on job attitudes

Two studies (a longitudinal field survey and a laboratory simulation) were designed to test the effects of realistic expectations and value attainment on job-related attitudes and perceptions. In each study, value attainment (the match between job values and job experiences) accounted for considerably more variance in facet satisfaction than did realistic expectations. In the simulation, value attainment and realistic expectations interacted to predict the level of trust toward the organization. In addition, there was some evidence that realistic expectations may dampen the importance of a facet that is unattained on the job. The implications of these findings for the recruitment process were discussed.