Hackman & Oldham's Job Characteristics Model examines how skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback in a job lead to positive psychological states and outcomes. The document then discusses moderating variables, implementing concepts to improve jobs, designing jobs for teams, using goals to motivate, and using incentives and rewards to motivate individuals and groups. It concludes by summarizing how the job characteristics model can be used and transitioning to a discussion of groups in organizations.

1. 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

2. 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

3. Motivating Potential Score
Skill Variety +Task Identity+Task Significance
3
MPS = X
Autonomy
X
Feedback

4. 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

5. 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

6. Goals That Motivate
• Specific Goals
• Difficult Goals
• Goal Acceptance
• Goal Feedback

7. 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

8. Enhancing Goal Acceptance
• Participation
• Rewards
• Supportiveness

9. Incentives for Individuals
• For Executives
– Compensation tied to achieving strategic
goals
• For Lower Level Employees
– Tied to performance: bonuses, commissions,
piecework

10. Incentives for Groups
• Team incentives
• Profit sharing
• Gain sharing
• Stock options

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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