AD-779 828

THE JOB DIAGNOSTIC SURVEY:

AN INSTRUMENT FOR THE DIAGNOSIS OF JOBS AND THE
EVALUATION OF JOB REDESIGN PROJECTS

YALE UNIVERSITY

PREPARED FOR

OFFICE OF NAVAL RESEARCH

MANPOWER ADMINISTRATION

MAY 1974

DISTRIBUTED BY:

Natlioam Technical Infemtion S e

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
 DOCUMENT CONTROL DATA - R & D
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C.'mC.,q AI, I- TV' (Cvre•jerc a hCr; 20. REPOIT SECl U71TV CLASSIFICATION

Department of Admnnistrative Sciences UNCLASSIFIED

Yale University \ O.

New Haven, Ct. 0652

The Job Diagnostic Sulvey: An Instrument for the Diagnosis of Jobs and
the Evaluation of Job R design Projects.

Technical Report, May, 19

IAJTýIOR1jfmfS #t n re m'.~ddle ' 1 !f

J. Richard Hacklman and Greg R. Oldham

NE-V"ir CATlL '*. TO-AL J~OF PAO.S b. NO. OF REW3

May, 1974
~a ~ A~
N00014-67A-0097-0026
j~.OhC~P1C:1 -OR'& REWORT NUK05ER151
10

T. R. No. 4
b. PROý;EC NO~

NR 170-744.
C OT• . IUOIT taCtS( (Any other nt.nmbbea thor mey be e*3f&19 d

d. 7C
1.CISTRIBU thON STA rEVEN- l(c t y
Approved for public release; distribution unlimitad. NATIONAl TECHNICAL
INFORMATION SERV!CF
U , Dup. tfr.t Coni le,ce
£[, t- o• VA 2;1•i1

Organizational
,Z. Effectiveness
!C0ON3O~ING MILT 1ARY A(T.19v!T
Research
Programs, Office of Naval Research
I Arlington, Va. 22217
iS. AUSYRAC I
This report describes the Job Diagnostic Survey (JDS), an instrument designed
to measure the following three classes of variables:
1. The objective characteristics of jobs, particularly the degree to which
jobs are designed so that they enhance the internal work motivation and the
job satisfaction of people who do them.
2. The personal affective reactions of individuals to thcir jobs and to the
broader work setting,
3. The readiness of individuals to respond positively to "enriched" jobs-i.e.,
jobs which have high measured potential for generating internal work motivation.
The JDS is based on a specific theory of how jobs affect employee motivation.
It is intended for two general types of use: (a) for diagnosing existing Jobs to
determine if (and how) they might be re-designed to improve employee productivity
and satisfaction; and (b) for evaluating the effect of job changes on employees-
whether the changes derive from deliberate "Job enrichment" projects or from
naturally-occurring modifications of technology or work systems.
The JDS has gone through three cycles cf revision and pre-testing. Reliability
and validity data are summarized for 658 employees on 62 different jobs in seven
organizations who have responded to the revised instrument.
Two supplementary instruments also are described: (a) a rating form for use by
supervisors or outside observers in assessing "target" jobs, and (b) a short form
of the JDS. All instruments and scoring keys are appended.

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(PAGE 2)
ascurity Class fiHcetlon
 +JIMHE JOB DIAGNOSTIC SURVEY:
AN INSTRUMENT "FOR THE DIAGNOSIS OF JOBS AND THE
EVALUATION OF JOB REDESIGN PROJECTS

J. Richard Hackman and Greg R. Oldham

Yale University University of Illinois

Technical Report No. 4

Department of Administrative Sciences
Yale University

a y, 1974

Prepared in connection with research supported by the Office of Naval

Research (Organizational Effectiveness Research Program, Contract No.
N00014-67A-0097-0026, NR 170-744) and by the U. S. Department of Labor
(Manpower Administration, Grant Ilo. 21-09-74-14). Reproduction in
whole or in part is permitted for anir purpose of the United States
Government. Approved for public release; distribution unlimited.
 TIHE JO3 DIAGINOSTIC SURVEY: AN Ii'WSTRIRCUTT FOR THE
DIAGNOSIS OF JOBS A!) THIE EVALUATIO71 OF JOB PEDESIGN PROJECTS

J. Richard Hackman and Greg R. Oldham

Yale University University of Illinois

As both organizational productivity and employee alienation from work

become increasingly problematic in contemporary American society , more and

more organizations are turning to the redesign of work as a strategy for

organizational change (¢f., Davis & Taylor, 1972; Ford, 1969% Maher, 1971).

Indeed, "Job enrichnent"--one particular change technique involving work

redesign--seems about to become something of a fad among organizational

consultants and managers.

As yet, hnwever, a solid body of knowledge about the effects of job

enrichment has not emerged from behavioral science rezsearch. Neither are
there abundant data available about the relative effectiveness of various

strategies for implementing work redesign projects (Hulin & Blood, 1968.:
Porter, Lawler & Hackman, 1975, Ch. 10).

There are a nrimber of reasons for this unfortunate state of affairs.

Some of them have to do with the adequacy of existing theories about how

Jobs affect people, others derive from methodological difficulties in

carrying out job redesign experiments in on-going organizations. Yet per-
haps one of the most pelling explanations for the pauc~ity of knowledge
about work redesign is so one of the most basic: namely, that our capa-

bility to measure (and th eby understand) what is going on with what

effects when jobs are \ha d has been very limited.
4 ~The present paper rep.~rts the development of a measurement tool which
 2

may be helpful in filling this void in research and action projects in-'

volvino the redesign of work. The instrument described here specifically

was designed to be useful both in the diagnosis of the characteristics of

Jobs prior to their redesign, and in research and evaluation activities

aimed at assessing the effects of redesigned jobs on the employees who
perform them.

It is hoped that by increasing our capability to diagnose the motiva-

tional potential of jobs before they are changed, it will become possible

for organizAtional change tgents to more wisely plan and carry out job

redesign pro'ects. Moreover, the availability of a standardized instru-

ment for evaluating such projects should facilitate efforts by behavioral

scientists to understand how and why job enrichment works when it does
work--and what has gone wrong when it doesn't.

Conceptual Basis of the Instrument

Any measuring device is kased on some underlying theory of "-what's

important" regarding the phenomena under considetation (even if such a

theory is implicit), and this instrument is no exception. The theory which

gave rise to the present instrument is based on earlier work by Turner &

Lawrence (1965) and by Hackman & Lawler (1971). It is sketched briefly

below, to provide a context for understanding and interpreting the measures

geaerated by the instrument. F',r a more detailed description arid dia-

cussion of the theo-y itself, sue i.clman & Oldham (1974).

The basic theory is presented in Figure 1. It proposes that positive

personal and work outcnmes (high internal motivation, high work satisfac-
tion, high quality performance, and low abst.iteeism and turnover) are

obtained when three "c•itical psychological states" are present (exper-

4 •

ieo~ced meaningfulness of the work, experienced responsibility for the

outcomes of the work, and knowledge of the results of the work activities).
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All three of the Critical Psychological States must be present for the

positive outcomes to be realized.

The theory proposes that the three Critical Psychological States are

created by the presence of five "core" job dimensions. Experienced

Meaningfulness of the Uork is enhanced primarily by three of the Core

Dimensions: Skill Variety, Task Identity, and Task Significance. Exper-

ienced Responsibility for Work Outcomes is increased when a job has high

Autonomy. Knowledge of Results is increased when a job is high on Feed-

back. Following the theory diagrammed in Figure 1, it is possible to

compute a score reflecting the overall "motivating potential" of a job in

terms of the core job dimensions. This score (which is discussed in

detail by Hackman & Oldham, 1974) is computed as follows:

Motivating Skill + Task + Task 7

Potential * Variety Identity Significancel X1 Autonomy XIFeedback
Score (MPS) 3

The theory is not expected to "work" with equal effectiveness for all

individuals. In particular, individuals who strongly value and desire

personal feelings of accomplishment and growth should respond very posi-

tively to a job high in motivating potential, individuals who do not value

personal growth and accomplishment may find such a job anxiety-arousing

and may be uncomfortably "stretched' by it. Thereftre, arowth need strength

is shown in Figure 1 as a moderator of the other relationships specified

by the theory.

Summary of Concepts Neasured by the Job Diagnostic Survey

The basic instrument described in this report is called the Job

S'DiagnostiL Survey (JDS). It is taken by employees who work on any given

job, and provides measures of each of the concepts in the theory sketched
 5

above for that job. In addition, the instrument provides several supple-

mentary measures of the respondent's reactions to his or her work. The

specific measures obtained from the JDS are described below.

Job dimensions. The JDS provides measures of the five Core Dimensions

shown in Figure 1, which are defined as follows:

Skill Variety. The degree to which a job requires a variety
of different activities in carrying out the work, which involve
the use of a number of different skills and talento of t!he
employee.

Task Identity. The degree to which the 4ob requires completion

of a "whole" and identifiable piece of work--i.e., doing a job
from beginning to end with a visible outcome.

Task Significance. The degree to which the job has a substantial

impact on the lives or work of other people--whether in the im-
mediate organization or in the external environment.

