When an employee loses interest in their role, it affects their motivation levels—and ultimately, their productivity. Loss of motivation can results from a number of different reasons: perhaps they begin to find the work monotonous, or maybe it isn’t challenging enough. What’s important is establishing where that engagement was lost.
That’s where Hackman & Oldham’s Job Characteristics Model comes in.
The reality is that many jobs have mundane elements, especially when repeated over a long period of time. So how can businesses ensure that employees are motivated to carry out the less stimulating aspects of their roles?
This is the issue that organizational psychologists Greg R. Oldham and J. Richard Hackman sought to address. In 1975, they studied 658 workers in 62 jobs across seven organizations, publishing the resulting theory the following year. Their Job Characteristics Model remains a blueprint for job design 40 years later.
Hackman & Oldham’s Job Characteristics Model
In the 1960s, organizational psychologists and management theorists started to realize that a production-line approach to work was, in many instances, counter-productive. Repetitive tasks resulted in a demotivated workforce, who were far less productive than when they started in their role.
Using this initial research, Hackman & Oldham introduced the Job Characteristics Model. This was based on the idea that the key to maintaining motivation is in the job itself. They found that mundane tasks reduced motivation and productivity, and varied tasks improved them.
What’s more, the theory they produced was universal and could be applied to any job role. They identified the following characteristics that must be in place to achieve employee satisfaction:
- Skills variety: Do tasks vary, and are they challenging? Or are they monotonous and too easy?
- Task identity: Do tasks have a defined beginning, middle and end? Without this, it’s hard to achieve the satisfaction of an attained goal.
- Task significance: Does the employee feel that their role has meaning?
- Task autonomy: Can individuals have a say in how they carry out their work?
- Job feedback: Are employees receiving feedback on their performance?
If a job is consciously created to be varied and meaningful, with plenty of two-way communication, the employee will naturally be more engaged with their role. According to Hackman & Oldham, they will also have an increased sense of responsibility for their work outcomes.
The model still acknowledges the role of intrinsic motivators, as proposed by Edward Deci & Richard Ryan, who said that motivation falls on a scale that ranges from ‘extrinsic’ (controlled) to ‘intrinsic’ (autonomous). However, Hackman & Oldham place more onus on HR management to ensure that the job creation stage hits the right targets.
Applying the Job Characteristics Model to the Workplace
Hackman & Oldham’s model was well-received, partially because their findings were clear and easily applied in the workplace. In fact, the five characteristics can be used as a checklist for job creation or job review. For example, when creating a job specification employers can ask whether there were multiple key tasks to break the monotony of the role, or whether the job was clearly placed in a wider context so that its relevance was understood.
Two common motivational methods that have developed from the job design model are job rotation and job enrichment. The former involves employees crossing over to tasks normally carried out by a colleague, and is designed to break up work (while creating a multi-skilled workforce). For example, tech giant Intel uses job rotation to fill temporary positions, improving employee satisfaction, teaching new skills, and broadening organizational knowledge.
Job enrichment introduces engaging elements to the role. A good example of this is asking an experienced employee to take on some coaching, adding interest and demonstrating recognition. For example, Volvo introduced job enrichment schemes into its manufacturing plants as far back as the 1970s, recognizing the issues with production-line dissatisfaction. Enrichment included smaller working groups, job rotation, and employee-owned councils.
How the Job Characteristics Model Affects Employee Engagement
Few workplace models translate as easily to employee engagement drivers as Hackman and Oldman's does. That proves just how comprehensive their Job Characteristics Model is.
The "skills variety" characteristic matches clearly with the "growth" driver". Specifically, it highlights the need for employees to feel a sense of personal and professional development from their role, which can be addressed by increased opportunities for internal mobility. Likewise, "task significance" highlights the need for meaningful work and the importance of the link between the role and the organization’s success to be clear.
Hackman & Oldham also singled out the value of "task autonomy", in line with similar findings by prominent theoriest Mary Parker Follett. An employee's ability to approach a task as they prefer goes a long way to reducing repetition, and the feelings of alienation that routine can bring. Further feedback ensures that goal-setting and recognition needs are being met: the model has genuine two-way communication at its core.
If we design our jobs with these characteristics in mind, employees in any role will be more motivated and productive. For identifying these essential factors, and presenting them so clearly, Hackman & Oldham deserve to be hailed as true innovators in the employee engagement space.
Is your employee listening strategy outdated? Download this Workday guide to launch an active listening approach in three easy steps.
This article has been updated since it was first published in March 2018.