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This CQ Dossier describes the Job Characteristics Model and the five characteristics that influence important work outcomes and psychological states. The dossier provides a critique of the Job Characteristics Model through reviewing meta-analytic studies that have tested the validity of the model. We also have a look at two case studies that show how the model can be used in different settings. About the Author
Annette was born in England and now lives in the United States. She has a PhD in Industrial and Organizational Psychology and has taught at several institutions. Annette has published in several journals, including Journal of Applied Psychology, Personnel Psychology, Human Resource Development Quarterly, and Organizational Research Methods. She worked in the public and private sector for many years, primarily as a management trainer. The job characteristics model, designed by Hackman and Oldham, is based on the idea that the task itself is key to employee motivation. Specifically, a boring and monotonous job stifles motivation to perform well, whereas a challenging job enhances motivation. Variety, autonomy and decision authority are three ways of adding challenge to a job. Job enrichment and job rotation are the two ways of adding variety and challenge. FREE ebook ‘A summary of motivation theories’Download our FREE ebook ‘A summary of motivation theories’ to get an overview and brief practical analysis all the theories in one handy document. Fill in your coordinates and we’ll send it to you right now. It states that there are five core job characteristics (skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback) which impact three critical psychological states (experienced meaningfulness, experienced responsibility for outcomes, and knowledge of the actual results), in turn influencing work outcomes (job satisfaction, absenteeism, work motivation, etc.). The five core job characteristics can be combined to form a motivating potential score (MPS) for a job, which can be used as an index of how likely a job is to affect an employee’s attitudes and behaviors. Hackman and Oldham’s job characteristics theory proposes that high motivation is related to experiencing three psychological states whilst working:
In turn, each of these critical states are derived from certain characteristics of the job:
Knowing these critical job characteristics, the theory goes, it is then possible to derive the key components of the design of a job and redesign it:
NewsletterDo you want to stay up to date with the latest news from our training programs, coaching evolutions and other activities? Which method of assessing employees job satisfaction is thought to be the most accurate and effective?Survey. The most accurate method of assessing employee satisfaction is a well-constructed employee satisfaction survey. Employees provide a rating against a series of questions or statements related to their job, supervision and the work environment.
Who has proposed the job characteristics theory of job satisfaction?Richard Hackman wanted to figure out why employees lost interest in their jobs. So, they studied people and their jobs and came up with a universal model that we still use–more than 40 years later–called the job characteristics model.
Which theory serves as the basis for job enrichment?Herzberg's theory contradicted Taylor's belief that simplification should be the basis for designing jobs. By recognizing that performance is affected by factors other than tasks, Herzberg advocated an approach known as job enrichment.
Which psychological state reflects the degree to which employees feel they are key drivers of the quality of the unit's work?Satisfaction with the work itself is the single strongest driver of overall job satisfaction. Meaningfulness of work captures the degree to which employees feel that they are key drivers of the quality of the unit's work.
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