Autonomy. The degree to which the job provides substantial

freedom, independence, and discretion of the employee in
scheduling the work and in determining the procedures to be
used in carrying it out.

Feedback from the Job Itself. The degree to which carrying out
the work activities required by the job results in the employee
obtaining direct and clear information about the effectiveness
of his or her performance.

In addition, measures are obtained for two additional dimensions

which have been found to be helpful in understanding jobs and employee

reactions to them. These are:

Feedback from Agents. The degree to which the employee receives
clear information about his or her performance from supervisors
or from co-workers. (This dimension is not, strictly speaking, a
characteristic of the job itself. It is included to provide
information to supplement that provided by the Feedback from the
Job Itself dimension.)

Dealing with Others. The degree to which the job requires the
employee to work closely with other people in carrying out the
work activities (including dealings with other organization
members and with external orgauizational "clients.")

Critical psychological states. The JDS provides measures of each of

"the three psychological states which are shown in Figure 1 as mediating

 6
between the core job dimensions and the outcomes of the work. These are.
Experienced Meaningfulness of the Work. The degree to which the
employee experiences the job as one which is generally meaningful,
valuable, and worthwhile.
Experienced Responsibility for Work Outcomes. The degree to which
the employee feels personally accountable and responsible for the
results of the work he or she does.
Knowledge of Results. The degree to which the employee knows and
understands, on a continuous basis, how effectively he or she is
performing the job.
Affective reactions to the job. The JDS provides measures of a
number of personal, affective reactions or feelings a person obtains from

performing the job. These are viewed, in the context of the theory in

Figure 1, as the "personal outcomes" obtained from doing the work. (The
instrument does not measure actual ork productivity or employee percep-

tions of their productivity.)

General Satisfaction. An overall measure of the degree to which
the employee is satisfied and happy with the job.
Internal Trork Motivation. The degree to which the employee is
self-motivated to perform effectively on the job--i.e,, the
employee experiences positive internal feelings when working
effectively on the job, and negative internal feelings when
doing poorly.

Specific Satisfactions. A nunber of short scales which provide

separate measures of satisfaction with:
(a) job security
(b) pay and other compensation
(c) peers and co-workers ("social" satisfaction)
(d) supervision
(e) opportunitiez for parizoncl proth at " vlopmnt
on the job ("growth" satisfaction)
Individual gro-th need strength. Finally, the JDS taps the strength
of the respondent's desire to obtain "provth" satisfactions fron his or

her work. This measure is viewed as a malleable individual difference

characteristic which (as sho7w in Figure 1) is predicted to affect owu

positively an ezpluyee will respond to a job with objectively high
motivating potential.
 7

Development of the Job Diagnostic Survey

Development Strategy

The Job Diagnostic Survey has its origins in previous methodologies

developed by Turner & Lawrence (1965) and by Hlackman & Lawler (1971).

Many of the scales and items used by these researchers are retLined, in

revised form, in the JDS.

The JDS itself has been under development and refinement for over two

years. The foilowin,- strategic considerations have guided its development:

1. Linking the instrument closely to a specific t of work design

and worker mativation (sumarized in the preceding section). The JDS

provides measures of all critical variables in the theory -- as well as

measures of a few supplementary variables that are not included in the

theory. As a consequence, the JDS probes theory-specified concepts in

considerable depth--but sacrifices empirical breadth in order to do so.

That is, the J1.S is not an instruneu&. recomsended for a bt-oad-based

diagnosis of eaploy•e attitudes at work- instead it is useful primarily

for examining the characteristics of jobs 2 and employee reactions to

those jobs.

2. Providing more than one nethodological format for as-sessinr the

theory-specified trilables. Given that the intent of the JPS is to pro-

vide a detailed aur. reliable assessment of jobs and reactions to thm-, an

attenpt was twde to measure each variable in wore than one way. IThus,

within the JDS itself, each variable is addressed in tuo differe•t sections

of the questionnaire, by items written in te different formars. ,woreover,

an accow.paunying instrurmt (the Job Pating Form) was developed simatan-

eously with the JDS , and provides a means to obtain ea~sures of the Core
 8

Dimensions from individuals who do not tbemselves wort- on the f.ocal job

(e.g.) supervisors or outside observers). The iters on the Job Ratiing

Form exactly parallel thoje on the JDS, v-iich permits dirc , M

between different views of the same job.

3. •laintaining a clear dis~inction between descriptions of r'e job

per se and atf•-~ive reactions to the job. Considerable effort wa. ex-

pended in developing item formats and wordings which would make :lear

as possible the differences between those items which ask foti.escri_.Ztions

of the Job itself and those that tag employees' personal a.-fl affective

reactions to the Job. The intent was to make the farm-r as objective as

possible, while allowing the full richness of employees' experiences to

dominate the latter.

Refinement of the Instrument

The JDS has undergone three major revisions over the last two years.

In its various developmental forms, it has been tuAllen by over 1500 ip.di-
viduals workinR ou nore than 100 differ•nt jobs in about 15 different

organiztims.
Revisions were based on boch psychometric and substantive consira-

tiems. On the one hand. items uv-e added, deletei,, aul revised in fortft-

to max!inied scale reliabilities and the enpirical discriminatioa amngn

acales. At the sawe tirte, however, the reftnemeat analyses were u•sd to

aasess the conciaptual validity of the theory on vhich the instrumint was

hased--and the data coliected Tre. used to revise and- ref We the theory

sicultancously with the improvemeut of t.he istrurenmt Itgelf. At each

iteration, the nt=ber and maimitude of the charties required vere scaller.

and the final version or the instrument is not substantially different

froa the one iem-diately preceeding it.

 9

Summary of Materials Available

Copies of the following materials are appended to this report:

1. The Job Diagnostic Survey. The basic instrument to be taken

by individuals whose jobs (and whose reactions to their jobs) are of

focal interest. Reproduced in Appendix A.

2. Scoring Key for the JDS. A description of what items are scored

on what JDS scales, specifying the particular scoring conventions which

are used. Appendix D.

3. Short Form of the JDS. A brief version of the JDS, which takes

only about 10 minutes to complete. Some scales in the JDS are not in-

cluded in the Short Form- others are measured with fewer items. The scales

measuring the Job dimensions themselves, however, are measured identically

as in the JDS. The Short Form is especially useful as a follow-up instru-

ment in longitudinal studies of work redesign. It can be given repeatedly

without creating excessive demands on the respondents, and the job

dimension scores themselves are directly comparable to those obtained

using the JDS. Appendix C.

4. Scoring Key for the Short Form of the JDS. Appendix D.

5. The Job Rating Form. An instrument to be used by supervisors of

the focal job (or by outside observers) in rating job characteristics.

Provides measures onl• of the job dimensions; none of the scales measuring

affective reactions to the job are included. No scoring key for the Job

Rating Form is included, because the Form is scored identically with

Sections One and Two of the JDS and of the Short Form. Appendix E.

Description of the Job Diagnostic Survey

The JDS is described in general terms below, and is attached in

Appendix A.
... .. . - - -. '-

10
Job Dimensions

Scores on the seven job dimensions measured are obtained from items

in Sections One and Two of the JDS. In Section One, a single item is pro-

vided for each job dimension, in the following format:

1. How much !rt is there in your job? That is, to what

extent does the job require you to do many different things
at work, using a variety of your skills and talents?
1-------2......3. -4 -
Very little- the Moderate Very much.- the
job requires me to variety job requires
do the sawe routine me to do many
things over and different
over again. things, using
a number of
different
skills and
talents.

Respondents circle the number which best reflects their assessment

of the amount of variety in their jobs.

In Section Two, two items are provided for each of the seven job

dimensions, one of which is phrased in direct or positive terms, and one

of which is phrased in reversed or negative form. Respondents are asked

to indicate how accurate vs. inaccurate each statement listed is in de-

scribing the objective characteristics of the job. A seven-point scale is

used, ranging from "Very Inaccurate" through "Uncertain" to "Very Accur-

ate." A sample statement (in reversed format) for Skill Variety is:

1. The job is quite simple and repetitive.

Critical Psychological States

Scores for Experienced Meaningfulness of the Work, Experienced

Responsibility for Work Outcomes, and Knowledge of Results are obtained

from Sections Three and Five of the JDS. In Section Three, respondents

indicate their agreement or disagreement with a number of statements about

their work experience. A seven-point scale is used, ran,,ing from

"Disagree Strongly" through "Ieutral" to "Agree StronglyT." Sample stzte-

ments are given below.

For Experienced Meaningfulness of the T.York (reversed format):

1. Most of the things I have to do on this job seem useless

or trivial.

For Experienced Responsibility for Work Outcomes:

1. I feel I should personally take the credit or blame

for the results of my work on this job.

For Knowledge of Results (reversed format):

1. I often have trouble figuring out whether I'm doing

well or poorly on this job.

