The document discusses job design and motivation. It introduces the Job Characteristics Model which identifies five core job dimensions that influence motivation: skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback. Potential modifiers of these dimensions are also discussed, such as leadership and psychological ownership. Job redesign approaches like job rotation and job enrichment are explained as ways to influence the core dimensions. Relational job design and alternative work arrangements like flex time, job sharing, and telecommuting are also summarized as ways to influence motivation through job design.

1. MOTIVATION -
APPLICATIONS

2. JOB DESIGN
 The way elements in a job are organized can influence employee effort.
 Job Characteristics model, can serve as a framework to identify
opportunities for changes to those elements.

3. THE JOB CHARACTERISTICS MODEL
FIVE CORE JOB DIMENSIONS
1. Skill variety – is the degree to which a job requires different activities using
specialized skills and talents.
2. Task identity – is the degree to which a job requires completion of a whole
and identifiable piece of work.
3. Task significance – is the degree to which a job affects the lives or work of
other people.
4. Autonomy – is the degree to which a job provides freedom, independence
and discretion in scheduling work and determining the procedures for
carrying it out.
5. Feedback – is the degree to which carrying out work activities generates
direct and clear information about your own performance.

4. THE JOB CHARACTERISTICS MODEL

5. THE JOB CHARACTERISTICS MODEL
POTENTIAL MODIFIERS
 When employees were other – oriented, the relationship between intrinsic job
characteristics and job satisfaction was weaker.
 The degree of psychological ownership we feel toward our work enhances our
motivation, particularly if the feelings of ownership are are shared among a
work group.
 Unique settings – virtual work situations - if individuals work together online
but not in person, their experience of meaningfulness, responsibility and
knowledge of results can suffer
 Leadership – ethical leaders improve employees effort and job performance
because they bolster the task significance of their employees.;
 Supportive leadership behaviors improved the job characteristics of R&D
professionals - Taiwan

6. THE JOB CHARACTERISTICS MODEL
 MOTIVATING POTENTIAL SCORE
Skill variety+ Task Identity + Task Significance
MPS = ___________________________________________ x autonomy x feedback
3

7. JOB REDESIGN
 JOB ROTATION – Periodic shifting of an employee from one task to
another with similar skill requirements at the same organizational level
(Cross-training);
Over-routinization, to be flexible to the volume of incoming orders, new
managers; Ex., Singapore Airlines – ticket agent/ baggage handler;
Increased job satisfaction and organizational commitment, improved
productivity, reduces boredom, increases motivation and increases safety;
- Increased training costs, moving worker into new position reduces
overall productivity, Disruption when employees have to adjust to new
people, more work for supervisors

8. JOB REDESIGN
 JOB ENRICHMENT – high-level responsibilities are added to the job to
increase a sense of purpose, direction, meaning, and intrinsic motivation.
 Different from job enlargement
 Adding another layer of responsibility and meaning
 Roots in Herzberg’s theory – providing hygiene/motivating factors
 Job enrichment is not rigidly controlled by management; employees,
especially those in occupations experiencing high industry growth, enrich
their own jobs

9. RELATIONAL JOB DESIGN
 Constructing jobs so employees see the positive difference they can make
in the lives of others directly through their work.
 Different from task significance – i. Many jobs might be perceived as being
high in significance yet employees in those jobs never meet the individuals
affected by their work (ex., Biochemists/Vaccine) ii. Beneficiary contact
seems to have a distinct relationship with prosocial behaviors such as
helping others (Ex., lifeguards who read stories about how their actions
benefited swimmers were rated as more helpful by their bosses than those
who read stories about the personal benefits of their work for themselves –
there are many ways in which the jobs can be designed).
 Different from CSR – which occurs through volunteering (not on the job
and is not the same work they do at their jobs)

10. RELATIONAL JOB DESIGN
 How can managers design work so employees are motivated to promote
the well-being of the organization’s beneficiaries (Ex., Mentoring)
How to do this?
1. By relating stories from customers who have found the products/services
to be helpful (ex.,scooter/women)
2. Personal contact may not always be necessary – (Ex., US- child –
successfully defeated cancer – ring the bell) – feedback book
+ Also reminds other customers- builds a relationship and makes the
feedback overt – fosters higher levels of commitment.

11. ALTERNATIVE WORK
ARRANGEMENTS
 Diverse workforce (Dual-earner couples, single parents, sick/aging relatives)
1. FLEX TIME – common core, usually of 6 hours, with a flexibility band surrounding it (Ex.,
core 9.00a.mto 3.00p.m office 6.00a.m to 6.00p.m) – some – allow employees to accumulate
extra hours and turn them into days off.
 Benefits – increase in participation, productivity, reduce absenteeism (personal
demands/tardiness)
 In Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, employers are not allowed to refuse an
employees’s request if it is reasonable- law
- Although flextime leads employees to set stronger work-life boundaries, these
boundaries are not truly ”set” unless the employees complete their daily goals at work-
suggest-if flextime is used too much, it can undermine goal accomplishment.
- Individual differences – not applicable to every job/every worker – suggests additional
research

12. ALTERNATIVE WORK
ARRANGEMENTS
2. JOB SHARING – two or more individuals to split a traditional full-time job
(8.00 a.m. to noon and 1.00 to 5.00 p.m or alternate days)
- Difficulty in finding compatible partners
- Historic negative perception – no commitment
+ Allows organizations to draw on talents of more than one individual for a
given job
+ Opens the opportunity to acquire skilled workers
Employee’s decision – based on policy and financial reasons
Less expensive in terms of salary and other benefits – but training,
coordination and administrative costs may be high

13. ALTERNATIVE WORK
ARRANGEMENTS
3. TELECOMMUTING – Working from home or anywhere else the employee chooses at least 2
days a week through virtual devices that are linked to the employer’s office.
Poll – people with more education are more apt to work from home.
Yahoo!, Best buy – eliminated – undermine corporate culture.
- Social loafing
- Difficult to motivate –office workers- denied freedom of telecommuters
- May increase feelings of isolation for employees – reduce job satisfaction and coworker
relationship quality – more work-family conflict – vulnerable to “out of sight out of mind”
+ Reductions in work-family conflict
+ Benefits for society – reduced carbon emissions
+ Creative tasks – may be best suited for telecommuting
+ Success depends on the quality of communication
+ Changes in technology-preferences of younger workers – leaders