Organizational Behaviors

1. Kelli J. Schutte
William Jewell College
Robbins, Judge, and Vohra
Organizational Behavior
17th Edition
Motivation: From Concepts to
Applications
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2. Chapter Learning Objectives
 After studying this chapter, you should be able to:
– Describe the job characteristics model and evaluate the way it
motivates by changing the work environment.
– Compare and contrast the main ways jobs can be redesigned.
– Identify three alternative work arrangements and show how they
might motivate employees.
– Give examples of employee involvement measures and show how
they can motivate employees.
– Demonstrate how the different types of variable-pay programs can
increase employee motivation.
– Show how flexible benefits turn benefits into motivators.
– Identify the motivational benefits of intrinsic rewards.
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3. The Job Characteristics Model
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 Five Core Job Dimensions
1. Skill Variety: degree to which the job incorporates a
number of different skills and talents
2. Task Identity: degree to which the job requires the
completion of a whole and identifiable piece of work
3. Task Significance: how the job impacts the lives of
others
4. Autonomy: identifies how much freedom and
independence the worker has over the job
5. Feedback: how much the job generates direct and clear
information about the worker’s performance

4. The Job Characteristics Model
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5. How Can Jobs be Redesigned?
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Job Rotation
The shifting of an employee from one task to another with similar
skill requirements.
Relational Job Design
Relational job design, shifts the spotlight from the employee to
those whose lives are affected by the job that employee performs.
Job Enrichment
The expansion of a job by increasing the degree to which the
worker controls the planning, execution, and evaluation of the
work.

6. Strengths of Job Rotation
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Reduces
boredom
Increases
understanding
of work
contribution
Increased
skills
Helps
managers in
scheduling

7. Alternative Work Arrangements
 Flextime
– Flextime allows employees to choose the hours they work
within a defined period of time.
 Job Sharing
– Job sharing allows two or more individuals to split a
traditional 40-hour-a-week job.
 Telecommuting
– Telecommuting allows workers to work from home at least 2
days a week on a computer linked to the employer’s office.
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8. Employee Involvement and Participation
Employee involvement is a participative process
that uses employees’ input to increase their
commitment to the organization’s success.
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Examples of Employee Involvement Programs
• Participative Management
• Representative Participation

9. Using Rewards to Motivate Employees
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 Although pay is not the primary factor driving job
satisfaction, it is a motivator.
– Establish a pay structure
– Variable-pay programs

10. Establishing a Pay Structure
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Internal
Pay Equity
External
Pay Equity

11. How to Pay
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Variable-Pay Programs
– Piece-Rate Pay
– Merit-Based Pay
– Bonuses
– Skill-Based Pay
– Profit-Sharing Plans
– Gainsharing
– Employee Stock Ownership Plans

12. Types of Variable-Pay Programs
 Piece-Rate Pay
– Pays a fixed sum of money for each unit of production
completed. For example: Workers selling peanuts and soda
get Rs.10 for each bag of peanuts sold.
 Merit-Based Pay
– Pays for individual performance based on performance
appraisal results. If appraisals are designed correctly,
workers performing at a high level will get more pay.
 Bonuses
– Pay a lump sum at the end of a designated period of time
based on individual and/or organizational performance.
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13. More Types of Variable-Pay Programs
 Skill-Based Pay
– Pays based on the number of skills employees have or the
number of jobs they can do.
 Profit-Sharing Plans
– Pays out a portion of the organization’s profitability. It is an
organization-wide program and is based on a predetermined
formula.
 Gainsharing
– Pays for improvements in group productivity from one
period to another. It is a group incentive plan.
 Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOP)
– Provides each employee with the opportunity to acquire
stock as part of their benefit package.
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14. Flexible Benefits
 Flexible benefits give individual rewards by allowing
each employee to choose the compensation package
that best satisfies his or her current needs and
situations.
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15. Employee Recognition Programs
 Employee rewards need to be intrinsic and extrinsic.
Employee recognition programs are a good method
of intrinsic rewards.
– The rewards can range from a simple thank-you to more
widely publicized formal programs.
– Advantages of recognition programs are that they are
inexpensive and effective.
– Some critics say they can be politically
motivated and if they are perceived to be
applied unfairly, they can cause more harm
than good.
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16. Global Implications
 Job Characteristics and Job Enrichment
– Studies do not yield consistent results about applicability to other
cultures
 Telecommuting
– Most common in the United States
 Variable Pay
– Most believe variable pay systems work best in individualistic
cultures such as the United States.
– Fairness is an important factor
 Flexible Benefits
– Popular in all cultures
 Employee Involvement
– Differ among countries
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17. Summary and Managerial Implications
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 Recognize individual differences
 Use goals and feedback
 Allow employees to participate in decisions that affect
them
 Link rewards to performance
 Check the system for equity

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without the prior written permission of the publisher. Printed in the
United States of America.
Copyright ©2011 Pearson Education,
Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall
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