Job Satisfaction
(special thanks to Geoff Leese)
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Objectives:
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Understand the relationship between job design and motivation
Describe the Hackman and Oldham Job Characteristics Model
List some steps employers can take to improve motivation
Look at Job re-design,
rotation / enrichment / enlargement
Consider the relevance of these theories to jobs in IT
These objectives relate to LO 4 – Demonstrate understanding of
professional, ethical and legal issues relevant to business and
Indicative content – legal and professional issues relating to IT in
business.
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Why do employers worry
about job satisfaction?
Reduce staff turnover
 Reduce absenteeism
 Lower wages
 Improve performance
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Would you apply for these
jobs?
BA pilot
 Chiropodist
 City trader
 Pension seller
 Teacher
 Policeman
 Plumber
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Questions:
What factors in job design contribute to
job satisfaction?
 How can employers use job design to
improve job satisfaction?
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Hackman and Oldham (1976)
– Job Characteristics Model
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Outcomes
 motivation
  performance
  satisfaction
  absenteeism
H + O concluded that to attain these
outcomes, 5 core elements had to be
present in the job design:
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Core Elements
Skill Variety
 Task Identity
 Task Significance
 Autonomy
 Feedback
If these core elements are present, then
they contribute to the psychological
state of the worker:
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Critical Psychological States:
Meaningfulness of work
 Sense of responsibility for own work
 Knowledge of own performance
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BUT not all workers respond in same
way to responsibility etc. Each person
has what H + O called their individual
“GROWTH NEED”
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So, how can employers
modify jobs?
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H+O suggest ‘IMPLEMENTING
CONCEPTS’:
 Combine
tasks
 Form natural work units
 Develop relationships with clients
 Vertical loading (increase responsibility)
 Open feedback channels
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Measuring jobs
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H + O came up with Motivating Potential Score (MPS)
MPS = skill variety + task identity +task significance * (autonomy) * (feedback)
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What does this equation mean?
Which are the most significant elements?
Try it out on these jobs:
Ambulance paramedic
Telesales operator
Careers advisor
IT helpdesk
Programmer
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What else do employers do?
Job Rotation
 Job Enlargement
 Job Enrichment
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Some famous examples:
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Volvo – quality teams
What schemes do these
employers have?
McDonalds
 City Council
 NHS
 Microsoft
 Telesales
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What about the student
experience?
How does H+O’s model apply to
student work?
 How do your jobs reflect any
consideration of job satisfaction?
 How can the case study example use
the theories of H+O to reduce staff
turnover and increase motivation?
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Objectives Revisited:
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Understand the relationship between job
design and motivation
Describe the Hackman and Oldham Job
Characteristics Model
List some steps employers can take to
improve motivation
Look at Job re-design,
rotation / enrichment / enlargement
Consider the relevance of these theories to
jobs in IT
Further Reading
Elliot et al pps 306-308
 Butal et al unit 7
 Bott et al Chapter 8
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