Motivation through the Design of Work: Test of a Theory.

Abstract

A model is proposed that specifies the conditions under which individuals will become internally motivated to perform effectively on their jobs. The model focusses on the interaction among three classes of variables: (a) The psychological states of employees that must be present for internally motivated work behavior to develop; (b) the characteristics of jobs that can create these psychological states; and (c) the attributes of individuals that determine how positively a person will respond to a complex and challenging job. The model was tested for 658 employees who work on 62 different jobs in seven organizations. A number of special features of the model are discussed (including its use as a basis for the diagnosis of jobs and the evaluation of job redesign projects), and the model is compared to other theories of job design.

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 1974
Accession Number
ADA009331

Entities

People

  • Greg R. Oldham
  • J. Richard Hackman

Organizations

  • Yale University

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Behavior And Behavior Mechanisms
  • Motivation
  • Test And Evaluation

Fields of Study

  • Psychology

Readers

  • Organizational Psychology.
  • Systems Analysis and Design
  • Theoretical Analysis.