Hackmann & Oldham Job Characteristics Theory

Background

J. Richard Hackman and Greg R. Oldham developed "the job characteristics theory" in 1975. They expanded the theory in 1980.

The theory has its roots in Frederick Herzberg two-factor theory of motivation. Hackman and Oldham's theory focus on identifying what job conditions motivate individual employees. They do not believe it is possible to create motivation if the job is monotonous and boring for the individual employee.

About the model

“Core job characteristics” are the starting point of the theory.

The theory assumes that motivation can be based solely on how the job is structured for the individual employee.

Hackman and Oldham believe the following five factors determine whether a job is motivational.

"Skill variety" is the degree to which a job requires a variety of different activities and involves the use of several different skills and talents by the employee. 

Jobs that are high in skill variety are seen by employees as more challenging and give employees a greater sense of competence. 

” Task identity” is the degree to which a job requires completion of a” whole”, identifiable piece of work. 

The employee performs the entire job from start to finish with a visible outcome. 

Task significance is the degree to which the job has a substantial impact on the lives of other people.

Autonomy is the degree to which the job provides substantial freedom and independence to the individual in scheduling the work and in determining the procedures to be used in doing the work. 

Feedback from the job is the degree to which the individual is informed about the effectiveness of his performance. 

The theory states that these core job characteristics have important effects on critical psychological states of the individual employee also known as the Motivation condition of the employee.

There are three psychological states.

The first state is "experienced meaningfulness of the work".

The second state is” experienced responsibility for outcomes of the work”.

The third state is” knowledge of the actual results of the work activities”.

The job characteristics model indicates that three critical psychological states affect various Personal and work outcomes. 

• The first of the four conditions is “internal work motivation”.
• The second is” Satisfaction with the work”. 
• The third is” Absenteeism and turnover”. 
• The last of the fourth conditions is” Quality work performance”. 

The theory describes a cause-effect chain from job characteristics through the psychological states to effects on employee attitudes and behavior. 

In short, the theory shows that by creating the right job for the employees the management achieves highly motivated employees.

Although many employees desire the additional challenge and responsibility associated with performing enriched jobs, others may not. In 1980 Hackman and Oldham recognized that not every employee wants a job containing high levels of the five core job characteristics.

Hackman and Oldham incorporated this conclusion into the model.

They identified three moderators that affect how employees respond to job enrichment.

The first is” Employee growth needs strength”. It is the degree to which an individual desires the opportunity for self-direction, learning, and personal accomplishment at work. This concept is essentially the same as Frederick Herzberg’s motivation factors and Abraham Maslow’s esteem and self-actualization needs.

The second moderator is” Knowledge and skill” - also sometime called capabilities. Employees whose capabilities fit the demands of enriched jobs are predicted to feel good about the job and perform well. Those who are inadequate or feel inadequate in this regard are likely to experience frustration, stress and job dissatisfaction.

” Context satisfaction” is the third and last of the moderators.  Context satisfaction is the degree to which employees are satisfied with various aspects of their job, such as salary, quality of supervision, relationship with supervisors and co-workers, and working conditions. Contextual satisfaction is like Herzberg’s hygiene factors.

Criticism of the model

Some of the criticism is considered in the moderators. The model shows that employees have different needs and that not all employees want to fulfill their needs at work. 

It is very difficult to know exactly what motivates the individual employee. This requires individual treatment of employees. This is a very time-consuming process.

It is difficult to transfer the model to a team or group of employees.

Finally, it must be mentioned that the model provides a solid overview of motivation of employees through job enrichment.