Job Characteristics Theory

Greg R. Oldham

The primary objectives of job characteristics theory (JCT) are to explain how properties of the organizational tasks people perform affect their work attitudes and behavior, and to identify the conditions under which these effects are likely to be strongest. The most recent version of the theory is shown in Figure 1 . As shown in the figure, the theory posits that five core characteristics of the work itself affect a variety of personal and work outcomes via their effects on three psychological states of employees. In addition, the theory argues that these core characteristics have their strongest effects when employees score high on three individual conditions: growth need strength, context satisfaction, and knowledge and skill. The conceptual core of the theory is the set of three psychological states that mediate between job attributes and outcomes. They are as follows: Experienced meaningfulness. The degree to which the jobholder experiences the Experienced ...

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