The ideal arrangement from the point of view of intrinsic motivation is to provide for
fully integrated jobs containing all three task elements. In practice, management and
team leaders are often entirely responsible for planning and control, leaving the worker responsible for execution. To a degree, this is inevitable, but one of the aims of
job design is often to extend the responsibility of workers into the functions of planning
and control. This can involve empowerment – giving individuals and teams
more responsibility for decision making and ensuring that they have the training,
support and guidance to exercise that responsibility properly.
The job characteristics model
A useful perspective on the factors affecting job design and motivation is provided by Hackman and Oldham’s (1974) job characteristics model. They suggest that the ‘critical psychological states’ of ‘experienced meaningfulness of work, experienced responsibility for outcomes of work and knowledge of the actual outcomes of work’ strongly influence motivation, job satisfaction and performance.
As Robertson et al (1992) point out: ‘This element of the model is based on the notion of personal reward and reinforcement… Reinforcement is obtained when a person becomes aware (knowledge of results) that he or she has been responsible for (experienced responsibility) and good performance on a task that he or she cares about (experienced meaningfulness).’
Providing intrinsic motivation
Three characteristics have been distinguished by Lawler (1969) as being required in jobs if they are to be intrinsically motivating:
● Feedback – individuals must receive meaningful feedback about their performance, preferably by evaluating their own performance and defining the feedback. This implies that they should ideally work on a complete product, or a significant part of it that can be seen as a whole.
● Use of abilities – the job must be perceived by individuals as requiring them to use abilities they value in order to perform the job effectively.
● Self-control – individuals must feel that they have a high degree of self-control over setting their own goals and over defining the paths to these goals.
The job characteristics model
A useful perspective on the factors affecting job design and motivation is provided by Hackman and Oldham’s (1974) job characteristics model. They suggest that the ‘critical psychological states’ of ‘experienced meaningfulness of work, experienced responsibility for outcomes of work and knowledge of the actual outcomes of work’ strongly influence motivation, job satisfaction and performance.
As Robertson et al (1992) point out: ‘This element of the model is based on the notion of personal reward and reinforcement… Reinforcement is obtained when a person becomes aware (knowledge of results) that he or she has been responsible for (experienced responsibility) and good performance on a task that he or she cares about (experienced meaningfulness).’
Providing intrinsic motivation
Three characteristics have been distinguished by Lawler (1969) as being required in jobs if they are to be intrinsically motivating:
● Feedback – individuals must receive meaningful feedback about their performance, preferably by evaluating their own performance and defining the feedback. This implies that they should ideally work on a complete product, or a significant part of it that can be seen as a whole.
● Use of abilities – the job must be perceived by individuals as requiring them to use abilities they value in order to perform the job effectively.
● Self-control – individuals must feel that they have a high degree of self-control over setting their own goals and over defining the paths to these goals.
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