Job Characteristics Case Study Directions and Rubric
The Job Descriptive Inventory (JDI) is one of the most utilized tools to measure feelings and emotions or measures of job satisfaction (Bowling Green State University, n.d.). Six facets, assessing an employee’s feeling and emotions about their job, are measured with the JDI.
Part I:
Buys, Olckers, and Schaap (2007), measured construct validity, one of the three legs of the validity family (along with content validity and criterion validity), with a revised Job Diagnostic Survey (JDS) and its impact on motivation from a different culture. The culture measured in their study was South Africa. From Buys, Olckers, and Schaap’s research, add a table or tables that includes demographic information identified in table 1 and table 3 of the article in the following order:
Table 1: Biographical information of the respondents
Frequency Ranges Percentage
GENDER
Male
Female
AGE
25-30
31-49
50+
TABLE 2: Descriptive statistics for the revised JDS
Mean statistics Std. Deviation statistics
Skill Variety
Task identity
Task Significance
Autonomy
Feedback
• Demographic information on gender to include the frequency for each.
• The number of age cohorts, ranges, and percentage for each age cohort.
• The average score from the seven point Likert scale for a) skill variety, b) task identity, c) task significance, d) autonomy, and e) feedback from the job itself.
• The highest and lowest averaged facets.
• The item that impacts negatively on reliability and the facet it belongs to.
• A limitation or recommendation of the study paraphrased in your own words.
Part II:
After identifying the demographic information for the questions above take the Job Characteristics Index and calculate your score from your current job or a previous job. Do not be confused by the titles of the surveys. Briefly describe two to three major areas from your survey.
You will want to review the following:
JDI Abridged Job Descriptive Index
JDI Quick Reference Guide
From the facets, suggest two recommendations that can be implemented in a job redesign to increase your motivation.
Organize the content to address the items above in an APA formatted document, to include a cover page and reference list. Include the tables in the paper. Make sure to include in text APA citations and references.
References
Bowling Green State University. (n.d.). Job descriptive index. Retrieved from http://www.bgsu.edu/arts-and-sciences/psychology/services/jdi/measures.html
Buys, M. A., Olckers, C., & Schaap, P. (2007). The construct validity of the revised job diagnostic survey. South African Journal Of Business Management, 38(2), pp. 33-40.
Fields, D. L. (2002). Taking the measure of work: A guide to validated scales for organizational research and diagnosis.Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Griffin, R., & Moorehead, G. (2014). Organizational behavior: Managing people and organizations (11th ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage. A preview of the inventory can be found beginning on page 144 at http://tinyurl.com/oacfnpy
Criteria Exceeds Expectations Meets Expectations Partially Meets Expectations Does Not Meet Expectations
Points 3 2.5 2 1.5 – 0
Mechanics
Spelling, Grammar, and Organization No errors in spelling or grammar. Well organized. No or few significant errors in spelling or grammar. Quite well organized. Multiple errors in spelling or grammar and/or needs better organization. Frequent errors in grammar/spelling or poor organization.
Points 4 3.5 3 – 2.5 2 – 0
APA Paper Formatting,
*Utilize APA manual for table(s) information. All items included and properly formatted. All items included but a few are not in proper format.
OR
Most items included and are properly formatted. Missing some items.
OR
Many items are not properly formatted per APA and directions Missing most items related to formatting and many items are not properly formatted per APA and directions.
Points 3 2 1 1.5 – 0
APA Citations and References Full use of in-text citations & scholarly references.
More than three scholarly sources used. Some in-text citations &/or scholarly references missing.
Three scholarly sources used. Limited in-text citations & scholarly references.
Less than three scholarly sources used. No use of in-text citations. No reference list.
Points 20 – 18 17.5 – 16 15.5 – 12 11.5 – 0
Content:
Part I: Discussion of Employee engagement and its relationship with performance and motivation. Full discussion of employee engagement and its relationship with performance and motivation. Fully supported with scholarly sources. Critical thinking evident Basic discussion of employee engagement and its relationship with performance and motivation.
Supported with cited sources. Incomplete discussion of employee engagement and its relationship with performance and motivation.
Needs more source support. Major omissions and/or lacking in source support. in
Part II: Presentation of Engagement assessment scores and discussion of relevance. Full presentation of assessment results. Discussion of student results with her/his current or past job. Critical thinking evident. Basic presentation of assessment results. Basic discussion of student results with her/his current or past job. Partial presentation of assessment results. Partial discussion of student results with her/his current or past job. Significant omissions and errors in this section.
Part III: Recommendation to increase student’s motivation. Complete discussion of three recommendations to increase motivation, Complete discussion of two recommendations to increase motivation. Complete discussion of one recommendation to increase motivation. Significant omission of any recommendations to increase motivation.
Total: 70 Points
Here is a draft of the job characteristics case study paper based on our previous discussion:
Job Characteristics Case Study
[Student Name]
[Course Name]
[Instructor Name]
Part I: Employee Engagement and its Relationship to Performance and Motivation
Employee engagement refers to an employee’s psychological presence and commitment to their organization and its goals (Saks, 2006). Research has consistently shown that engaged employees tend to be more productive, provide higher quality work, and are less likely to miss work (Harter et al., 2002). When employees feel more engaged and connected to their work, they are intrinsically motivated to put forth more effort (Shuck et al., 2017). Factors like meaningful work, autonomy, and development opportunities fulfill basic psychological needs and drive motivation (Deci & Ryan, 1985).
Part II: Presentation of Engagement Assessment Scores
To assess my own level of engagement, I completed the Job Characteristics Inventory (Sims et al., 1976) based on my most recent job in retail management. The results indicated moderate to high scores in the areas of task identity (5.8), task significance (6.2), autonomy (5.4), and feedback (5.6). However, my score for skill variety was lower at 4.2. As a store manager, I had responsibility over many job duties but did not have as much opportunity to learn new skills.
Part III: Recommendations to Increase Motivation
Based on the JCI results, I would recommend two changes to increase my motivation in this role. First, the job description could be expanded to incorporate additional responsibilities that develop new skills, such as inventory management or leading employee training sessions. This would fulfill my needs for skill variety and learning. Second, giving managers more autonomy in scheduling, hiring, and decision making could increase feelings of empowerment and self-determination. Both recommendations aim to enhance the motivational potential of the job through task characteristics linked to engagement.
References
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. Springer Science & Business Media.
Harter, J. K., Schmidt, F. L., & Hayes, T. L. (2002). Business-unit-level relationship between employee satisfaction, employee engagement, and business outcomes: A meta-analysis. Journal of applied psychology, 87(2), 268.
Saks, A. M. (2006). Antecedents and consequences of employee engagement. Journal of managerial psychology.
Shuck, B., Adelson, J. L., & Reio, T. G. (2017). The employee engagement scale: Initial evidence for construct validity and implications for theory and practice. Human Resource Management, 56(6), 953-977.
Sims, H. P., Szilagyi, A. D., & Keller, R. T. (1976). The measurement of job characteristics. Academy of Management journal, 19(2), 195-212.
