Job Characteristics Model

Hackman, Oldham · 1976 · JCM

Summary

The Job Characteristics Model (JCM) specifies five core job dimensions — skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback from the job — that map to three critical psychological states (experienced meaningfulness, experienced responsibility, knowledge of results), which in turn produce internal work motivation, job satisfaction, and performance. The model also introduces growth need strength and knowledge and skill as individual moderators. JCM operationalized the design-the-work tradition into one of the most influential measurement programs in organizational psychology and underwrites the Job Diagnostic Survey (JDS).

Canonical constructs

Canonical relations

FromPredicateToCentralMechanism
construct.skill_varietypredictsconstruct.experienced_meaningfulnessyes
construct.task_identitypredictsconstruct.experienced_meaningfulnessyes
construct.task_significancepredictsconstruct.experienced_meaningfulnessyes
construct.autonomypredictsconstruct.experienced_responsibilityyes
construct.feedback_from_jobpredictsconstruct.knowledge_of_resultsyes
construct.experienced_meaningfulnesspredictsconstruct.internal_motivationyes
construct.internal_motivationpredictsconstruct.task_performanceyes
construct.internal_motivationpredictsconstruct.job_satisfactionyes

Synthesized priors (where available) live under /registry/priors/{from}/{predicate}/{to}.

Related theories

Theories sharing one or more canonical constructs with this one.

Foundational citations

  1. [doi]
  2. [doi]