Unit 8

• Job Characteristics Model


  A model that describes the way jobs can be designed to motivate employees by changing the work environment
• Five Core Job Dimensions

  • Skill Variety
  • Task Identity
  • Task Significance
  • Autonomy
  • Feedback
• Skill Variety


  The degree to which the job incorporates a number of different skills and talents
• Task Identity


  The degree to which the job requires the completion of a whole and identifiable piece of work
• Task Significance


  How the job impacts the lives of others
• Autonomy


  How much freedom and independence the worker has over the job
• Feedback


  How much the job generates direct and clear information about the worker's performance
• Job Rotation


  • The shifting of an employee from one task to another with similar skill requirements
• Job Enrichment

  • The expansion of a job by increasing the degree to which the worker controls the planning, execution, and evaluation of the work
• Strengths of Job Rotation

  • Reduces boredom
  • Increases understanding of work contribution
  • Increased skills
  • Helps managers in scheduling
• Job Enrichment - Possible Actions

  • Combine Tasks
  • Form Natural Work Units
  • Establish Client Relations
  • Expand Jobs Vertically
  • Open Feedback Channels
• Flextime


  • Allows employees to choose the hours they work within a defined period of time
• Job Sharing


  • Allows two or more individuals to split a traditional 40-hour-a-week job
• Telecommuting


  • Allows workers to work from home at least 2 days a week on a computer linked to the employer's office
• Social Context


  • Characteristics that improve job performance include interdependence, social support, and interactions with other people outside of work
• Physical Context


  • Work that is hot, loud, and dangerous is less satisfying, while work that is controlled, relatively quiet, and safe will be more satisfying
• Employee Involvement


  A participative process that uses employees' input to increase their commitment to the organization's success
• Employee Involvement Programs


  • Participative Management
  • Representative Participation
• Although pay is not the primary factor driving job satisfaction, it is a motivator
• How to Pay


  • Internal Pay Equity
  • External Pay Equity
• Variable-Pay Programs


  • Piece-Rate Pay
  • Merit-Based Pay
  • Bonuses
  • Skill-Based Pay
  • Profit-Sharing Plans
  • Gainsharing
  • Employee Stock Ownership Plans
• Piece-Rate Pay


  Pays a fixed sum of money for each unit of production completed
• Merit-Based Pay


  Pays for individual performance based on performance appraisal results
• Bonuses


  Pay a lump sum at the end of a designated period of time based on individual and/or organizational performance
• 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 based on a predetermined formula
• Gainsharing


  Pays for improvements in group productivity from one period to another
• Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOP)

  Provides each employee with the opportunity to acquire stock as part of their benefit package
• Flexible Benefits


  Give individual rewards by allowing each employee to choose the compensation package that best satisfies their current needs and situations
• Employee Recognition Programs


  • Provide intrinsic rewards ranging from a simple thank-you to more widely publicized formal programs, and are inexpensive and effective, but can be politically motivated and perceived as unfair
• 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, fairness is an important factor
  • Flexible Benefits - Popular in all cultures
  • Employee Involvement - Differ among countries
• Summary and Managerial Implications

  • 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