The Job Characteristics Model is widely accepted as a conceptual tool for addressing problems related to employees’ motivation, dissatisfaction and organisational performance. Therefore, this study attempts to apply Hackman and Oldham Job Characteristics Model (JCM) by among the five core dimensions of autonomy, skill variety, task identity, task significance and feedback and job satisfaction and employees’ turnover in the Libyan oil companies located in Benghazi city. Also, to explore the current situation of organisational determinants of job satisfaction in the Libyan oil companies and to investigate its correlation with employees’ job satisfaction. These factors (pay/rewards, supervision, promotion opportunity, relationship with co-workers and work conditions) are tested empirically in the companies studied. A total of 400 questionnaires were collected and 20 interviews were conducted in four oil companies. The main findings of the study confirm the positive correlations among the five core dimensions of the JCM and job satisfaction. Also, organisational factors were found to influence employees’ job satisfaction as the employees were satisfied with their pay/rewards, supervision, promotion opportunity, relationship with co-workers and working conditions. Moreover, employees have shown more concern for factors such as job security and change in the social status. Also, it was found that employees’ turnover increased in relation to security and social factors such as the absence of safety and security in the oil fields after the Libyan uprising, especially those oil fields located in the Eastern region. It was also found that the correlations among job satisfaction and employees’ turnover was negative and the correlation among the five core dimensions of the JCM model and employees’ turnover were negative too. The study makes a significant contribution to knowledge in theory and practice. Among such contributions are identification of gaps in the literature on job satisfaction and the core dimension of job characteristics model. Also, the study contributes to the redesign of jobs and working relationships in the Libyan oil companies.

Studiens syfte har varit att undersöka hur agila aktiviteter kan bidra till att motivera deltagare i ett agilt utvecklarteam. För att besvara studiens syfte genomfördes en fallstudie under nio veckor där ett utvecklarteam på företaget Tradera observerades. Utöver observationerna gjordes även intervjuer med en majoritet av teamets medlemmar. Genom att kombinera den klassiska motivationsteorin Job Characteristics Modell med scrumteori utvecklades en konceptuell analysmodell. Den konceptuella analysmodellen operationaliserar egenskaper hos de agila aktiviteterna som enligt teorin ger upphov till hög arbetsmotivation. Genom intervjuerna operationaliseras begreppet motivation – där en intervjuteknik som använts i tidigare studier för att mäta motivation anammats. Resultatet av studien visar att de agila aktiviteterna planeringsmöte, demonstration och återblicksmöte i det studerade utvecklarteamet på Tradera innehar egenskaper som skapar förutsättning för hög arbetsmotivation. I en teoretisk men inte empirisk mening stöds sambandet mellan egenskaperna och hög arbetsmotivation. Där berättelser från teammedlemmar om episoder av hög motivation kopplat till de agila aktiviteterna ger en indikation på att egenskaperna hos aktiviteterna gett upphov till psykologiska tillstånd som resulterat i en hög arbetsmotivation. / The purpose of this paper is to examine how agile activities can act as motivators for members of an agile development team. In order to serve this purpose a field study of nine weeks was carried out during which an agile development team at Tradera were observed. In addition to the field study interviews where conducted with a majority of the team members. A classical motivational theory in the form of Job Characteristics Model (JCT) and theory about scrum was used to form a conceptual analysis model. The model operationalizes characteristics of the agile activities, which according to JCT creates high work motivation. The concept of motivation was operationalized through the use of an interview technique that has been used in numerous previous studies in order to measure motivation and other non-tangible factors. The study shows that the agile activities planning session, demonstration and retrospective used by the development team at Tradera has inherent characteristics that creates a setting in which high work motivation has the possibility of being prevalent. In a theoretical, but not empirical, way the results of the study supports a connection between the presence of the characteristics in the agile activities and high motivation. Where stories from team members of episodes of high motivation during the agile activities gives an indication of the activities.

