Hackman & Oldham’s Job

Characteristics Model
Core Dimensions Psychological States Outcomes

Skill Variety
Task Identity Meaningfulness High intrinsic
of Work motivation
Task Signif.
High job per-
ormance
Responsibility
Autonomy for outcomes
High job satis-
faction
Low absentee
ism & turnover
Knowledge of
Feedback Results
 Moderating Variables for the
Job Characteristics Model
• Growth need strength
– job is a vehicle for personal growth, sense of
achievement, avenue for feeling success
• Knowledge and skills
• Satisfaction with extrinsic aspects of
work
 Motivating Potential Score
Skill Variety +Task Identity+Task Significance
3

MPS = X

Autonomy

Feedback
Implementing Concepts for the
Job Characteristics Model
• Combine tasks: Effects skill variety, task
identity, & task significance
• Group tasks into natural work units:
Effects task significance and task identity
• Give workers contact with customers:
Effects skill variety, autonomy, feedback
• Vertically load jobs: Effects autonomy
• Open feedback channels: Effects
feedback
 Designing Jobs for Teams
• Team has to be an identifiable group,
doing a specified piece of work, and be
self-managing
• Key behaviors: Ask for ideas, give
suggestions,. listen to others, share
information, help others
• Manager’s role: Make alterations needed
for effective group performance, consult
 Goals That Motivate
• Specific Goals
• Difficult Goals
• Goal Acceptance
• Goal Feedback
 Why Goals Motivate
• Mobilize energy in relation to goal
• Focus attention towards goals attainment
• Encourages setting of action plans or
strategies for goal attainment
• Encourages persistence until goal is
attained
Enhancing Goal Acceptance
• Participation
• Rewards
• Supportiveness
 Incentives for Individuals
• For Executives
– Compensation tied to achieving strategic
goals
• For Lower Level Employees
– Tied to performance: bonuses, commissions,
piecework
 Incentives for Groups
• Team incentives
• Profit sharing
• Gain sharing
• Stock options
 Where Pay Fails to Motivate
• Bonuses or merit pay is too small
• Non-existent link between pay and
performance
• Performance appraisal is done poorly
• Effect of unions
• Adaptation problems
 Effective Reward Systems
• Set high goals for performance
• Develop accurate ways to measure
performance
• Train supervisors in performance
appraisal
• Link pay to performance
• Make increases noticeable and
meaningful
 Backwards & Forwards
• Summing up: Examined how Hackman’s
& Oldhams Job characteristics Model
can be used to redesign jobs to engage
motivation; studied how and why goals
setting works & looked at ways to use pay
as a motivator
• Next time we begin our study of groups in
the organization looking at how they
function and the role of cohesiveness