In Section Five, a projective format is used, in which respondents

are asked to "think of other people in your organization who hold the

same job as you do" and to indicate how accurate each of a number of

statements are in describing the feelings of those other people about

the job. The scale is the same seven-point Agree-Disagree scale used in

Section Three. The content of the items is very similar to those included

in Section Three, except that most items are prefaced by a phrase such as

"Most people on this job ... ' A sample item (for Experienced Ifeaning-

fulness) is:

1. Most people on this job find the work very meaningful.

In all, there are four items tapping Experienced Meaningfulness of

the Work (two in Section Three and two in Section Five). six items for

Experienced Responsibility for Work Outcomes (four in Section Three and

tw-o in Section Five)- and four items for Knowledge of Results (two in

Section Three and two in Section Five). Eight of the items are directly

stated; six of the items are in reversed format.

Affective Reactions: General Satisfaction and Internal ,fork Motivation

General satisfaction and internal work motivation also are assessed

 12

by items in Sections Three and Five, the items for these scales are inter-

mixed with those for the Critical Psychological States, described above.

There are five items tapping general satisfaction (three in Section Three
and two in Section Five) and six items for internal work motivation (four

in Section Three and two in Section Five). Two of the general satisfaction
items and one of the internal motivation items are in reversed format.

A sample item for general satisfaction (from Section Five, reversed

format) is-

___ 1. People on this job often think of quirting.

A sample item for internal work motivation (from Section Three,

direct format) is:

___ 1. •Iy opinion of myself goes up when I do this job well.

Affectiva Reactions: Specific Satisfactions
Score- for five specific satisfaction sub-scales are obtained from

Se6.tion Four of the JDS. Subjects respond to the query "How satisfied are
you with tý.is aspect of your job?" for each item, using a seven-point

scale which range.' from "Extremely Dissatisfied" through "Neutral" to

"Extremely Sa.isfied." Sample items for each of the five sub-scales are

given below.

Jojb Security (two itens)

1. HT.w secure things lool- for me in the future in this

st •nization.

Pay and Compeusariai (two items)

1. The dmount of pay and fringe benefits I receive.

Social (three items)

1. The chance to get to know other people while on the Job.

Supervision (three items)

1. Thi amount of support and guidance I receive from my

supervisor.
 13

Growth (four items)

1. The amount of personal growth and development I get
in doing my job.
Individual Growth Need Strength

The growth need strength of respondents is measured in Sections Six

and Seven of the JDS.

"!,ould like" format. In Section Six, respondents are asked to indi-

cate "the degree to which you would like to have each (of eleven conditions)

present in your job." Five of the items (e.g., "Very friendly co-workers")
are not relevant to individual growth needs, and are not scored. A sample

item is:

1. Chances to exercise independent thought and action in

my job.

All eleven of the items refer to generally positive or desirable

I
aspects of the workplace. To emphasize to the respondents that most items

are seen as desirable to most people, the seven-point response scale ranges

from "Would like having this only a moderate amount--or less" through
"Would like having this very much" to "Would like having this extremely

much." To further reinforce the fact that these items are to be marked
1 differently from those encountered earlier in the instrument, the numerical

values on the response scale range from 4 to 10. The iten. scores are trans-

formed to a standard 1 to 7 scale prior to analysis by subtracting a

constant of 3.0 from each item.

Job choice format. Growth need strength is measured in Section Seven

of the JDS by asking respondents to indicate their relative preferences

for pairs of hypothetical jobs. A sample item is:

 14
JOB A JOB B
A job where you are A Job with many
often required to make pleasant people to
important decisions. work with.

1-------------- 2 ----- --------- 4 -------- ---- 5

Strongly Slightly Neutral Slightly Strongly
Prefer A Prefer A Prefer B Prefer B

Respondents circle the number .hich reflects their own relative

preference between the two jobs. There are 12 items (i.e., pairs of

hypothetical jobs) in the section. 'In each item a job with characteristics

relevant to growth need satisfaction is paired with a job which has the

potential for satisfying one of a variety of other needs. In half of the

items (as in the example above) the choice is between jobs which both

have positive characteristics* in half the choice is between jobs which

both have predominantly negative features (e.g., a job where there is a

real chance of being laid off vs. a job with little chance to dc challeng-

ing work). The growth-relevant job is presented in half of the items as

"JOB At : and in half as "JOB B."

Biographical Informatign

Brief biographical data are obtained in Section Eight of the JDS,

including the sex, age, and highest level of education of the respondent.

Empirical Properties of the Job Diagnostic Survey

In general, the JDS has been found to have satisfactory psychometric

characteristics, and summary scores derived from the instrument have been

shovn to have substantive validity. The empirical findings on which these

conclusions are based are reported and discussed below. 2

Methodology

Sample. The results reported are based on data obtained from 658

employees working on 62 different jobs In seven organizations. The jobs

were highly heterogeneous, including blue collar, white collar, and

professional work. Both industrial and service organizations were included

in the sample, but all were business organizations. The organizations

were located in the east, southeast, and midwest, in both urban and rural

settings. The demographic characteristics of the respondents are summar-

ized in Table 1.
I
Data collection procedure. All data were collected on-site by one OA

the authors or their associates. 3 one to four days were spent by the re-

searchers at each organization collecting data. Procedural steps were

typically as follows:

1. The nature of the research was explained to second- or third-level

management, and permission to administer the instrument was secured.

Managers were informed that the project had to do with the refinement of

an instrument to diagnose jobs, and that it would involve collection of

data from employees, from their supervisors, and from company records.
2. The JDS was administered to groups of employees (ranging from 3

to 25 at a time). Before taking the questionnaire, employees were told

about the nature and purposes of the research, and were given the option

of not participating. Few employees declined to complete the question-

naire. It also was emphasized that all information obtained would be held

in confidence, and that ao one in the organization would have access to

individual responses. Employees were told that it was desirable to .ave

names on questionnaires for research purposes, but that this also was

voluntary. About 10 percent of the respondents declined to provide their

names.

3. Supervisors were asked to complete the Job Rating Form, which

measures the characteristics of the focal job as viewed by individuals

 /
' 16
/
Table 1
DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SAMPLE
/
11 Percent
SEX /
•ale 386 59
.Female 272 41
AIUnder 20 60 9
20-29 282 43
'30-39 175 27
£ 40-49 65 10
50-59 62 9
60 and over 12 2

EDUCATION
Grade school 7 1
Some high school 40 6
High school degree 221 34
Some business college or technical school 76 12
SSome college experience (other than business or 151 23
technical)
Business college or technical school degree 22 3
College degree 90 1.4
Some graduate work
/ Master's or higher degree
24
26
4
4
LOCATION OF PLACE OF wORK
Urban 355 34
Suburban 46 7
Rural 255 39
LOCATION OF RESIDENCE
Urban 194 30
Suburban 288 44
Rural in2 26
LOCATION OF CHILDHOOD HOME
Urban 207 32
Suburban 217 33
Rural 230 35
 17

who do not work on that job. These questionnaires were administered to

supervisors in groups ranging in size from one to ten. As was the case

for employees who worked on the target jobs, the nature and purposes of

the research were explained before the questionnaires were distributed, and

confidentially was assured.

4. The researchers completed a version of the Job Rating Form, after

having observed the job for between one and two hours--providing a third

perspective ou the objective characteristics of the target job.

5. Tembers of management were asked to rate the work performance of

each respondent on (a) effort expended on the job, (b) work quality, and

(c) work quantity. Subsequently a summary measure of rated work effec-

tiveness was obtained by averaging these ratings across the three scales

and across the supervisors who rated each employee.

6. Absence data were obtained from company records. These data

were recorded in terms of the number of days each employee in the sample

had been absent during the immediately preceding year.

In 4ome organizations and for some Jobs it was not possible to obtain

all the data described above. Therefore, some of the results reported

below are based on that sub-set of the total sample for uhich complete

dita are available for the variable(s) of interest.

5
JDS Scale Reliabilities

Table 2 presents the internal consistency reliabilities of each of

6
the scales measured by the Job Diagenostic Survey. Also included in the

table for each scale is the median of the correlations between (a) the

items composing a given scale and (b) all of the other items which are

scored on different scales of the same general type. These median corre-

lations (called in th* table "off-diagonal' correlations) provide one

 18
Table 2

RELIABILITIES OF THE JDS SCALES

Internal Median
Consistency Off-diagonal
JOB DIMENSIONS Reliability Correlations
Skill Variety .71 .19
Task Identity .59 .12
Task Significance .66 .14
Autonomy .66 .19
Feedback from the Job Itself. .71 .19
Feedback from Agents .78 .15
Dealing with Others .59 .15

PSYCE3'LOGICAL STATES
Experienced Meaningfulness of the Work .74 .26
Experienced Responsibility for the Work .72 .23
Knowledge of Results .76 .17

AFFECTIVE RESPONSES TO THE JOB

General Satisfaction .76 .25
Internal Work Motivation .76 .25
Specific Satisfdctions:
Job Security b b
Pay b b
Social .56 .23
Supervisory .79 .25
Growth .84 .28

GROIW! NEED STREt!G•!

