Original Research

A review of research on the Job Characteristics Model and the attendant job diagnostic survey

Billy Boonzaier, Bernhard Ficker, Braam Rust
South African Journal of Business Management | Vol 32, No 1 | a712 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/sajbm.v32i1.712 | © 2018 Billy Boonzaier, Bernhard Ficker, Braam Rust | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 12 October 2018 | Published: 31 March 2001

About the author(s)

Billy Boonzaier, Faculty of Management, Cape Technikon, South Africa
Bernhard Ficker, Faculty of Management, Cape Technikon, South Africa
Braam Rust, Faculty of Management, Cape Technikon, South Africa

Full Text:

PDF (359KB)

Abstract

The Job Characteristics Model is widely accepted as a conceptual tool for addressing problems related to employee demotivation, dissatisfaction and marginal performance. The validity of the Job Characteristics Model (Hackman & Oldham, 1980) was assessed by reviewing relevant studies of the model. The review and evaluation is based on studies which test the variables and the relationships between variables as contained in the model. The evidence confirms that the dimensionality of the job characteristics is best represented by the five-factor solution as proposed by the model. The subjective self-report measures of the five job characteristics as formulated by the theory and measured by the revised Job Diagnostic Survey (JDS) are also supported. No evidence was found for the multiplicative Motivating Potential Score (MPS) and as a result the use of a simple additive index of job complexity is recommended as predictor of personal and work outcomes. Strong empirical support exists for the relationships between the job characteristics and the personal outcomes. Strong relationships between the job characteristics and the work outcomes, however, fail to materialize. Results fail to support the mediating effect of psychological states on the job characteristics/outcomes relationships as specified by the model. The postulated relationships between job characteristics and psychological states are also not confirmed by empirical evidence. The role of growth-need strength, knowledge and skill, and work environment characteristics as moderators of the relationships between job characteristics and psychological states, as well as the relationships between psychological states and personal and work outcomes, are seriously questioned. Directions for future research on the Job Characteristics Model and the attendant Job Diagnostic Survey are proposed.

Keywords

No related keywords in the metadata.

Metrics

Total abstract views: 6815
Total article views: 2636

 

Crossref Citations

1. Geri Bildirimin Araattrma GGrevlilerinin z-Yeterlilikleri zerindeki Etkisi (The Effect of Feedback on Research Assistantss Self Efficacy)
Bilal ankkr
SSRN Electronic Journal  year: 2016  
doi: 10.2139/ssrn.2786374

2. Development and validation of an instrument measuring core job characteristics
Nikolaos Tsigilis, Athanasios Koustelios
International Journal of Educational Management  vol: 34  issue: 2  first page: 373  year: 2019  
doi: 10.1108/IJEM-03-2019-0112

3. Decoding laissez-faire leadership: an in-depth study on its influence over employee autonomy and well-being at work
Clément Desgourdes, Jamila Hasnaoui, Muhammad Umar, Jesus Gonzales Feliu
International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal  vol: 20  issue: 2  first page: 1047  year: 2024  
doi: 10.1007/s11365-023-00927-5

4. The third dimension: Value‐oriented contents in psychological contracts
Tabea Scheel, Gisela Mohr
European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology  vol: 22  issue: 4  first page: 390  year: 2013  
doi: 10.1080/1359432X.2012.665229

5. Differential effects of ERP systems on user outcomes—a longitudinal investigation
Glen D. Murphy, Artemis Chang, Kerrie Unsworth
New Technology, Work and Employment  vol: 27  issue: 2  first page: 147  year: 2012  
doi: 10.1111/j.1468-005X.2012.00282.x

6. Job satisfaction: An explorative study on work characteristics changes of employees in Intralogistics 4.0
Sven Winkelhaus, Eric H. Grosse, Christoph H. Glock
Journal of Business Logistics  vol: 43  issue: 3  first page: 343  year: 2022  
doi: 10.1111/jbl.12296

7. Job Redesign and the Health Care Manager
Elizabeth J. Layman
The Health Care Manager  vol: 26  issue: 2  first page: 98  year: 2007  
doi: 10.1097/01.HCM.0000268612.95373.7c

8. The impact of work-family conflict on work stress and job satisfaction among Macau table game dealers
Sio-leng Chau
International Journal of Tourism Sciences  vol: 19  issue: 1  first page: 1  year: 2019  
doi: 10.1080/15980634.2019.1592298

9. A review of accounting research in internationalising journals in the South African region
Charl J. De Villiers, Pei-Chi K. Hsiao
South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences  vol: 20  issue: 1  year: 2017  
doi: 10.4102/sajems.v20i1.1729

10. Analysing the job characteristics model: new support from a cross-section of establishments
Jed DeVaro, Robert Li, Dana Brookshire
The International Journal of Human Resource Management  vol: 18  issue: 6  first page: 986  year: 2007  
doi: 10.1080/09585190701321211

