Motivation: what leads people to work well and hard, to persist and overcome obstacles, to engage with and be enthusiastic about their work. However, the job characteristics receiving the most research attention to date have been those described by the Job Characteristics Model and Job Diagnostic Survey developed by Hackman and Oldham. According to Hackman and Oldham, the Job Diagnostic Survey has been designed to diagnose job characteristics prior to any effort to redesign a job. This model remains significant till now because of the inclusion of job characteristics that looks at the relationship between core job characteristics, employee’s psychological states and key outcomes.
A method of describing jobs, originally developed by Hackman and Oldham (1976), by analyzing its key dimensions, how these contribute to the psychological states of the job holder, and how these states in turn affect the outcomes for the job holder of doing the work.
This model remains significant till now because of the inclusion of job characteristics that looks at the relationship between core job characteristics, Employee’s psychological states and key outcomes.
What is Hackman & Oldham’s Five Dimensions of Motivating Potential theory.
Job satisfaction is an emotional reaction to an employee's work situation. This can be defined as an overall impression about one's job in terms of specific aspects of the job (e.g., compensation, autonomy, colleagues) and it can be connected with specific results, such as productivity. Job satisfaction is crucial to the pursuit of happiness and well-being.
Herzberg (1959; 1966) developed two-factor theory of job satisfaction: "motivation" and "hygiene". According to Herzberg's theory, if handled properly, hygiene issues cannot motivate workers but can minimize dissatisfaction. Hygiene factors include company policies, supervision, salary, interpersonal relations and working conditions. They are variables related to the worker's environment.
By contrast, a worker's job satisfaction is influenced by factors associated with the work itself or by outcomes directly derived from it such as the nature of their jobs, achievement in the work, promotion opportunities, and chances for personal growth and recognition. Because such factors were associated with high levels of job satisfaction, Herzberg, a major researcher, referred to them as "motivation factors".
Hackman and Oldham broke "The job itself" into five dimensions. They say that any given job can be analyzed, utilizing these five dimensions for its motivating potential. The job can then be redesigned to eliminate what is bothering the workers. Listed below are the five dimensions of motivating potential:
Core job dimensions: three elements defined by Hackman and Oldham in their job characteristics model, which enable job design to be undertaken in a structured and rational way. They are Skill variety, Task identity, Task significance.
1-Skill variety: the degree to which a job includes a variety of activities and therefore requires the job holder to use a number of different skills and talents.
2-Task identity: the degree to which a job requires completion of a whole and identifiable piece of work. It is about doing a job from beginning to end.
3-Task significance: the degree to which a job has an impact on the lives or work of other people, whether within the organization or in the external environment.
Meaningfulness at work: combining the above three factors: the core job dimensions Skill variety, Task identity, Task significance together shape the extent to which work is felt to be meaningful, valuable and worthwhile to the individual.
4- Autonomy: the degree to which a job provides freedom, independence to the individual.
5- Feedback: help people to form an image of themselves and how well they are doing.
The skill variety, task identity, and task significance contributed to the experienced meaningfulness of the work while autonomy accounted for experienced responsibility, and feedback established knowledge of work results. A job high in motivating potential must be high on at least one of the three job characteristics that prompt experienced meaningfulness, and high on both autonomy and feedback, to create conditions which foster all three critical psychological states. The overall motivating potential of a job can be determined by the computation of a motivating potential score, which is calculated as illustrated below:
This study examined the role of job dimension in determining the motivating potential score of few jobs. Few colleagues took the survey using the job diagnostic survey and the scores were compared. The assessment revealed that the job dimensions highly influenced the motivating potential score.
As a rule, the lower scoring dimensions (normally, anything below 15) should be investigated to see if the job environment can be improved.
In the test scores of self and others it clearly appears that above job holders are happy and motivated with the Task Variety, Task Identity and Task Significance. It also appears that they enjoy complete freedom and autonomy in doing their job end-to-end. However, it appears that they all do not get proper and timely feedback.
In all above cases the Motivating Potential Scores are 4,075 or above, which means that all of them feel that their work is enjoyable and meaningful, they feel responsible and knowledgeable about their work.
Below 4,075 means that your work does not offer much to satisfy you, use your talents or give you feedback on your performance of it.
The Feedback mechanisms should be improved in this organization by coaching key managers in the art of giveing and receiving feedback. The feedback culture is developed through proper systems and processes.
They should establish the channels to develop extrinsic feedback, which comes from outside the job, such as praise from manager when a difficult situation has been handled.
Even intrinsic feedback can be developed when people are aware of their own performance, recognize their strengths and weaknesses and take appropriate action to modify them as they feel appropriate.
