An Analysis and Comparative Study of Job Characteristics Levels and Job Redesign Potential within the Strategic Air Command Maintenance Officer and Navigator Career Fields.

Abstract

This thesis determined the job characteristics levels and potential for job redesign within two Strategic Air Command career fields, maintenance officer and navigator. A survey instrument, the Job Diagnostic Survey, was used to gather the data. The survey results were analyzed and interpreted in the context of Hackman and Oldham's Job Characteristics Model. A literature review thoroughly addressed the Job Diagnostic Survey and Job Characteristics Model, and how these can be applied toward determining the potential for job redesign. The navigator specialty was found to possess a need for job redesign. Survey results showed low scores for the following job characteristics: skill variety, autonomy, motivating potential, and growth satisfaction. The maintenance officer specialty, on the other hand, was not found to need job redesign. The only low job characteristic level was feedback from the job itself. Comparatively, the survey results and Job Characteristics Model indicated that maintenance officers in general are more satisfied with their job than navigators. The research made recommendations on how to effectively redesign the navigator's job and how to improve the feedback aspect of the maintenance officer's job. Conclusions focused on areas for follow-up studies to this research.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 01, 1985
Accession Number
ADA160883

Entities

People

  • D. L. Dotson

Organizations

  • Air Force Institute of Technology

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Autonomy
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Aircrafts
  • Control Systems
  • Data Analysis
  • Human Behavior
  • Inertial Navigation Systems
  • Literature Surveys
  • Maintenance
  • Management Personnel
  • Mechanical Equipment
  • Motivation
  • Navigation
  • Navigators
  • Organizational Structure
  • Personnel Management
  • Supervision
  • Supervisors

Readers

  • Organizational Psychology.
  • Psychometric Testing or Psychological Assessment.