11. Job Characteristics for Work Engagement: Autonomy, Feedback, Skill Variety, Task Identity, and Task Significance
Lea Pfajfar Cotič, Mandy Mok Kim Man, Lebene Richmond Soga, Anastasia Konstantopoulou, George Lodorfos
Global Business and Organizational Excellence  vol: 44  issue: 5  first page: 75  year: 2025  
doi: 10.1002/joe.22295

12. Assessing organisational justice as a predictor of job satisfaction and employee engagement in Windhoek
Wesley R. Pieters
SA Journal of Human Resource Management  vol: 16  year: 2018  
doi: 10.4102/sajhrm.v16i0.928

13. Job satisfaction and characteristics among staff of public higher educational institutions in Ghana
Dominic Amoateng Sabeng, John Victor Mensah
Cogent Education  vol: 10  issue: 2  year: 2023  
doi: 10.1080/2331186X.2023.2226457

14. Empowerment and its effects on clinical nurses in central China
C. F. Cai, Z. K. Zhou, H. Yeh, J. Hu
International Nursing Review  vol: 58  issue: 1  first page: 138  year: 2011  
doi: 10.1111/j.1466-7657.2010.00848.x

15. The Effect of Job Resources on Work Engagement - A Study on Academicians in Turkey
Bilal ankkr
SSRN Electronic Journal  year: 2017  
doi: 10.2139/ssrn.3076947

16. Job satisfaction among Swedish soldiers: Applying the Job Characteristics Model to newly recruited military personnel
Johan Österberg, Leif Rydstedt
Military Psychology  vol: 30  issue: 4  first page: 302  year: 2018  
doi: 10.1080/08995605.2018.1425585

17. Motivating Employees in a New Governance Era: The Performance Paradigm Revisited
Robert F. Durant, Robert Kramer, James L. Perry, Debra Mesch, Laurie Paarlberg
Public Administration Review  vol: 66  issue: 4  first page: 505  year: 2006  
doi: 10.1111/j.1540-6210.2006.00611.x

18. New Principles for Work Engagement in Switzerland
Dalowar Hossan, Qing Zhang, Bert Wolfs, Noor-E-Medina Suraiya Jesmin
Administrative Sciences  vol: 16  issue: 2  first page: 86  year: 2026  
doi: 10.3390/admsci16020086

19. Motivating frontline employees: Role of job characteristics in work and life satisfaction
Xinyuan (Roy) Zhao, Richard Ghiselli, Rob Law, Jing Ma
Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management  vol: 27  first page: 27  year: 2016  
doi: 10.1016/j.jhtm.2016.01.010

20. Organizational attractiveness and prospective applicants' intentions to apply
Daniel Gomes, José Neves
Personnel Review  vol: 40  issue: 6  first page: 684  year: 2011  
doi: 10.1108/00483481111169634

21. The confirmatory factor analysis of the job diagnostic survey: the oncology nursing setting
ANDREAS CHARALAMBOUS, VASILIOS RAFTOPOULOS, MICHAEL A. TALIAS
Journal of Nursing Management  vol: 21  issue: 2  first page: 273  year: 2013  
doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2834.2012.01386.x

22. İş Özelikleri ile Örgütsel Adalet Algısı Arasındaki İlişkinin Öğretmenler Üzerinde İncelenmesi
Fatma Özge Özgen Öney, Tolga Gül
Uluborlu Mesleki Bilimler Dergisi  vol: 8  issue: 2  first page: 1  year: 2025  
doi: 10.71445/umbd.1654817

23. Predicting job satisfaction and motivation of aviation security personnel: a test of job characteristics theory
Ismail Cenk Demirkol, Mahesh K. Nalla
Security Journal  vol: 31  issue: 4  first page: 901  year: 2018  
doi: 10.1057/s41284-018-0137-2

24. Task satisfaction: the effect of relative performance information versus outcome feedback
Robert Marley, Lee Kersting
International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management  vol: 70  issue: 8  first page: 2281  year: 2021  
doi: 10.1108/IJPPM-08-2019-0378

25. The interaction effect of job redesign and job satisfaction on employee performance
Sununta Siengthai, Patarakhuan Pila-Ngarm
Evidence-based HRM: a Global Forum for Empirical Scholarship  vol: 4  issue: 2  first page: 162  year: 2016  
doi: 10.1108/EBHRM-01-2015-0001

26. Why do postdoctoral fellows intend to leave? An empirical analysis based on a global survey
Yungui Guo, Ye Tian, Ningwei Cai
Current Psychology  vol: 43  issue: 38  first page: 30211  year: 2024  
doi: 10.1007/s12144-024-06581-6