Organizational Culture and Job Satisfaction: The Mediating Role of Work-Life Balance in the Airline Industry
Keywords:
Organizational Culture, Work–Life Balance, Job Satisfaction, Mediation, Airline Industry, JD-R ModelAbstract
This study examined the interrelationships among organizational culture (OC), job satisfaction (JS) and work–life balance (WLB) among 180 airline ground staff in Thailand using a cross-sectional quantitative design. Based on the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, Spillover Theory, and Social Exchange Theory (SET), the study examined a mediation model to investigate whether work-life balance mediates the relationship between organizational culture and job satisfaction. Validated instruments were adapted, back-translated, and pilot-tested (Cronbach’s α > .85). Results showed strong positive correlations among the three constructs, with organizational culture and work-life balance jointly explaining 40% of the variance in job satisfaction. Path analysis confirmed partial mediation, indicating that 31% of organizational culture’s total effect on job satisfaction operates through work-life balance (B = 0.17, 95% CI [0.10, 0.25]). The model demonstrated excellent fit (χ²/df = 2.41, CFI = .96, TLI = .95, RMSEA = .04, SRMR = .03). The findings reveal that a supportive, participative culture directly and indirectly enhances job satisfaction by promoting balance and well-being. This study extends prior JD-R applications by empirically integrating work-life balance as a mediating mechanism in a high-reliability aviation context, offering actionable insights for managerial, HR, and policy-level interventions in employee welfare and retention. Future research should employ longitudinal and multi-group structural equation modeling to establish causality and investigate whether the mediation model holds across different genders, tenures, and cross-cultural settings.
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