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Enriching Occupations with the Job Characteristics Model
According to Jones and George, the job characteristics model can influence the motivation levels of an employee because of the influence that it has on their psychological status (391). The authors identify five main elements within the job characteristics model. The first is skill variety. It pertains to the way that a job makes an employee apply a wide range of skills. Task identity relates to the way that a job requires a worker to carry out all of the duties needed to finish their work. The third element, task significance, concerns the level to which an employee feels that the work they carry out is important to the company. Autonomy concerns the freedom that workers have to schedule their tasks and carry them out as they wish. The last aspect of the model, feedback, relates to the way that employees receive direct information concerning the value of the work that they carry out (Jones and George 392).
Different
elements can be used to enrich the positions of a secretary and a salesperson
within a company. Autonomy is one element that can help motivate secretaries.
Secretaries usually have many tasks that they are expected to carry out for
their superiors. These tasks vary in difficulty and urgency. If secretaries are
granted the freedom to perform their duties in the order they find suitable,
they can feel more motivated because they would be able to plan their days in
the manner that they found most convenient. Task significance is another
element of the model that can help motivate secretaries. Allowing a secretary
to carry out important functions for their superiors would help them feel like
they are more valued by the company and that they are not just assistants. For
salespersons, feedback and skill variety can act as motivating factors. The
work that salespersons carry out is results-oriented, meaning that their
employers rely on the outcome to determine the worth of the employee. Regular
feedback on the worker’s performances can help encourage him/her especially if
the response is positive. Skill variety can also help motivate salespersons. Their
work requires them to apply different qualities and abilities and this can help
them feel like they are valued contributors within their companies.
Work Cited:
Jones, Gareth R, and Jennifer M. George. Contemporary Management. Boston: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2008. Print.