Week 12

The following is the analysis of our team’s individual jobs according to the Job Characteristic Model (JCM). As you can see from the results, all of our positions appear to be designed with high motivational potential with minimal potential for any of our positions to be designed with the low motivational potential. The following provides details of our positions as it relates to the Job Characteristic Model (JCM):

	Skill Variety	Task Identity	Task Significance	Autonomy	Job Feedback
Kara	High	High	High	High	Moderate-high
Ellen	High	High	High	High	High
Randy	High	Moderate-high	High	Low	Low-Moderate
Simon	High	Moderate	High	High	Moderate

Ellen has high degree in all core job characteristics. "Employees are more motivated and satisfied when jobs have higher levels of these characteristics" (McShane & Von Glinow, 2010, page 177).

Randy has low degree in two of the core job characteristics - autonomy and job feedback. Autonomy - "Employees must be assigned control of their work environment to feel responsible for their success and failures” (McShane & Von Glinow, 2010, page 178). Job feedback- employees want information about the consequences of their work effort.

It is clear that Bill Kap’s current job design has the low motivational potential. The following provides details on Bill’s position as it relates to the JCM:


Bill Kap – Warehouse Employee

Skill Variety (low): this position involves the skills to use a hand dollies or a forklift to stack finished products on a pallet.

Task Identity (low to moderate): this position has an “identifiable piece of work” (McShane & Von Glinow, 2010, p. 177) which provides narrow task identity.

Task Significance (low to moderate): as noted in the article – “A large warehouse operation is crucial to the efficiency of the Kitchener plant.” There is a high degree of task significance for the organization, but Bill may not share this same level of significances towards his job.

Autonomy (low to moderate): this position has a structured schedule; part of ‘system’ - follows a set of established procedures when performing job (no freedom or independence to schedule work or determine procedures).

Job Feedback (high): as noted in the article – “If warehouse employees get behind, the whole system becomes clogged and finished products stack up in the manufacturing plant.” Bill will be able to immediate tell if he's not doing well if the system becomes clogged. He has impact on getting the finished product ready for delivery which may give him a sense of feedback.



Bill’s current job’s ability to motivate and create job satisfaction is low. This may be why he is absent so often. Low skill variety and task identify / significance makes his job less meaningful which leads to low motivation to succeed. The results of this have been proven by Bill missing work repeatedly. Low / moderate autonomy can cause for the lack of performance and motivation.

His job and current work situation does not satisfy his needs. Each person works independently and there is no feedback for a good or a bad work performance. The only need that his current job satisfies is affiliation.

The following are actions we would recommend to Bill’s current boss to increase his motivation:

Job rotation (McShane & Von Glinow, 2010, page 180) may be used to provide Bill with motivation. This will increase his skill variety and will make work more meaningful. Job enrichment (McShane & Von Glinow, 2010, page 181) which has proven to give higher job satisfaction and motivation would be a definite plus for Bill, but not likely in this type of work environment. If this could happen, Bill’s boss could provide Bill with a more flexible schedule.

Bill needs to work at extra jobs to make more money. Possibly he would make more of an effort to limit his days out of work if there was a reward system (McShane & Von Glinow, 2010, pages 172 – 175) in place which could also be used to increase his productivity. The company may also look at including the work force in discussion about how to increase employee satisfaction through goal setting (McShane & Von Glinow, 2010, page 146). Also, find ways to get Bill to feel connected at work through drive to bond (McShane & Von Glinow, 2010, page 140).

The majority of the team felt that Bill’s most dominant need is affiliation (nAff) (McShane & Von Glinow, 2010, page 139). Individuals with nAff work well when their main focus is cultivating long term relationships. Bill’s boss may want to recommend a career path, possible in sales, where Bill could cultivate these relationships.

Bill’s motivational needs are not being met, leading him to feel much less loyal to the position. Bill’s boss might want to move Bill to another position. If he was to be placed in a position that a more extroverted work style, such as sales or customer service, he might end up having a much more motivating experience at work.

References
McShane, S. & Von Glinow, M (2010). Organizational Behavior (5th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill