The influence of intellectual capital on job satisfaction: a structural model applied to a credit cooperative

Abstract

Given the current scenario of marketplace instability and uncertainty the way companies conduct and manage their intellectual capital (IC) is crucial. Numerous studies have highlighted the role of IC as a key driver of organizational performance due to its centrality as an asset in the value creation process, but few have analysed the relationships between IC and the staff satisfaction. Thus, we intend to answer the following question: how the three dimensions of intellectual capital (human capital, structural and relational) are perceived by credit union employees and which is the respective effect on job satisfaction? In this sense, it was pretended to determine the influence of each IC’s dimension on job satisfaction in this financial institution. This paper presents a structural model of the relationships linking the dimensions of IC – human, structural, and relational capital – to job satisfaction. In order to evaluate this model, empirical data was obtained from a questionnaire based on Bontis (1998) and applied to 109 employees of a credit cooperative in northeaster Brazil (UNICRED - João Pessoa). Results suggest that structural capital has a close influence over satisfaction and also plays the role of mediator between human capital and satisfaction. On the other hand, relational capital exerts no significant influence over satisfaction