".Uould Live" Format .88 c
Job Choice Format .71 c

Notes:
a. The nediau off-diagonal correlation is the median correlation of the
Items scored on a given scale vith all of the items scored on differ-
ent scales of the same type. Thus, the median off-diagonal correla-
tion for skill variety (.19) is the median correlation of all items
measuring skill variety with all the items measuring the other six job
dimensions.

b. These scales were added to the JDS after the present data were
collected, and no reliability data are yet available.

c. Off-diagonal correlations are not reported for these tuo scales, since
all items were designed to tap the same construct. The scale scores
obtained usinrn the "wuld like" format correlate .50 with the scale
scores obtained using the job choice foreat.
 19

reflection of the discriminant validity of the items.

The internal consistency reliabilities range from a high of .88

(growth need strength, in the "would like" format) to a low of .56

("social" satisfaction). The median off-diagonal correlations range from

.12 (task identity) to .28 ("growth" satisfaction). In general, the

results suggest that both the internal consistency reliability of the

scales and the discriminant validity of the items are satisfactory.

Objectivity of the Job Dimensions

Assessments of the focal jobs on the job dimensions were made not

only by employees who worked on those jobs, but by supervisors and

observers (the researchers) as well. This was done to provide an indirect

test of the "objectivity" of employee ratings of the characteristics of

their own jobs.

The relationships amona the j-udgments made by employees, supervisors,

and observers are shown in Table 3. The ratings of each group (i.e.,

employees, supervisors, observers) were averaged for -ach job, and then

correlations were computed usinn jobs as observations. The median of the

correlations between employees and supervisors is .51" between employees

and observers is .63- and between supervisors and observers is .46.

Although in gemneral the ratings of the three rroups couverge moder-

ately well, there are sowe job diemisians (e.g., Feedback from Agents) for

which the correlations between tuo of the groups are quite low. Horeover,

the •eneral level of the correlations is lower than those reported for

similar job distensions by Hackan & Lavler (1971).

It may be reasonably argued that vhen the intent is to predict or

understand employee attitudes and behavior at work, employee ratinSa of

the job dimemsions sbould be used--slnce iE is an e~loyeels o'. perceptions

 20

of the objective job which is causal of his reactions to it. The data in

Table 3 suggest, houever, that employee descriptions of their jobs, at

least for some job dimensions, a• be discrepant fro.a the vit:ys of other

observers. Therefore, when the present instruments are used for diagnostic

or evaluative research, it is recommended that ratings of job characteris-

tics be obtained from at least two different sources--and that efforts be

made to understand the reasons for any major discrepancies uhich are

observed between them.

Means and Variances of the JDS Scales

Means and standard deviations of the JDS scale scores across all 658

respondents are presented in Table 4. The table also shows the mean JDS

scores across the 62 Jobs in the sample (i.e., the scores of respondents

who worked on each job were averaged, and the mean of these averages was
computed across the 62 jobs for each scale.) The scale means obtained

across all cespondects are very similar to those obtained when averages

were computed across jobs. This indicates that the different numbers of

respondents who held the various Jobs did not substantially affect the

Mean scale scores.

Also reported in Table 4 are the res-ults of one-vay analyses of

variance uhich were computed for each scale across 50 jobs which had five

or more reapoAeats. As expected, beveen-ob diferenc arestaristically

aignlafic~t for all of the JMS scale scores. The- data in the- table show

that the JDS scales vary considerably both in the ax--ont of betvee--job

varlance present. and in the -atount of variance present a-on. respondents

within Jobs. The F-ratios can be taken as rough indicators of thO s.asi-

tivity of the scales to betwv-n-job differeces (at least for the set of

jobs in the present =-_ple). It should be kept fin ald, however, that
 21

Table 3

RELATIONSHIPS AMONG EMPLOYEES', SUPERVISORS' AND OBSERVERS' JOB RATINGS

CORRELATIONS BETWEEN:
Employees Employees Superviscra
and and and
Supervisors Observers Observers
JOB DIM'!,.USION

Skill Variety .64 .66 .89

Task Identity .31 .32 .44

Task Significance .48 .65 -. 14

Autonomy .58 .76 .72

Feedback from the Job Itself .33 .58 .47

Feedback frmo Agents .07 -. 13 .14

Dealing uith Others .55 .61 .37

41ivatlag Potential Score .56 .70 .71

•4ed ia .51 .63 .46

ote:
0 Data tre included only for those jobs for uhicb wre thbn o"e s-t
of s~upervisory ratiýs %xre avail~able. FS raaed froc 12 to 21 jobs.
 22

v4f a%Linlo r-4 r4 M~%QflLf .... 7ell) N.4. fnO n .. pL (10 0

tflT -? ý 0~ 4tO V% a' k00%C O -.7 N-O C.4'O %0. ON0 w
.e *t .e *. .* * r~v4 4J
* t
W 4 (4 4L s -4 q, M>;0 " hc

0 >t

cu4 0 0 *. * . . 4e C l
(3
J'm )C - x- C-4 a crO'm MNo' at0
-?N .c-4E¶. 'o #- .

~t\4 "

CCL

-- co()flc"N
tLnL' % (sle rP%N 04c.0 LI
0f "L nr Nm0 l 0r 1 1 C
. . . ' . . . . . w E

C14'

~0 0

~ 0C'~4~ r4.0 C (-4

UW%
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1 40 14 ý-4 14'44ý4 4
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asi

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* ~~ ~ ~~O4~CtCJ-~ ~ ~ ~ r-0 ~
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 23
within-job variance (the denominator of the F-ratio) is multiply-determined-

and in part determined by real differences in actual jobs within organiza-

tional job categories. That is, some (unknown) amount of the within-job

variance must be attributed to scale unreliability and to individual differ-

ences among respondents. At the same time, some (also unknown) amount of

the same variance is explained by the fact that jobs often are individually

designed--to take account of particular characteristics of the people who do

them, or because of the need for certain specialized .activities to be per-

formed by some people within a given job category. Therefore, the ratio of

the between- to the within-job variance should be interpreted with caution.

Means for a subset of the JDS scales from an entirely different sample

are presented in Appendi.x F. These data, from VanMaanen & Katz (1974),
show the mean JDS scores for a group of over 3000 public employees, broken

into eight Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) job categories.

In general, the mean scores for the EEOC sample are higher than the mean

scores for the sample from business organizations reported in Table 4.

Relationships Among the JDS Scales

Intercorrelations among the JDS scales are presented in Tables 5 and 6.

"The correlations in Table 5 were computed across all 658 respondents; in

Table 6, respondent scores were averaged for each job, and these mean scores

were intercorrelated across the 62 jobs.

In general, the patterns of intercorrelations in Tables 5 and 6 are

quite similar--althou:h the overall level of relationship in the analysis

across jobs is higher than in the case for the analysis across all 658

respondents. This is to be expected for a number of reasons, not the least

of which is that the reliability cf the JDS scores used in the analysis
which used jobs as observations, was undoubtedly higher than Lhe reliability

-. t Iý - y
 Co 24

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 25

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 26

K •of the scores used in the analysis across all 658 individuals--simply
because the perceptions and reactions of all individuals who held a given

job were averaged prior to computing correlations across jobs.

The job dimensions themselves are moderately intercorrelated, as has

been found previously (Hackman & Lawler, 1971). Again, this is to be ex-
pected if it is assumed that "good" jobs often are good in a number of ways

--and "bad" jobs often arc generally bad. There is no a priori reason to

expect that the job dimensions would or should be completely independent,

and a moderate level .of intercorrelation anong them does not detract from

their usefulness as separate job dimensions--so long as the fact of their

non-ind.-pendence is recognized and accounted for in interpreting the scores

of jobs on a given job dimension.

In the analysis acrobs respondents, the job dimensions, psychological

states, and affective reactions are generally independent of the tvo

measures of growth need strength (the median intercorrelation is .11).

These relationships are substantially higher in the correlations computed

across jobs--which may reflect the emergence of a congruence between the

needs of individuals and the psychological make-up of jobs as people arrive

to work on the job, leave, and are changed by the work they do.

Substantive Validity of the JDS

The substantive validity of the instrument is addressed in detail in a

separate report (Hackman & Oldham, 1974). In general, that report shows

that the variables measured by the JDS relate to one another (and to ex-

ternal criterion variables) generally as predicted by the theory on which

the instrument is based. In particular, the job dimensions (and the

Motivatinn Potential Score) relate positively and often substantially to:

(1) the other variables measured by the JDS which are predicted to be

I
 27

affected by the job characteristics, including the three critical psycholog-

ical states, general satisfaction, growth satisfaction, and internal tork

motivation (cf. Tables 5 and 6).

(2) behavioral measures of absenteeism and supervisory ratings of work

performance effectiveness.

In addition, and also as predicted by the theory, the relationships

between the job dimensions and the dependent measures (including the

behavioral measures) are stronger for individuals with high growth need

strength than they are for individuals who are not strongly desirous of

growth satisfactions. All of these relationships are explored in more

detail in the separate report referenced above.

Summary

Data reported or summarized in this section show that the Job Diagnos-

tic Survey has satisfactory psychometric characteristics, and that the

variables it taps relate generally as predicted to appropriate external

criteria. Internal consistency reliabilities are generally satisfactory,

and the items which compose the scales show adequate discriminant validity.

Ratings of job characteristics by employees, supervisors, and outside ob-

servers show a moderate level of convergence for most of the job dimensions:

it is recommended that ratings of job dimensions be obtained from more than

one source in applications of the instrument to permit the degree of con-

vergence in each particular situation to be checked. Variances of the

scales are Senerally satisfactory, although some JDS scales show greater

sensitivity to between-job differences than do others. Relationships

among the JDS scales are generally positive, indicating that either the

concepts tapped by the instrument or the methodologies used to gauge these

concepts (or both) are not completely indep'--?dent. In general, the

 28

relationships among the JDS scales (and between these scales and behavior-

ally-based dependent variables) are substantial and in the direction

predicted by the theory on which the instrument is based.

THE JOB RATING FORM

The Job Rating Form is a companion instrument to the JDS, designed for

use in obtaining assessments of jobs on the job dimensions by supervisors

or outside observers who do not work on the job. Except for the instruc-

tions and minor rewordings of the item stems (e.g., changing "your job" to

"the job") the Job Rating- Form is identical to Sections One and Two of the
JDS. As previously discussed, this permits direct quantitative comparisons

to be made between assessments made ef job characteristics by the people

who do the job, by their supervisors, and by outside observers.

Means, standard deviations, and scale intercorrelations for the Job

Rating Form are presented in Table 7, separately for respondents who were

iri supervisory positions vis-a-vis the job rated, and for outside observers

(typically the researchers from Yale). The five core job dimensions are

most highly intercorrelated for the observers, next most for supervisors,

and least most for the employees themselves (see Tables 5 and 6). This

suggests that the "closer" one is to the job, the better able one is to

differewtiate among the different job dimensions--which provides another

reason for attending most closely to employee ratin'-s of their own jobs

in auy diagnostic use of the JDS.

An analysis of variance comparing the mean job dimension scores for

employees, supervisors, and observers is presented in Table 8. Statis-

tically significant mean differences are obtained for all job dimeusions

except Skill Variety and Feedback from the Job Itself. Typically supervidory
 29

Table 7

MEANS, STANDARD DEVIATIONS, AND IN'ERCORRELATIONS

OF JOB DIMENISIOUS FROM THE JOB RATING FORM

DATA FROM SUPERVISORS

JOB DIMENSIONS I.WA S.D. INTERCJRRELATIONS

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

1 Skill Variety . .4.45 1.50 --

2 Task Identity 4.92 1.35 .48 --

3 Task Significance 6.07 0.75 .13 .15 --
4 Autonomy 4.70 1.31 .55 .43 .02 --
5 Feedback from 5.15 1.12 .47 .59 .00 .58 --
the Job Itself
6 Feedback from Agents 5.13 0.95 .27 .26-.13 .39 .22 --
7 Dealing with Others 5.14 1.23 .52 .18 .07 .65 .42 .26 --
8 Motivating Potential 134. 66.61 .71 .66 .14 .88 .77 .38 .60 --
score (liPs)
N 46

DATA FROM OBSERVERS

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1 Skill Variety 4.12 1.78 -
2 Task Identity 4.27 1.52 .78 -

3 Task Significance 4.56 1.27 .62 .63 --

4 Autonomy 3.84 1.91 .81 .80 .58 --
5 Feedback from 5.12 1.29 .17 .21 .17 .33 -
the Job Itself
6 Feedback from Agents 3.44 1.52 .30 .32 .38 .25 .03 --
7 Dealing with Others 4.19 1.79 .49 .53 .45 .44 .23 .38 --
8 Motivating Potential 100 78.24 .86 .83 .65 .93 .47 .26 .52
Score (MPS)

38

Note.--Vhen more than one supervisory or observer ratianS was obtained for a
job, they were averaged for that job prior to analysis. Correlations
> .37 for supervisors and , .39 for observers are significant at the
.01 level (two-tailed).

i. ..÷ :. •••••: : ' ••: ;. .••. .•••• • i~• •' "

 30

Table 8

COMPARISON OF MEAN JOB DIMENSION SCORES

FOR EMPLOYEES, SUPERVISORS, AND OBSERVERS

JOB DIMEITSION MEANS F-ratio j

Employees Supervisors Observers

Skill Variety 4.47 4.46 4.12 0.75 .48

Task Identity 4.87 4.92 4.27 3.95 .02

Task Significance 5.55 6.07 4.56 32.90 .001

Autonomy 4.75 4.70 3.84 6.33 .001

Feedback from the 4.96 5.15 5.12 0.55 .58

Job Itself

Feedback from Agents 3.87 5.13 3.44 28.92 .001

Dealing with Others 5.27 5.15 4.19 9.62 .001

Motivating Potential 121 134 100 3.17 .04

Score (HPS)

N 62 46 38

df * 2, 143
I. 31

ratings are highest and observer ratings are lowest of the three- as might

be expected, supervisors are especially high in comparison to the other two

groups for the dimensions Task Significance and Feedback from Agents.

Discussion
Diagnostic Use of the JDS
One of the major intended uses of the JDS is in diagnosing existing

jobs as an input to planned job redesign. In the paragraphs to follow, a

set of action steps is presented that one might follow in carrying out a
job diagnosis using the instrument. At each step a question is posed, and

the usefulness of JDS scores in responding to the question is explored.

Step 1. Are motivation and satisfaction really probleriatic? Sometimes
organizations undertake job enrichment or work redesign to improve the work
motivation and satisfaction of employees when in fact the real problem with

work performance lies elsewhere-for example, in an error-prone computer,

in a poorly designed production system, and so on. It is important, there-

fore, to examine the scores of employees on the motivatiou and satisfaction

portions of the JDS as the first step in a job diagnosis. If motivation

and satisfaction are problematic (and are accotpanied by documnted prlea

in work performance, absenteeisiu, or turnover as revealed by independent

organizational indices), the change agent would continue to Step 2. If not,

he prtesumably should look to other aspecto of the work situation to identify

and understand the re4soas for the problem which gave rise to the diagnostic

activity.
Step 2. I s the lob loIin otivating potenCial? To answer this
question, the change aeent would exa-ine the Notivatinn Potential Score of

the target job, and compare it to the MPS scores of other jobs (and to the
 32

means reported in Table 4 and Appendix F) to determine whether or not the

Job itself is a probable cause of the motivational problems documented iu

Step 1. If the job turns out to be low on the MPS, he would continue to

Step 3! if it scores high, he would look for other reasons for the motiva-

tional difficulties (e.g., the pay plan, the nature of supervision, and

so on).

Step 3. !,hat specific aspects of the Job are causing the difficulty?

This step involves examination of the job on each of the five Core Job

Dimensions, to pinpoint the specific strengths and weaknesses of the job as

it currently exists. It is useful at this stage to construct a "profile"

of the target job, to make visually apparent where improvements need to be

made. An illustrative profile for two Jobs (one "good" job and one Job

needing improvement) is shown in Figure 2.

Job "A" is an engineering maintenance job, and is high on all of the

7
Core Dimensions: the HPS of this job is a very high 260. Job enrichmm-t

would not be recommended for this job if employees working on the job were

unproductive and unhappy, the reasons are likely to have little to do rith

the nature or design of the work itself.

Job "B", wn tm. other hand, has many probIlem. This job involves the

routine and repetitive processiuS of checks in the "back rooe of a bank,

The MPS is 30, which is quite low--ud indeed, would be even lower if It

were not for the =derately bihs TUsk Significace of the job. (Task

Si.Vificance is moderately high because the people are handling large

aouatv of other people's money--and therefore the q"lity of their efforts

poteutially have important copxsequences for their unseen "clients.) The

Sjob provides the individuals with very little direct feedback about how

effectively they are doing it- the employees have little aetomy in hov
 33

0000 0 0 0 0 0 0
(D C O t 0 w 0 2O i

- 20

Q 0

U')
 34
they go about doing the Job: and the job is moderately low in both Skill

Variety and in Task Identity.

For Job B, then, there is plenty of room for improvement--and many

avenues to examine in planning job changes. For still other Jobs, the

avenues for change often turn out to be considerably tore specific: for

example, Feedback and Autonomy may be reasonably high, but one or more of

the Core Dimensions which contribute to the experienced meaningfulness of

the job (i.e., Skill Variety, Task Identity, and Task Significance) may be

low. In such a case, attention would turn to ways to increase the standing

of the job on these three latter dimensions.

