1. LECTURE NOTES – UNIT 5
MOTIVATION IN THE WORK PLACE
In this unit, we review specific methods that companies implement in an attempt to motivate
their workforce. Designing jobs to increase their motivating potential, empowering employees,
setting goals, evaluating performance using performance appraisals, and tying employee pay to
individual, group, or organizational performance using incentive systems are methods through
which motivation theories are put into action. Even though these methods seem to have
advantages, every method could have unintended consequences, and therefore, application of
each method should be planned and executed with an eye to organizational fairness.
DESIGNING JOBS THAT MOTIVATE
o Job design – the process of creating jobs that people are motivated to
perform because they are inherently appealing
o Job enlargement: doing more of the same kind of work
o Job enlargement – the practice of giving employees more tasks to
perform at the same level
 Horizontal change
o Job enrichment: increasing required skills and responsibilities
o Job enrichment – jobs are changed vertically because people’s levels
of responsibility increases
 Vertical change
THE JOB CHARACTERISTICS MODEL
o Job characteristics model – assumes that jobs can be designed to help
people get enjoyment out of their jobs and care about the work they do
o Identifies core dimensions that help create three psychological states
leading to beneficial personal and work outcomes
1. Five critical job dimensions:
a. Skill variety ― using worker’s different skills and
talents
b. Task identity ― degree of doing whole tasks
c. Task significance ― impact of job on others
d. Autonomy ― discretion to plan, schedule, and
execute job
e. Feedback ― information on effectiveness of their
performance

2. 2. Three critical psychological states
a. Task’s experienced meaningfulness
b. People’s felt responsibility and accountability for work
c. Employees’ knowledge of the results of their work
o Growth need strength- people who have a high
need for personal growth and development
3. Assessing the motivating potential of jobs
a. Job motivation will be highest when the jobs
performed rate high on the various dimensions
b. Job diagnostic survey (JDS) measures the degree to
which various job characteristics are present
4. Suggestions for enhancing the motivating potential of jobs
a. Each person performs the entire job
b. Person comes into direct contact with customer
c. Increased opportunities for feedback
SETTING GOALS
Setting goals for our advancement and personal achievements is something all of us
know intuitively that we should do. Yet often times we don't. Why? Maybe we are
content to run along and let life take us wherever it leads. But it is often said in a myriad
of different ways that if you are going no place, any road will get you there. Therefore,
setting goals, be they large or small, will assist us in reaching objectives that we think
are important.
I reviewed a really old copy of the good old Webster's Dictionary and it says a goal is
"an object or end that one strives to attain; aim."(Webster's New World Dictionary, 1953 The
World Publishing Company)
Take a current search of the word "goal" or "goals" in any favorite search tool, and you
will quickly come up with "SMART" goals. SMART goals are a key to numerous training
courses and planning tools, and the concept has taken some of the mystery out of goal
setting.
SMART goals are ways to make your goal setting both more qualified and more
quantified.
S stands for Specific.
M stands for Measurable.
A stands for Attainable.
R stands for Rewarding.
T stands for Timely.
All must be included in a good list of personal goals. Without those elements, a goal
may appear more like a wish or hope or dream that has no chance of success. With

3. those elements, we have something to measure, and therefore can tell if we are making
progress in our journey toward our goals.
Reference:
* Webster's New World Dictionary, 1953 The World Publishing Company