1.f. Job Characteristics Model (JCM) Flashcards
Job Characteristics Model
*Model showing how the type of job affects motivation
5 Core Characteristics
- Skill variety
- Task identity
- Task significance
- Autonomy
- Feedback
Skill variety
Variety of skills
Task identity
defining a task based on a specific outcome. The extent to which the job requires a certain identifiable outcome e.g. understanding the material
Task significance
impact of job on life/others e.g. helping others learn
Autonomy
making your own choices within the job
Feedback
results of the job & feedback received from others
Procedure
Through job diagnostic survey
Scores converted to numerical
Motivating Potential Score generated
MPS Formula
MPS = skill variety x task identity x task significance
/3
x autonomy x feedback
0=0
Formula info
McKenna - multiplication
0 in one component means the whole MPS will be 0
Not everyone agrees with this
Some think even 0 in one doesn’t necessarily mean the MPS will be 0
In this version, instead of multiplying the factors, they are added
3 Factors Affecting Effectiveness of Job Enrichment
- Growth - Highly interested in personal growth –> positive response to high MPS job
- Need strength - pay, security etc.
- Current job context - Unsatisfied needs means job enrichment will not be as effective
Critical Psychological States
Experienced meaningfulness
How meaningful you believe your job is
Experienced responsibility for outcomes
How much you feel your actions contribute to the outcomes
Knowledge of results
Degree to which workers receive feedback
Improving MPS
- Combining tasks
- Forming natural work units
- Establishing client relationships
- Vertical loading
- Opening feedback channels
Combining tasks
Bigger range of tasks to increase variety of work
Applying skills for role to other tasks e.g. secretary using word-processing & telephone skills for different tasks
Forming natural work units
Jobs should be a full cycle, not a fragment of the cycle
Helps job seem meaningful & significant
Establishing client relationships
Allow employees to make their own client connections & contacts rather than having to go through superiors
More freedom, variety & potential feedback
Vertical loading
Giving employees responsibilities typical of supervisors e.g. scheduling, quality control, recruitment & training
Increases autonomy
Consequently changes supervisors role, may require support to transition to an enabling vs managing style
Opening feedback channels
Provide opportunities for performance feedback for employee (receive)
Evaluation
Evidence
Workers in enriched jobs have greater psychological wellbeing
Enrichment works best when compensating for poor feedback & reward systems
Experience of the meaningfulness of work & experience of responsibility for the outcome of the work mediated relationship between job characteristics & motivation
Lots of evidence
Criticisms
Culture
- Doesn’t apply equally to all cultures
Survey is not always valid
Individual differences not supported
Implementation guidelines are vague
Claimed that evidence lacks validity
Diagnostic survey