In conducting such a diagnosis, the researcher probably would not wish

to rely solely on the reports employees provide on the JDS of what the

objective characteristics of their jobs are. In addition, it would be

informative to use the Job PRting Form to obtain assessaents by supervisors

(and perhaps by outside observers as well) of the characteristics of the

focal job. Such data could serve at least tuo purposes: (a) it would pin-

point wbat characteristics of the job (if any) are viewed differently by

different groupas of respondents-thereby focusi% atttntiot o0 parttciAC rly

uncler or othervise troublesowse aspects of the job: and (W) it %ould pro-

wide an indication of the overall dr of differential perceptioas by

ep4o~yeees ad their supevi-sors. These latter data could serve a import-

-ant dianostic fEucnlzn to th.-ir oun rizht (rc-ardless oz the spatciftc ob

odiensions on whtich disasretasn qns tte-d)Q Ln t.at substrAiai di.re#-

cwnt ýettten ecp.-O%'ces &Ad their su4pervisors coutdA 04~~n

t
t~ ' rr

substriiiuut relations-hps mbight oa4e4 consultatilve atcsnetoo eittiýr prior

to or as an-expifcit part of zzy work. te-destsgz prrojgct.S

S tep 4. tiny t 'redvm are, the esoloveee fo~r 0hanize? (0=%, it has betia
 35
documented that there is need for Improvement in the focal job--and the

particularly troublesomae aspects of the job have been identified--then it

is appropriate to begin platning the specif ic action steps which will be

taken to enrich the job (cf., Hlackman~, Oldhzam, Janson & Purdy, 1974). An
important factor in such plannin- is deteraining the growth need strength

of the employees,, since employees high on growth needs usually respond more

readily to job enrichment than do employees %Ath little need for growth.

The measure of em-ployee growth need strenm2th provided by the JDS can be

helpful in iVeotifying whicb employees should be among the first to have

hged
wtb (i.e.. those with high growth need strength). ad how sch

chan-esea hould be- introduced "i.e., perhaps Wiih more caution for indi-

viduals vith 16t? growth -nee4 strength).

Step 5. rbaS special prblerns and opportunities &re pregent in the

f ~
existing worksystem? Finall~y, before undertakeing act~±al job changes,
attent~ion shxould be g.veka to any p~articular roa~blocks which may exist in

-h or tztieral unit as it curreantL ex~ists--sc to a y specia-1 oppor-.

turatles which may be built~ upop in the change ptogra=. M(ay of hse
f ctot-s wi~ll be 1i~ioyacratic to z'he aystem. awd easily idwt~if i~ble by

those raapausil.hle for gw~tni; tite chsne.

Scae othc- fac~torst, pehvps less readily arQ~bl,pped by the

4ta

JW\~ U4i j~rticu_*,r. the d~a~ agent m4ght exAlXe the current level of

'V ctizfooq Qof epcj~zco Wf.1h v~iaieus zapeets of their orrat'itational life,

II fozex=Ve, me gure saflisf %cticavith pay. jo seuiy -a'Pr

vi~ioejv 4ll are vt~tv low,. the difficultys of initiatint aad de'velopiu& a

&4cc*itsul job radesir,* prolect Is likely to be_ very high--si~nce strccg

"eistiar; distllfstines w"ay be accompantee, by alsctrust of the change and

resistance to It. It, on thx other h~ad, satisfaction urith superviaion Is

 36

very high, the change agent might wish to consider building an especially

central role for supervision in the initiation and management of the change

process.

Other exampies could be given as well. The point is simply that the

supplementary measures provided by the JDS (especially those having to do

with aspects of employee satisfaction) may be helpful io alerting change

agents to special problems and opportunities which deserve explicit recogni-

tion and attention as part of the diagnosis of an existing work system.

Cautions in the Use of the Job Diagnostic Survey

Listed below are a number of issues which, if not recognized. could

impair the validity and the usefulness of the JDS in some applications.

These include:

1. Respondents to the JDS must be moderately literate. Use of the

IDS is not reco0uended for individuals with an eighth grade education or.

less, or with individuals who do not read English well. Usually it is

possible to identify individuals who have had trouble understanding the

instrument by leafing through the completed questiomnair-: numerous skipped

ite'-s (or pages) or pages on which all blanks are filled in urith the Sw"=e

number usually indicate difficulty in comprehending the instrument,

.The Instrument is readily faka.ble, nd probably should not be

used for s.-lection or placement purposes--unless an extraordinarily high

level of trust exists betueen the =ploee aid thee ca-aagers uho %Allbe

usin- the results. Indeed, even vhen the JW' is used to di~anose a L rk

syste-% ;rior to ch=age (or to z-%ess the eftects of charnes vhich have been

made) care shud taken to easure that e-ploy•"e believe that their own

interests will be best served if the data they provide accurately reflect

the objective characteristics of the jobs and their persoal re-ctioa-s to

 37
them.

3. Related to the above, it probably is preferable for employees to

take the JDS under conditions of anonymity. 17hile the research reported in
this paper required the listing of names (and names were voluntarily
supplied by nearly all of the respondents), the instrument was administered

by a university-affiliated person and it was explicitly explained to the

respondents that the primary use of their answers was for research purposes.

When the instrument is administered by members of organizational management

for use by management, anonymity surely will be important for at least some

of the respondents.

4. The instrument is not recommended for use in diagnosing the jobs

of single individuals. Anonymity, of course, is impossible if the indi-

vidual knows that it is his or her own individual job that is being

diagnosr'. But the issue extends beyond that. In developing the JDS,
the intent was to develop scales composed of items with rather heterogeneous

content--to maximize the substantive "richness" of each measure. This was

accomplished at some cost to internal consistency reliability. The relia-
bilities are more than satisfactory when the instrument is used to obtain

average scores of a group of five or more individuals who work on a given

job. In such circumstances, the estimated internal consistency of each

JDS scale would exceed .85 for the average of the group of individuals who

hold the job. For data collected from a single individual, the reliabill-

ties would be as shown in Table 2--which may not be high enough to warrant
job chang.s (or other action steps) on the basis of individual scale scores.

(An exception of this state of affairs is the measure of individual growth

need strength. This scale is designed to be a measure of an individual

characteristic, and was constructed so as to be a highly reliable indicator

Xd"M&"
 38
of individual needs.)

5.
Normative data are still being accumulated on the JDS scales. At
this writing, several thousand respondents have taken one or another of the

preliminary versions of the JDS. Yet because the instrument itself has been
modified on the basis of those responses, a stable normative base has not

yet been established. The scale scores reported in Table 4 and Appendix F
clearly can be used to make corparisons with scores obtained in other uses
of the instrument. But the populations from which these data were obtained

were not selected systematically enough for the data to be used to generate

formal norms (i.e., in computing standard scores and a scale of percentiles

for the JDS measures). As additional data are accumulated from uses of the

final version of the JDS , more complete normative Information will be pro-

vided.

t
 .39<
Footnotes

1. Turner & Lawrence (1965) developed operational measures of six "task

attributes" which were predicted to be positively related to worker satis-
faction and attendance: (a) variety, (b) required interaction, (c) autonomy,
(d) optional interaction, (e) knowledge and skill required, and (f) respon-
sibility. Hackman & Lawler (1971) revised and refined portions of the Turner
and Lawrence procedures, and added a number of attitudinal, motivational,
cnd individual difference measures. The instrument used by Hackman and
Lawler tapped the following six job dimensions: (a) va.iety, (b) autonomy,
(c) task identity, kd) feedback, (e) friendship opportunities, and
(f) dealing with others.

2. A final, "fine-tuning" revision' of the JDS was made after the data re-
ported here were collected. Therefore, some of the results reported may be
slightly discrepant from those which would be obtained using the instrument
in its final form (i.e., as reproduced in Appendix A). When there is any
reason to b,,lieve that empirical results might be substantially affected by
a change which has been made, notation of that possibility is made on the
data table.
3. The authors express their great appreciation to members of the Roy W.
Ualters Associates consultin- firm for their assistance in gaining access
to the organizations, and to Kenneth Brousseau, Daniel Feldman, and Linda
Frank for assistanca in administering the instrument and analyzing the data.

4. It would have been preferable to have coded the data as the number of
occasions of absence--to compensate for circumstances when an employee was
absent for i large number of days because of a single serious illness (or
other personal emergency). Un •rtunately, the records of some organizations
were arranged so that this was not feasible- therefore, to preserve con-
sistency across organizations, all data were coded in terms of the total
number of days of ibsence.

5. The term "scale" is used loosely throughout the remainder of this re-
port to refer to the summary score obtained for each variable measured by
the JDS. These scores are obtained by averaging the items relevant to each
variable (as specified in the JDS Scoring Key)., they are not formal "scales"
in the technical sense of the term.
6. Reliabilities were computed by obtaining the median inter-item correla-
tion for all items which are scored on each scale, and then adjusting the
median by Spearman-Brown procedures to obtain an estimate of the reliability
of the summary scale score.
7. MHPS scores can range from 1 to 343; the average (see Table 4) is about
125.
8. One organization is using the instruments for this purpose with special
thoroughness. Both employees and supervisors are describing their own jobs
on the JDS, and both groups also are describing the job of the other group
using the Job Rating Form. Thus, data will be available for both groups
j showing (a) how group members see their own jobs, and (b) how the other
group sees their jobs. These data will be used to initiate discussions
aimed at improving both the designs of the supervisory and employee jobs,
and the overall quality of supervisor-subordinate relationships.
 40<
REFERENCES

Davis, L. E. and Taylor, J. C. Design of jobs. Middlesex, England"

Penguin, 1972.
Ford, R. N. Motivation through the work itself. New York: American
Management Association, 1969.
Hackman, J. R. and Lawler, E. E. III Employee reactions to job
characteristics. Journal of Applied Psychology Monograph, 1971,
55, 259-286.

