{"id":9461,"date":"2017-01-17T19:25:16","date_gmt":"2017-01-17T19:25:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/masterybusiness2xngcxmasterspring2016\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=9461"},"modified":"2024-05-07T16:21:41","modified_gmt":"2024-05-07T16:21:41","slug":"job-design-and-job-characteristics-theory","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-introductiontobusiness\/chapter\/job-design-and-job-characteristics-theory\/","title":{"raw":"Job Design and Job Characteristics Theory","rendered":"Job Design and Job Characteristics Theory"},"content":{"raw":"<div class=\"textbox learning-objectives\">\r\n<h3>Learning Outcomes<\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Explain how job characteristics theory can be used to enhance employee motivation<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<img class=\"alignright wp-image-9777\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/143\/2017\/02\/01203727\/4294686346_6fa27edc00_o.jpg\" alt=\"Sign with the words &quot;good job&quot; on it\" width=\"350\" height=\"233\" \/>\r\n\r\nJob design is an important prerequisite to workplace motivation, as a well-designed job can\u00a0encourage positive behaviors and create a strong infrastructure for employee success. Job design involves specifying the contents, responsibilities, objectives, and relationships required to satisfy the expectations of the role. Below are some established approaches managers can take to doing it\u00a0thoughtfully and well.\r\n\r\nProposed by Greg R. Oldham\u00a0and J. Richard Hackman in 1976, job characteristics\u00a0theory identifies\u00a0five core characteristics\u00a0that managers should keep in mind when they are designing jobs. The theory is that these dimensions relate to, and help satisfy, important psychological states of the employee filling the role, with the results of greater job satisfaction and motivation and less\u00a0absenteeism and turnover.\r\n<h2>Core Job Characteristics<\/h2>\r\nBelow are the core job characteristics:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Skill variety<\/strong>: Doing the same thing day in, day out gets tedious. The solution is to design jobs with enough variety to stimulate ongoing interest, growth, and satisfaction.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Task identity<\/strong>: Being part of a team is motivating, but so, too, is having some ownership of a set of tasks or part of the process. Having a clear understanding of what one is responsible for, with some degree of control over it, is an important motivator.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Task significance<\/strong>: Feeling\u00a0relevant to organizational success provides important\u00a0motivation for getting a\u00a0task or job done. Knowing that one's contributions are important contributes to a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Autonomy<\/strong>: No one likes to be\u00a0micromanaged, and having some freedom to be\u00a0the expert\u00a0is critical to job satisfaction. Companies usually hire people for their specialized knowledge.\u00a0Giving specialists autonomy to make the right decisions is a win-win.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Feedback<\/strong>: Finally, everyone needs objective feedback on\u00a0how they are doing and how they can do better. Providing well-constructed feedback with tangible outcomes is a key component of job design.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nIn the following Ted Talk, career analyst Dan Pink examines the puzzle of motivation, starting with a fact that social scientists know but most managers don't: Traditional external rewards aren't always as effective as we think, and those that speak to a person's\u00a0internal motivation are often more potent and lasting:\r\n\r\nhttps:\/\/youtu.be\/rrkrvAUbU9Y\r\n\r\nYou can view the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/course-building.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/Intro+to+Business\/Transcriptions\/ThePuzzleOfMotivationDanPink_transcript.txt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">transcript for \"The Puzzle of Motivation | Dan Pink\" (opens in new window)<\/a>\u00a0or the <a href=\"https:\/\/course-building.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/Intro+to+Business\/Transcriptions\/ThePuzzleofMotivationDanPink_alternative.txt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">text alternative for \"The Puzzle of Motivation | Dan Pink\" (opens in new window)<\/a>.\r\n<h2>Psychological States<\/h2>\r\nBelow are the psychological states that help employees feel motivated and satisfied with their work:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Experienced meaningfulness<\/strong>: This is a positive psychological state that will be achieved if the first three job dimensions\u2014skill variety, task identity, and task significance\u2014are in place. All three dimensions\u00a0help employees feel that what they do is meaningful.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Experienced responsibility<\/strong>: Dimension four, autonomy, contributes to\u00a0a sense of accountability, which, for most, people is intrinsically motivating.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Knowledge of results<\/strong>: Dimension five, feedback, provides a sense of progress, growth, and personal assessment. Understanding one's accomplishments is a healthy state of mind for motivation and satisfaction.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h2>Work Outcomes<\/h2>\r\nThe combination of core job characteristics with psychological states influences work outcomes such as the following:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Job satisfaction<\/strong>: When employees feel that their jobs are meaningful, that positive psychological state contributes to a sense of satisfaction.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Motivation<\/strong>: Employees who experience responsibility in their job, a sense of ownership over their work, and knowledge of the results tend to be more highly motivated.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Absenteeism<\/strong>: When employees are motivated and satisfied, absenteeism and job turnover decrease.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nOverall, the manager's goal is\u00a0to design the job in such a way that the core characteristics complement the psychological states of the worker and lead to positive outcomes.