I samband med Covid-19 pandemin har antalet anställda som jobbar på distans ökat drastiskt. Den största ökningen har skett i arbeten som inte kräver fysiska arbetsplatser, där arbetet främst sker via digitala lösningar. Omväxlingen från att sitta på kontor till att jobba på distans, eller i de flesta fallen hemifrån, har föranlett många studier om hur de anställda påverkas i samband med detta. Den här studien fokuserar främst på att förklara förändringen i den inre motivationen i distansarbete, och att identifiera möjliga faktorer bakom detta. Studien utgår därför från job characteristics model för att förklara och identifiera olika karaktärsdrag i själva arbetet som har en påverkan på den inre motivationen hos anställda i distansarbetet. Vidare utgår studien från ett kvalitativt perspektiv, i form av intervjuer av 11 anställda som gått över till distansarbete. Den empiriska data visade att många anställda upplever en positiv förändring i sina dagliga vanor, vissa mindre undantag förekom. Den största fördelen med distansarbete var det mer flexibla arbetsschemat. Den största nackdelen var den sociala faktorn, där en minskad gemenskap bland kollegor var mest framträdande. I analysen kunde man dra paralleller mellan JCM-modellens dimension autonomi och den ökade grad av flexibilitet i arbetet, vilket enligt modellen bidrar till en ökad inre motivation i arbetet. Vidare kunde de övriga faktorerna, som exempelvis den sociala faktorn, tänkas påverka koordinering av arbetsuppgifter, främst inom teamarbete. Slutsatsen som kunde dras var att det i samband med distansarbete fanns en viss positiv förändring i den inre motivationen i arbetet, men att vidare studier krävs för att kunna generalisera slutsatsen. / This study will put focus on and try to explain the change in intrinsic motivation for teleworkers. For this the job characteristics model is used to explain and identify different characteristics in the work itself, that could impact the intrinsic motivation with the teleworking employees. The study will further be conducted through a qualitative perspective with interviews from these employees. Through the interviews, the empirical data showed that most of our respondents experienced a positive change in their daily routine. Where the biggest advantage with teleworker was the more flexible scheduling of the workdays. On the other hand, the negative side that was brought up by most of the respondents showed a decreased socialization between the employees. In the analysis where the empirical data was analyzed through the theoretical model, there was evidence that suggested that the increase of flexibility with telework, positively affected the model’s autonomy aspect, which then should increase the intrinsic motivation. There was also strong evidence in the empirical data for the social aspects which was not found as a part of the theoretical model itself.  As a conclusion it was found that there were some positive changes due to telework for the intrinsic motivation, but that the subject requires further studies to come to a generalizable conclusion.

Team-based management is a popular contemporary method of redesigning jobs in order to more effectively utilize the human potential of employees. The use of such management techniques should result in increased satisfaction and team commitment; however, many research studies have failed to demonstrate increases in affective outcomes on the part of the employee. The research question examined in this study is, "What specific job dimensions and situational factors result in higher levels of satisfaction and team commitment?" The Job Characteristics Model (Hackman & Oldham, 1975) provided a basis for this study. The model was designed for individual contributors and has not been extensively used in team research. As expected it was found that within a team-based environment higher levels of the five core job dimensions of skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and job feedback were associated with increased satisfaction and team commitment. Organization-based self-esteem was found to mediate the relationship between the five core job dimensions and the affective outcome variables. Contrary to expectations, however, it was found that consultative team members experienced higher levels of satisfaction and commitment than substantive team members. In addition, consultative team members reported higher levels of two core job dimensions, skill variety and task significance, and on the overall Job Diagnostic Survey than did substantive team members. These findings have significant implications for companies undergoing organizational redesign and questions whether those companies should implement advanced levels of employee involvement activities if the organizational goal is to increase satisfaction and commitment. The study employed a survey research design in which data was collected using a self-report questionnaire. A heterogeneous sample of 183 team members participating in either a consultative and substantive team from four different companies in nine locations provided the data for this field survey. Multivariate analyses, including hierarchial set regression, were used to test the hypotheses.

Denna studie syftar till att undersöka huruvida arbetsmotivationen skiljer sig mellan generation Y och tidigare generationer i den svenska IT-branschen. Studien vilar på en teoretisk grund bestående av tre välkända teorier inom arbetsmotivation; Herzbergs tvåfaktorteori, Self-Determination Theory samt Job Characteristics Model.   För att kunna besvara studiens forskningsfråga ”Hur kan belöningssystem utformas för att ta hänsyn till fler anställda från generation Y i den svenska IT-branschen?” genomfördes en semistrukturerad intervju med en HR-chef samt en enkätundersökning bland anställda på IT-företaget Evry.   Resultatet av studien visar att det finns vissa skillnader i arbetsmotivationen mellan generation Y och tidigare generationer vilket kan motivera till förändringar i hur man arbetar med belöningar när en allt större del av arbetskraften utgörs av generation Y. En viktig skillnad som framkom är att medarbetare från generation Y uppskattar feedback mer än äldre medarbetare, oavsett varifrån i organisationen feedbacken kommer ifrån. Studien fann även att monetära belöningar kan ha en stark negativ inverkan på arbetsmotivationen, men att de under vissa omständigheter kan vara positiva och ibland även nödvändiga. En slutsats blir att det ofta krävs en blandning av både monetära och icke-monetära för få fram det mest motiverande belöningssystemet.

