Lisa Buchanan: So why are some jobs just more motivating than others?

In the last video, we identified three variables that affect motivation.

We identified the individual, and that individual’s needs and desires, the job itself, and the

influence of the managers actions on the individual and the job.

I’d like to introduce you, to Hackman and Oldman’s “Job Characteristics Model”.

This model very much focuses on the job itself.

Hackman and Oldman propose five key job characteristics, five core job characteristics.

The first is skill variety.

Skill variety is very much the degree to which we engage in a variety of skills within the

job.

You can imagine, if you’re working on an assembly line doing the same task day in and

day out, it can be potentially quite demotivating.

And if you look at the task identity, it’s pretty much the degree to which your job leads

you to the completion of something.

The more you can feel a part of a final product or outcome, the more you can see something

happening, or a final product, the more task identity and attachment you have to that result.

Task significance is very much around the degree to which our work, and our job has

an impact on the lives of those around us.

Not all of us can be brain surgeons or heart surgeons, but it’s nice to know that you

are making a difference, and that there is a greater purpose involved within your work.

Autonomy is around the degree to which an individual can play a role in how and when

they get hat job done.

Having that individual responsibility and accountability can really be motivating for

some people.

This feedback isn’t the feedback that you’re thinking of.

Typically, feedback, you think from managers, but this is actually feedback based on your

performance in your job, and that immediate feedback as to how you did in completing that.

So I’m going to add, feedback, from your job.

When I think about myself as a professor, I know, if all your heads are down on your

desks, that feedback is right there, as to how I’m doing in my job.

A comedian knows it, telling jokes and getting an awkward silence, or hearing crickets, or

just hearing a big roar of laughter is immediate feedback from the performance from the job.

If we look at these five job characteristics, we want to see them as a collective, we want

to consider those that we lead, and cater our management and leadership approach to

those individuals.

Different characteristics then elicit different psychological states.

So let’s take a look at some of those psychological states.

If we look at these three, these three very much derive a meaningfulness of work for individuals.

If we look at autonomy, autonomy, very much helps produce a sense of responsibility, and

our feedback helps people understand, and grasp the knowledge of results and how they

did.

If we can have our individuals, or if we can inspire our individuals to reach these psychological

states, we are certain to help achieve some very positive outcomes for ourselves within

organizations.

First and foremost, they’re going to be motivated, so, they’re going to be motivation.

When we consider satisfaction, satisfaction can be two-fold, and that satisfaction can

be with respect to the job, and also with respect to opportunity for individual to growth.

Overall, individual effectiveness will be impacted.

Ultimately, you, have the opportunity as a manager to see all of these increase in our

employees.

What might go down, and what hopefully might go down, well, absenteeism, and, hopefully,

we’ll see a decrease in turnover.

Now that’s time well spend if we can get to these core outcomes.

As a manager, we can’t just look at these individuals; we need to look at the job itself,

and what it is, within that job that helps influence an individual.

Ultimately, with all of these, as an organization, there’s an opportunity for increased profit,

a quality product, and overall, quality in what we are doing as an organization, now,

doesn’t that sounds like time well spent?