\r\n<h2>Job Design Techniques<\/h2>\r\nAs a motivational force in the organization, managers must consider how they can design jobs\u00a0that lead to empowered, motivated, and satisfied employees. Below\u00a0are a few established methods to accomplish this objective:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Job rotation<\/strong>: As noted in the above model, it's not particularly motivating to do the exact same thing every day. As a result, rotating jobs and expanding employees' skill sets accomplish two objectives: increased employee satisfaction and broader employee skills.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Job enlargement (horizontal)<\/strong>: Giving employees the opportunity to improve the efficiency of their processes and assume responsibility for additional tasks at the same level of the organizational hierarchy is a way to reduce boredom. Because the employee's overall level of responsibility remains the same, this is a horizontal expansion.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Intrinsic and extrinsic rewards<\/strong>: Giving employees autonomy helps generate intrinsic rewards (self-satisfaction) and motivation. Extrinsic rewards (such as time off, a bonus, or commission) are also motivating.<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Job enrichment (vertical)<\/strong>: It\u2019s important for managers to delegate some of their planning to seasoned employees as they grow into their roles. By gaining some degree of authority, employees are challenged by their additional responsibilities, feel a strong sense of engagement, progress in their career, and ownership of their work outcomes. Because the employee is gaining decision-making and planning responsibilities that have been delegated to them from a higher level, this is a vertical job expansion.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<div class=\"textbox tryit\">\r\n<h3>Practice Question<\/h3>\r\nhttps:\/\/assess.lumenlearning.com\/practice\/32527473-80e7-46cf-991b-440c197db5d5\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"<div class=\"textbox learning-objectives\">\n<h3>Learning Outcomes<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Explain how job characteristics theory can be used to enhance employee motivation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-9777\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/143\/2017\/02\/01203727\/4294686346_6fa27edc00_o.jpg\" alt=\"Sign with the words &quot;good job&quot; on it\" width=\"350\" height=\"233\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Job design is an important prerequisite to workplace motivation, as a well-designed job can\u00a0encourage positive behaviors and create a strong infrastructure for employee success. Job design involves specifying the contents, responsibilities, objectives, and relationships required to satisfy the expectations of the role. Below are some established approaches managers can take to doing it\u00a0thoughtfully and well.<\/p>\n<p>Proposed by Greg R. Oldham\u00a0and J. Richard Hackman in 1976, job characteristics\u00a0theory identifies\u00a0five core characteristics\u00a0that managers should keep in mind when they are designing jobs. The theory is that these dimensions relate to, and help satisfy, important psychological states of the employee filling the role, with the results of greater job satisfaction and motivation and less\u00a0absenteeism and turnover.<\/p>\n<h2>Core Job Characteristics<\/h2>\n<p>Below are the core job characteristics:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Skill variety<\/strong>: Doing the same thing day in, day out gets tedious. The solution is to design jobs with enough variety to stimulate ongoing interest, growth, and satisfaction.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Task identity<\/strong>: Being part of a team is motivating, but so, too, is having some ownership of a set of tasks or part of the process. Having a clear understanding of what one is responsible for, with some degree of control over it, is an important motivator.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Task significance<\/strong>: Feeling\u00a0relevant to organizational success provides important\u00a0motivation for getting a\u00a0task or job done. Knowing that one&#8217;s contributions are important contributes to a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Autonomy<\/strong>: No one likes to be\u00a0micromanaged, and having some freedom to be\u00a0the expert\u00a0is critical to job satisfaction. Companies usually hire people for their specialized knowledge.\u00a0Giving specialists autonomy to make the right decisions is a win-win.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Feedback<\/strong>: Finally, everyone needs objective feedback on\u00a0how they are doing and how they can do better. Providing well-constructed feedback with tangible outcomes is a key component of job design.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In the following Ted Talk, career analyst Dan Pink examines the puzzle of motivation, starting with a fact that social scientists know but most managers don&#8217;t: Traditional external rewards aren&#8217;t always as effective as we think, and those that speak to a person&#8217;s\u00a0internal motivation are often more potent and lasting:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"oembed-1\" title=\"The puzzle of motivation | Dan Pink | TED\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rrkrvAUbU9Y?feature=oembed&#38;rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>You can view the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/course-building.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/Intro+to+Business\/Transcriptions\/ThePuzzleOfMotivationDanPink_transcript.txt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">transcript for &#8220;The Puzzle of Motivation | Dan Pink&#8221; (opens in new window)<\/a>\u00a0or the <a href=\"https:\/\/course-building.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/Intro+to+Business\/Transcriptions\/ThePuzzleofMotivationDanPink_alternative.txt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">text alternative for &#8220;The Puzzle of Motivation | Dan Pink&#8221; (opens in new window)<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Psychological States<\/h2>\n<p>Below are the psychological states that help employees feel motivated and satisfied with their work:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Experienced meaningfulness<\/strong>: This is a positive psychological state that will be achieved if the first three job dimensions\u2014skill variety, task identity, and task significance\u2014are in place. All three dimensions\u00a0help employees feel that what they do is meaningful.