The last two decades have seen an increasing sophistication in the type of information systems employed by organizations. In particular we have seen the emergence of enterprise systems technology - advanced information technology specifically designed to integrate the vast majority of an organization's processes and data flows. As the characteristics of ES technology have encroached beyond individual user domains and have become integrated throughout organizations, user acceptance issues have also broadened beyond the individual unit of analysis. At the same time numerous examples can be found both in the trade press and academic literature of organizations wishing to use enterprise systems as a primary driver of widespread organizational change and restructuring. A fundamental premise of this study is that while it may be intuitively appealing to consider technology as a primary catalyst for organizational change, it neglects to acknowledge the presence of what is referred to as the &quoteduality of structure&quote (Giddens, 1993). Duality of structure proponents contend that while IT system protocols may to a certain extent determine individual action, human agency can also determine the extent to which the technology is incorporated into everyday operations. The failure of past research to acknowledge the role of individual action and the influence of social context in determining IT usage is considered to be a significant oversight (DeSanctis & Poole, 1994). Underpinned by the theory of structuration and its notion of duality, a theory of user acceptance is put forward capable of clarifying the process by which users evaluate and react to enterprise systems technology. The thesis reports on an empirical investigation into the relationship between three representations of structure within an organization: the characteristics of ES technology; job design; and social networks. The capacity of ES technology to alter the structural elements of both job design and social networks, and hence form user's attitudes and behavior towards the system, is the fundamental theoretical premise of the thesis. As such this represents a clear step forward in understanding the implications of ES technology for both users and organizational structure. Using a longitudinal embedded single case design, this study examines the user acceptance and structural implications of introducing an ES into a large public sector educational institution. A social network and job design perspective was adopted to offer fresh insight into the dynamics of employee reaction to the introduction of ES technology. Five hypotheses support the job design component of the thesis. It was argued that given the inherent design elements of ES technology, along with the specific intent of the system's introduction, that users would both anticipate and perceive a decrease in job characteristics following an ES implementation. Further, that the positive relationship between job change and user acceptance would be moderated by the amount of system usage reported by users. Users with a greater exposure to the system were hypothesized to have a far stronger relationship between job change and acceptance than low users. The ramifications of perceived or actual changes to embedded resource exchange networks and subsequent employee reactions to those changes were also considered. Essentially social networks were argued to play a dual role in the user acceptance process, one being a conduit for the facilitation and transfer of user attitudes towards new systems, the other acting as a catalyst for attitude formation towards new systems. Overall the findings only partially supported four of the eight hypotheses put forward. While users were seen to anticipate an &quoteacross the board&quote decrease in job characteristics at Time 1 following the introduction of an ES, perceived changes in job characteristics at Time 2 were dependant on user hierarchy and the extent of system usage. Those high in formal authority reported an increase in job enrichment following the system's introduction, while those low in formal authority reported a decrease in overall job enrichment. Usage was also seen to moderate the relationship between job change and user acceptance. At Time 1 low users reported a positive relationship between anticipated changes in meaningfulness and user acceptance. Conversely at Time 1 high users reported a negative relationship between anticipated skill variety levels at Time 2 and user acceptance. Only one job characteristic reported a relationship between usage and user acceptance. Low users reported a positive relationship between changes in task identity and user acceptance. A post-hoc profile of the usage categories indicated that high users were more likely to be a lower hierarchical position than low users. The positive relationship reported by low users at Time 1 and Time 2 was explained by both the nature of the system, as well as the type and quantity of information received by low users. As senior members of the organization they were considered more likely to receive information that highlighted its attributes in the context of their job roles. The inherent design of ES technology, along with the specific intent it was being introduced, facilitated largely management orientated objectives. Therefore it is unsurprising that low users anticipating an increase in experienced meaningfulness following the introduction of a system that enhanced their job role reported corresponding acceptance levels. In contrast, the negative relationship between anticipated levels of skill variety at Time 2 and perceived ease of use was explained by the affinity that high users were likely to have with the old system. To high users with a high degree of proficiency associated with a redundant skill set, increased skill variety only represented a steeper learning curve and an increased pressure to adapt to the new system. The network component of the study also produced mixed results. Of the two networks that were measured over time, only one supported the hypothesized increase in both advice and resource exchange networks over time. Post-hoc analyses indicated that two of the four groups exhibited network change consistent with the hypothesized relationship. Anecdotal reports suggested that contextual elements such as geographical location and managerial policy at a localized level determined the nature of the change for the remaining two groups. The results failed to support the relationship between network change and user acceptance. However, a weak but significant negative relationship between the measure of network efficiency and user acceptance was found. In simple terms users developing an increasingly redundant set of contacts reported higher levels of user acceptance. In sum, the thesis represents a contribution to enterprise systems, user acceptance and social network literatures. In the first instance the research validates the call by Orlikowski & Iacono (2001) to readily acknowledge the specific nature of the technology under investigation. Despite the growth and saturation of enterprise system types, comparatively little research has been undertaken to examine the user and organizational issues surrounding their implementation. This research has demonstrated the capacity for the inherent design elements of ES technology to have differential effects in terms of job design for different user classifications. This and other findings represent a step forward in understanding the structural and user acceptance implications of this technology, while sign-pointing a number of promising future research avenues. The job design results, and to a lesser extent the network efficiency results, demonstrate the effect of social context on user acceptance. As such they provide further insight regarding the potential determinants of user acceptance beyond the individual unit of analysis. The findings also indicate an increasing need for user acceptance research to stretch beyond the transitory, short term measures of user acceptance such as perceived ease of use, usefulness, training and computer efficacy. Finally the thesis contributes to a small, but growing literature examining the role of social networks in the process of organizational change. In particular this thesis has considered in detail, the attitudinal and behavioral consequences of artificially altering established patterns of interaction. As such the study highlights the need to better understand the role of networks not only in the case of facilitating change, but the effect of network change in terms of change intervention success.