Hackman, J. R. and Oldham, G. R. Motivation through the design of work:

Test of a theory. Technical Report No. 6, Department of Administrative
Sciences, Yale University, 1974.

Hackman, J. R., Oldham, G. R., Janson, R. and Purdy, R•. A new strategy
for job enrichment. Technical Report No. 3, Department of Adminis-
trative Sciences, Yale University, 1974.

Hulin, C. L. and Blood, M. R. Job enlargement, individual differences, and

worker responses. Psychological Bulletin, 1968, 69, 41-55.

Maher, J. R. New perspectives in job enrichment. Hew York: Van Nostrand,

1971.

Porter, L. 'U., Lawler, E. E. III and Hackman, J. R. Behavior in organiza-

tions. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1975.
Turuer, A. N. and Lawrence, P. R. Individual jobs and the worker.
Cambridge: Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administra-
tion, 1965.

VanMaanen, J. and Katz, R. (Sloan School of Management, M. I. T.) Work

satisfaction in the public sector. Technical Report, national
Training and Development Service, °Tashington, D. C., 1974.
 . 41<

, I o

I Reproduced from
best available copy.

APPENDIX A

THE JOB DIAGMTOSTIC SURVEY

 42<

4/74 0 J P

,J OB D I A GN 0 S T I C SURVEY

This questionnaire was developed as part of a Yale

University study of jobs and how people react to them.
The questionnaire helps to determine how Jobs can be
better designed, by obtaining information about how
people react to different kinds of jobs.

On the following pages you will find several different kinds of questions
about your job. Sepcific instructions are given at the start of each
section. Please read them carefully. It should take no more than 25
minutes to complete the entire questionnaire. Please move through it
quickly.

The questions are designed to obtain your perceptions

of your job and your reactions to it.

There are no "trick" questions. Your individual answers will be kept

completely confidential. Please answer each item as honestly and frankly as
possible.

Thank you for your cooperation.

For more informa~iou about this questionnaire and its use, please contact:

Prof. J. Richard Hackmran OR Prof. Greg R. Oldham

Department of Administrative Sciences Department of Business Administration
Yale University University of Illinoi*
New Uaven, Connecticut 06520 Urbana, Illinois 61801
 43<

SECTION ONE

This part of the questionnAirq asks you to

describe your job, as objectively as you can.

Please do not use this part of the questionnairL to show how much you like
or dislike your job. Questions about that will come later. Instead, try to
make your descriptions as accurate and a: objective as you possibly can.

A sample question !s given below.

A. To what extent does your job requ.:.re you to work with mechanical
equipment?

1-- ------- 2-------- 3-------- 4-------- 5 -

Very little; the M(oderatelyv Very much; the job
job requires almost requires almost
no contact with constant work with
mechanical equip- mechanical equipment.
ment of any kind.

You are to circle the number whici- is the most accurate description of your job.

If, foi example, lour job requires you to work

with nec•inical •quipmenr a good deal of the time--
!'ut also requirts some paperwork--you might circle
the ,umber six, as was done in the example above.

If you do not undetstand these instructions, please ask for

assistance. If you do understand them, turn the page and begin.
 * 44<

1. To what extent does your Job require you to work closely with other people
(either ý'clients,' or people in related jobs in your own organization)?

1---------
...-..-------- 4----- -5-- -------- 7
Very little; deal- Moderately; Very much; deal-
ing with other some dealing ing.with other
people is not at with others is people is an
all necessary in necessary. absolutely
doing the job. essential and
crucial part of
doing the Job.

2. How much autonomy is there in your job? That is, to what extent does your
job permit you to decide on your own how to go about doing the work?

.. -- 3 4-------- 5--- -------- 7

Very little; the Moderate autonomy; Very much; the
job gives me almost many things are job gives me
no personal "say" standardized and almost complete
about how and when not under my control, responsibility
the work is done. but I can make some for deciding how
decisions about the and when the work
work. is done.

3. To what extent does your Job involve doing a "whole' and identifiable piece
of work? That is, is the job a complete piece of work that has an obvious
beginning and end? Or is it only a small part of the overall piece of
work, which is finished by other people or by automatic machines?

-------- 2- - --- -------4--------5 - ----- 6-------- 7

My Job is only a My job is a My job involves
tiny part of the moderate-sized doing the whole
overall piece of .. chunk" of the piece of work,
work; the results of overall piece of frem start to
my activities cannot work; my own finish; the
be seen in the final contribution can be results of my
product or service. seen in the final activities Are
outcome. easily seen in
the final product
or service.

4. How much variety is there in your job? That is, to what extent does the
job require you to do many different things at work, using a variety of
your skills and talents?
1 .. .3 ........ 4-.......5-•---6-----....7
Very little- the Moderate Very muchl the
job requires me to variety job requires me
do the same routine to do many
things over and different things,
over again. using a number
of different
skills and
talents.

*. 1 ' <:.. .. • •: .,, -. .••• , . • , •, . o : .. ,.•,... =•;•,.• •• • • • :. , ,,.:..=•.,• - .- ".: / :• • 'z•-: ' .-- =• .• -', •'"i'= -. • •• "=; = ? :
 45<

5. In general, how significant or important is your Job? That is, are the
results of your work likely to significantly affect the lives or well-being
sf other people?

1--------- -2-......3-......-------
-
Not very significant; Moderately Highly signifm
the outcomes of my work significant. icant; the
are not likely to have outcomes of my
important effects on work can affect
other people. other people in
very important
ways.

6. To what extent do managers or co-workers let you know how well you are
doing on your job?

Very little; people Moderately, Very much;

almost never let me sometimes people managers or co-
know how well I am may give me 'feed- workers provide
doing. back;" other times me with almost
they may not. constant "feed-
back" about how
well I am doing.

7. To what extent does doing the job itself provide you with information about
your work performance? That is, does the actual work itself provide clues
about how well you are doing-aside from any "feedback' co-workers or
supervisors may provide?

1--------- -2--
- -3--- 4 ------- 5-. .
Very little: the Moderately; some- Very much; the
job itself is set , times doing the job is set up so
up so I could work job provides tiOt I get alrsost
forever without 'feedback:' to me; constaot "feed-
finding out how sometimes it doe& back" as I work
well I am doing. not. about how well I
am doing.
 46<

SECTION TWO

Listed baloy are a number of statemencs which could be used to describe a job.
You are to Indicate vhether each stateaent is an
accurate or an inaccurate description of your job.

Once again, please try to be as objective as you can in deciding

how accurately each statezent describes your job-regardless of
whether you like or dislike your job.

Write a number in tho blank beside each stateuent, based on the following scale:
How accurate is the stateme•t in describing your Job?
1 2 3 4 S 6 7
Very, Hostly Slightly Uncertain Slightly Mostly Very
Inaccurate Inaccurate Inaccurate Accurate Accuaate Accurate

1. The job requires me to use a number of complex or high-level skills.

2. The job requires s lot of cooperative wor- with other people.

3. The job Is arranged so that I do not h&ve the chance to do an entire piece
of work from beginning to cad.

4. Just doing the work required by Lhe joo provides many chanme, for me to
figure out how well 1 &14 doing.

5. The job to quite *sir-t and repetitive,

6. Ths job can be done adequately by a person working &..oua--i04ut talling

or checking witb other people.

7. The suoervisaor and co-worker* on thia job aI=os- never give me auy "feedback"
about how ell I m dolng in my uork.
_ . Thai job jg one v-ere a lot of other people can be affected by how %v11 the
work gets doaa.
9. The job dcrdis ae a-iy chpace to uae iy personal initiative or juris rt in
carrying out the tr.,

10. Supervisore ofteo le -ze-kaou hov %ivei they thlsk I an perforzatog the- job.

11. The job provides me che chance to opletely nish the pieces of ork I b-egin

12. Týe job Itself p,-ovides very few cluees t whether or not I az performing
well.
13. The job give# we considtr-bk1 oportmnity for icdepeadence acA freedom 4n
low I do the work.

14. The job itself is nco very signifLcaut or important in the broader sche
of thireg.

.:h•= = , 4:,• '=" -"-"•"."• ':• •"? :,• .• _ .• /-.::•4 . • -V "V , " • .".
,•; - '- 'N
 .47<

SECTION THREE

Now please indicate how yoU persoally feel about your Job.

Each of the statemente below is something that a person might say about his
or her job. You are to indicate your own, personal feelings about your Job
by marking how much you agree with each of the statements.

Write a number in the blank for each statement, based on this scale:

flow much do you agree with the statement?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Disagree Disagree Disagree Neuzral Agree Agree Agree
Strongly Slightly Slightly Strongly

L. It's hard, on this Job, for me to care very much about whether or not the

work gets done right.

2. My opinion of myself goea up when I do this job well.

3. Generally speaking, I am very satiafied with this job.

4. Ho•t of the things I have to Jo on thia Job seem uaaesa or trivial.

5. I usually know wheth!r or not my %ork is &attifactoryon this job.

6. I feel a great sense of personal watif•Uction when I do this job Vall.

7. The uork I do on thse job is very meaningful to me.

8. I feel a very high degrere of ZaraL reapousibility for the vrk I do on
this job.

9. 1 frequently think of. quitting this job.