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Experienced responsibility<\/strong>: Dimension four, autonomy, contributes to\u00a0a sense of accountability, which, for most, people is intrinsically motivating.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Knowledge of results<\/strong>: Dimension five, feedback, provides a sense of progress, growth, and personal assessment. Understanding one&#8217;s accomplishments is a healthy state of mind for motivation and satisfaction.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Work Outcomes<\/h2>\n<p>The combination of core job characteristics with psychological states influences work outcomes such as the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Job satisfaction<\/strong>: When employees feel that their jobs are meaningful, that positive psychological state contributes to a sense of satisfaction.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Motivation<\/strong>: Employees who experience responsibility in their job, a sense of ownership over their work, and knowledge of the results tend to be more highly motivated.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Absenteeism<\/strong>: When employees are motivated and satisfied, absenteeism and job turnover decrease.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Overall, the manager&#8217;s goal is\u00a0to design the job in such a way that the core characteristics complement the psychological states of the worker and lead to positive outcomes.<\/p>\n<h2>Job Design Techniques<\/h2>\n<p>As a motivational force in the organization, managers must consider how they can design jobs\u00a0that lead to empowered, motivated, and satisfied employees. Below\u00a0are a few established methods to accomplish this objective:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Job rotation<\/strong>: As noted in the above model, it&#8217;s not particularly motivating to do the exact same thing every day. As a result, rotating jobs and expanding employees&#8217; skill sets accomplish two objectives: increased employee satisfaction and broader employee skills.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Job enlargement (horizontal)<\/strong>: Giving employees the opportunity to improve the efficiency of their processes and assume responsibility for additional tasks at the same level of the organizational hierarchy is a way to reduce boredom. Because the employee&#8217;s overall level of responsibility remains the same, this is a horizontal expansion.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Intrinsic and extrinsic rewards<\/strong>: Giving employees autonomy helps generate intrinsic rewards (self-satisfaction) and motivation. Extrinsic rewards (such as time off, a bonus, or commission) are also motivating.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Job enrichment (vertical)<\/strong>: It\u2019s important for managers to delegate some of their planning to seasoned employees as they grow into their roles. By gaining some degree of authority, employees are challenged by their additional responsibilities, feel a strong sense of engagement, progress in their career, and ownership of their work outcomes. Because the employee is gaining decision-making and planning responsibilities that have been delegated to them from a higher level, this is a vertical job expansion.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"textbox tryit\">\n<h3>Practice Question<\/h3>\n<p>\t<iframe id=\"assessment_practice_32527473-80e7-46cf-991b-440c197db5d5\" class=\"resizable\" src=\"https:\/\/assess.lumenlearning.com\/practice\/32527473-80e7-46cf-991b-440c197db5d5?iframe_resize_id=assessment_practice_id_32527473-80e7-46cf-991b-440c197db5d5\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border:none;width:100%;height:100%;min-height:300px;\"><br \/>\n\t<\/iframe>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t <section class=\"citations-section\" role=\"contentinfo\">\n\t\t\t <h3>Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t <div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <div id=\"citation-list-9461\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <div class=\"licensing\"><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Original<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>Revision and adaptation. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Linda Williams and Lumen Learning. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/4.0\/\">CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike<\/a><\/em><\/li><li>Practice Questions. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Nina Burokas. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Lumen Learning. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Shared previously<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>Boundless Business. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Boundless. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/boundless-business\">https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/boundless-business<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/4.0\/\">CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike<\/a><\/em><\/li><li>Boundless Management. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Boundless. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/boundless-management\/\">https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/boundless-management\/<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/4.0\/\">CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike<\/a><\/em><\/li><li>Smiley Face. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Steven Depolo. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/stevendepolo\/4294686346\/\">https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/stevendepolo\/4294686346\/<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">All rights reserved content<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>The Puzzle of Motivation. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: TED. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/rrkrvAUbU9Y\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/rrkrvAUbU9Y<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em>All Rights Reserved<\/em>. <strong>License Terms<\/strong>: Standard YouTube License<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t <\/section>","protected":false},"author":163,"menu_order":18,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Boundless Business\",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"Boundless\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/boundless-business\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by-sa\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Boundless 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