Submitted by Emanuel Varela Cardoso (emanuel.varela@ufcg.edu.br) on 2018-09-06T20:16:04Z No. of bitstreams: 1 WALLISON FERNANDO DA SILVA – DISSERTAÇÃO (PPGCC) 2018.pdf: 954418 bytes, checksum: 28a173bee780c8779665994e97c94653 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-09-06T20:16:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 WALLISON FERNANDO DA SILVA – DISSERTAÇÃO (PPGCC) 2018.pdf: 954418 bytes, checksum: 28a173bee780c8779665994e97c94653 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-03-01 / Com o crescimento rápido do mercado para software, a necessidade de profissionais nas empresas de desenvolvimento está em alta, porém, há estudos que indicam um alta taxa de rotatividade de profissionais, já que profissionais mudam de empresa em um curto período de tempo. Devido a esse fato, as empresas estão preocupadas em manter seus profissionais o maior tempo possível, evitando gastos com novas contratações, treinamentos e perda de bons profissionais, pois alguns profissionais de software possuem habilidades intelectuais especializadas, e para treinar outros com o mesmo propósito, pode levar bastante tempo até que o novato se torne produtivo. Além disso, também há estudos que evidenciam que a motivação possui influência no sucesso ou fracasso de projetos, do mesmo jeito que outros relacionam a motivação com a rotatividade de profissionais de software, de modo que os profissionais busquem empregos menos estressantes, mais significativos, com mais valorização e melhores condições de trabalho. Este estudo relaciona aspectos de motivação e rotatividade de profissionais em empresas de software no Brasil utilizando uma adaptação do modelo Job Characteristics Model (JCM) de Hackman e Oldham. Através de um questionário baseado no modelo, coletamos respostas de 102 profissionais de desenvolvimento de software no Brasil, que geraram resultados através de uma pontuação potencial motivacional (MPS). Desta forma, pudemos coletar dados de motivação dos profissionais sobre o emprego anterior. Os dados mostram que mais de 76% dos profissionais, exatamente 78 saíram do emprego anterior voluntariamente, sugerindo uma taxa alta de rotatividade de profissionais. Também conseguimos observar alguns aspectos de motivação mais críticos, observamos que 73% dos profissionais apresentaram exaustão elevada no emprego anterior, 71% possuíam baixa autonomia, e 69% sentiam baixa satisfação no trabalho. Esse estudo pode ajudar as companhias de software a entender quais são os problemas de motivação no desenvolvimento de software, visando melhorar o ambiente e cultura de trabalho para motivar os empregados, e assim, reduzir a taxa de rotatividade de profissionais. / With the fast increase of the software market, the demand of professionals is also increasing, so there are studies that indicate a high rate of staff turnover, since many professionals move to other companies in a short time. Due to this reason, the companies are concerned to keep their professionals as long time as possible, avoiding costs with new hires, training and loss of good professionals, since some software professionals have specialized intellectual skills, and to train others for the same purpose, it may take a long time until the new hire becomes productive. In addition, also there are studies showing evidence that motivation has an influence on the success or failure of projects, as well as, others relate the motivation to staff turnover in software development, so the professionals look for jobs less stressful, more significant, with more appreciation and better working conditions. This study relates motivation aspects to staff turnover of software companies in Brazil, using an adaptation of the model Job Characteristics Model (JCM) of Hackman and Oldham. Through a survey instrument based on the model, we collected answers from 102 software development professionals in Brazil that generated results through motivational potential score (MPS). Thus, we could collect data of motivation of professionals over the last job. The data show that more than 76% of professionals, exactly 78 left the last job voluntarily, suggesting a high staff turnover rate. Also, we observed some most critical motivation aspects, we identified that 73% of the professionals presented high level of exhaustion in their last job, 71% had low Autonomy, and 69% felt low satisfaction in the job. This study can help software companies to understand which are the most motivation problems in software development to improve the work environment and culture to motivate employees, and so, reduce staff turnover rate.

