The purposes of this study were to test empirically (a) the utility of a model of the determinants of pay satisfaction developed by Lawler and (b) the value of adding to this model a category of variables not previously included: perceptions of pay-system administration. The study was conducted among United States managers (H = 180), French-Canadian managers (» = 133), and EnglishCanadian managers (n = 79). The results provide some support for the utility of Lawler's model and additional support for the value of adding the administrative-type variables. The results of this and other studies are used to develop a modified model of the determinants of pay satisfaction.

RECENT cognitive formulations of the impact of pay on organizational performance have stressed the need to understand employees' perceptions regarding the linkage between pay and performance (e.g., Lawler, 1971). According to expectancy theory, for example, pay can be expected to have a positive motivational impact on performance if (a) it is viewed as important by the employee, and (b) its receipt is seen as contingent on successful performance (Heneman and Schwab, 1975). Such formulations clearly point to the importance of knowing whether or not employees perceive that increases in their pay are contingent on performance.To our knowledge, however, only Lawler (1966) has attempted to directly examine this issue empirically. He found that quality of job performance was ranked highest (among seven alternatives) as a perceived determinant of pay by a sample of managers in private industry, and second highest by a sample of managers in public service. Productivity as a possible determinant was ranked third and fourth by the two

It was hypothesized that there are important non-linear life-cycle influences upon job and organizational satisfaction. Five common lifecycle stages were identified from the literature: the phases of 'reality shock', 'socialization and growth', 'mid-career crisis', 'acceptance', and 'pre-retirement'. The first, third and last stages were expected to show declines in job and organizational satisfaction because of the personal and job-related disappointments and crises that typically occur during these periods of life. The second and fourth stages were expected to show increases in satisfaction because of the pleasant life experiences that often occur then. All but the first stage supported these hypotheses when we controlled for the influence of sex, education, job experience, level in the hierarchy and occupational upward mobility.

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