Much of the history of management and motivation theory is rooted in the desire to understand the factors that contribute to having a satisfied workforce. Job satisfaction is the most widely studied construct in the history of industrial/organizational psychology. The job characteristics model (JCM) holds that if jobs are enriched with high levels of specific job characteristics (i.e., task significance, task variety, task identity, autonomy and feedback), employees will report higher levels of job satisfaction. While this claim enjoys wide support in studies conducted in traditional, hierarchically based organizational environments, few studies have tested the JCM in team based organizational designs. This study also evaluated possible moderating influences of growth need strength (GNS; the need for personal growth and development within the job environment) and emotional reactivity (a measure of frustration with perceived obstacles in the work environment). It was hypothesized that employees with higher levels of GNS would respond more positively (via higher job satisfaction ratings) to enriched jobs than would employees with lower levels of GNS. Alternatively, it was hypothesized that employees with lower levels of emotional reactivity would respond more positively (via higher job satisfaction ratings) to enriched jobs than would employees with higher levels of emotional reactivity. Results indicated that four job characteristics (task significance, task variety, task identity and feedback) served as significant positive predictors of job satisfaction, while GNS moderated the relationships between task significance and task variety with job satisfaction in a way that supported the research hypothesis. Emotional reactivity was not found to moderate any of the relationships between individual job characteristics and job satisfaction. Overall, results support the relevance of the JCM to team based organizations, providing support for the assertion that the relationship between enriched jobs and higher levels of job satisfaction persists across professional work contexts, as well as the partial moderating influence of GNS.

Digitaliseringen har haft betydande effekter på organisationer, ekonomier och samhällen i stort. Denna studie syftar till att undersöka vilka effekter digitaliseringen kan ha haft på bankanställdas arbetstillfredsställelse och arbetsmotivation. Uppgiftsvariation, autonomi samt feedback, arbetsegenskaper från Job Characteristics Model, har inkluderats i studien i syfte att tydligare förstå hur arbetstillfredsställelse och arbetsmotivation kan ha påverkats av digitaliseringen. Studien har utgått ifrån en analysmodell där det först har undersökts hur bankanställda upplever att uppgiftsvariation, autonomi och feedback har förändrats i arbetet till följd av digitaliseringen, för att sedan undersöka hur detta i sin tur har påverkat deras arbetstillfredsställelse och arbetsmotivation. Intervjuer har genomförts med arbetare från en svensk storbank som under lång tid har arbetat i banksektorn. Av intervjuerna framgick det att majoriteten upplevde att uppgiftsvariation och feedback ökat, medan autonomi varierade. Emellertid rådde det bred konsensus om att digitaliseringen inte har påverkat arbetstillfredsställelse och arbetsmotivation på ett signifikant vis.

Previous research has shown that job satisfaction contributed to better employee engagement and intention to stay in organizations. Hotel employees who are satisfied with their job pursue their job tasks in a quality manner which possibly will establish competitive advantage for hotel organizations. This study extended the prior work of intrinsic motivation from the job itself based on Job Characteristics Model by examining: (1) the differences in job satisfaction of chain hotel employees from three generations; Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials, and (2) to compare and contrast the generational perspectives on job satisfaction. The job satisfaction was measured in terms of the core job characteristics, critical psychological states, aspects of the jobs, and feeling of other employees with similar jobs. The Job Diagnostic Survey (JDS) was used in this study with some demographic questions. A purposive sample of 108 chain hotel employees from five hotel chains in three counties in southern Illinois participated in this survey. One way ANOVA and Welch ANOVA were conducted to investigate the differences between groups. The Games-Howell post-hoc test was used to confirm group differences. Overall differences were found between Baby Boomers and Millennials and between Baby Boomers and Generation X. There were no overall differences found between Generation X and Millennials. The findings indicated that Baby Boomers have the most engagement in the workplace and have more intention to stay in hotel organizations.