10. 1 fcAi bad and whappy when I discover that I have perforlmed poorly on
th-l
Job.

11.. o ten have eniub•le figurt out I'm

I'emr
dolan well or poorly OQ th"s
jcb.
12. T feel I sbould Persovjlly talke the credit or blase for the results of my
uvrk on this job.

13. 1 a generally satiefied with the kind of vck I do in this Job.

.14. Ky out feel!ngs Senerally are _ot a fcted =eh one vay or -th othet by bow,
wel• I. do on this Job.
15.l-
__ ther or cot this job go-, dine rlaht is clearly cy responsibility.

V 5 hrhro o
 48<

SECTION YOUR

j Now please
below.
indcate hat satisfied you are with each aspect of your Jab listed
Ou.ce again, write the appropriate number in the blank beaide each

Hlow satisfied are you with tmis aspect cf your job?

1 2 3 4 5 &
Extremely
Dissatisfied Diusatisfied Dissatisfled
Slightly Neutral Slightly satij)Le4 Extremely
Satisfied Sat&.ia

1, The amount of Job security I heve.

2. The awunt of pay wnd fringe benefits I receive.

3. The amount of personal growth and develop~ent I get in doing my JJ.

_4. The people 1 talk to and uork vith on my job.

5. The deee of reepect and fair. treat•ý-ztcI fTo

-itve my boss.

6. The feeling of warthwhile a-comp`t.saenc I got ?ram do-4 .v job.

7. The chanc-s o got to kww other people . o n t job.

S. The t of support AM' guliaace

uwun I ro-oive tfrlo my sUpervvior.
".,•.j9, Te degree to ht~ch I am fatlvy paid for uat I catributa to this o*rXganzit1

-10. aiGSt I "an excca-es

The umv.0at of indad-pt4.ent thaought and.ct in myT job.

U.Rev secure chingo Lock tqit me iu the Ifukure In 0 this

12. M, ioc•.ce to help other pcplu vktle at iark.

* .3. The anoumt of chA,4sze L, my -)b.

l4.. The 44~Uquality of Lbs supotzviaios I receive is sv zenri.

. -
 49<

SUCTION FIVE

Now please think of the other people in your organization

who hold the sama job you do. If no one has exactly the
same Job- as you, think of the job which is most similar to
yourp.
Pl•ase think about how accurately each of the statementgs deacribes the feel-
ings of those people about the Job.

It is quitt all right Lf your nvswers here are different from when you
described your on rteactions to the job. Often 6-ffereat people feel quite
diffef~afy abu"ut the same Job.

Once- gain, write a aumber in the 'lank for each statement, based on
thiz scale:
2OWM!ýuh do Vou. aree wit.h4the statement?

1 2 3 4 5 6 1
Dieatree Dd sgree Disagree Neutral Agree Agree Agree
st-ongLy Slightly Sltshtly Strongly

. . &w• peopl-e " tis

th Job feel a great sense of pertsonal eatisfactlon when

thc*y do the JOb well,

L. Rloar, on thins job te Very satiufied with the job.

3. Xonc peop _m O.ts job feel that the urk is vsaless or trivial.

Nas. tst people cx% thcit job tke4 a g.rea&- deml of pertmal respoatibfl•ty
tr the vor'k tho i•.-

5. llost Vteopla on, Utt- Aob iUi-sapr-ty goad ideaoWfV

~owe1 they ar e

4.>a oeeie on thia jwh fil4o thc iwri. veryv

j.c aafi
g~oet peopleýOn this $tb*vh chat
_w1 %hti -or got the job jetsa done right
It claar-lv their kwl'nra ntbiy-

Fo-p~ en
____S. i* ¶e*ý often thitek of. qttlttingc.

9.~ ntu~~db~Q ~a'yu¼~ -orpaI

hey find Sina they 4-y.v

Ht-Sot p o c n' this jobý h-vw troiddel ~4arin,Out uhet4&r they are doing~
a Lot)i-v4~badob
 50<

SECTION SIX

Listed below are a number of characteristics which could be present 0on any
job. People differ about how much they would like to have ea~ch one~ present
in their own jobs. We are interested ii learning 1,awuchyoupersonlall
would like to have each one present in your Job.

Using the scale below, please indicate the degree to which you would like
to have each characteristic present in your Job.

NOTE: The numbers 4'n this or-ale are different from those used in previous
scales. - n - n

4567 89 10
Would like Would like Would like
Thaving thia only having this having this
a moderate anxount very much extre-el wich
(or less)

1. H~ighi res~pect and fair treatment from my supervisor.

2. Stimulatiag and challenging work.

3. Chances to exercisee independent thotý-,ght and actieýn in wy job.

4.Great job security.

5. Vevy friendly co-workera.

5. Opportunities to lenru n-ew things from --% work.

7. High salary, and g~ood fringe boiiafite.

B. Opportuniltiea to b6 creative and i=Lg&n tive in my wrk.

9. 'Quick prot~0ioii~.
10. Oportuitles for personal grou~th Lzddr,,A~~ ia ity job.

111. A~ mmse of worthw~hille a p eitr z-q work-

 51<

SECTION SEVEN

People differ in the kindA of jobs they would most like to hold. The questions
in this section give you a chance to say just what it is about a job that is
most important to yR9a-

For each question, two different kinds of

jobs are briefly described. You are to
indicate which of the Jobs you 2ersonally
would prefer--if you had to make a choice
between them.

In answering each question, assume that everything else about the jobs is
the same. Pay attention only to the characteristics actually listed.

Two examples are given below.

JOB A JOB B
A job requiring work A job requiring work
with mechanical equipment with other people woet
most of the day of the day
----------- ~-- 2 ------------- -------- 4-------------
Strongly Slightly Neu tl Slightly Strongly
Prefer A Prefer A Prefer B Prefer B

if you like working with people and working

with equipment equally well, you would circle
the number 3, as has been done in the example.

Here is another example. Thip one asks for a harder choice--between two
jobs which both have some undesirable features.

JOB A JOB B
A job requiring you to A job located 200 miles
expose yourself to con- from your home and family.
siderable physical danger.
1-------------- (2 -------------- 3 --------------- 4 --------------- 3
Strongly Slightly Neutral. Slightly Strongly
Prefer A Prefer A Prefer B Prefer B

If you woild slightly prefer risking physical

danger to working far from your home, you would
circle number 2, as has been done in the example.

Please ask for assistance if you do not understand exactly how to do these
questions.
 52<

JOB A JOB B

1. A job where the pay is A JoWwhere therer.s:-.f

very good. considerablew oppetituiity
to be creative'and
innovative.

Strongly Slightly Ni itral Slightly Strongly

Prefer A Prefer A Prefer B Prefer B

2. A job where you are often A job with many pleasant

required to make impor- people to work with.
tant decisions.
1----- ... 2- --- -3........ .4..------------- 5
Strongly Slightl) Neutral Slightly Strongly
Prefer A Prefer A Prefer B Prefer B

3. ! -)b in which greater A job in which greater

responsibility is responsibility is given
given to those who do to loyal employees who
the best work. have the most seniority.

1------------- 2------------- 3------------- 4 -------------- 5

Strongly Slightly Neutral Slightly Strongly
Prefer A Prefer A Prefer B Prefer B

4. A job in an organization A job in which you are

which is in financial trouble-- not allowed to have any
and might have to close down say whatever in how your
within the year. work is schedu-ed, or in
the procedures to be used
in carrying it out.
------------- 2-------------- 3------------- 4-------------- 5
Strongl:, Slightly Neutral Slightly Strongly
Prefer A Prefer A Prefer B Prefer B

5. A very routine job. A job where your co-

workers are not very
friendly.
1------------ ------------ ------------ ------------5
Strongly Slightly Neutral Slightly Strongly
Prefer A Prefer A Prefer B Prefer B

6. A job with a supervisor who is A job which prevents you

often very critical of you and from using a number of
your work in front of other skills that you worked
people. hard to develop.
1--------------- 2--------------- 3--------------4--.---------- 5
Strongly Slightly Neutral Slightly Strongly
Prefer A Prefer A Pr'ýez B Prefer B
 53<

JOB A JOB B
7. A job with a super- A job which provides
visor who respects you constant opportunities
and treats you fairly, for you to learn new
and interesting things.
1-2-------------3 - ---- 4------------- 5
Strongly Slightly Neutral Slightly Strongly
Prefer A Prefer A Prefer B Prefer B

8. A job where there is a A job with very little

real chance you could be chance to do challenging
laid off. work.
1-------------- 2 ----------- 33----------
- --.- -5
Strongly Slightly Neutral Slightly Strongly
Prefer A Prefer A Prefer B Prefer B

9. A job in which there is a A job which provides

real chance for you to develop lots of vacation time
new skills and advance in the and an excellent fringe
organization, benefit package.
1------------2- 4 ----
3--------------- 5
Strongly Slightly Neutral Slightly Strongly
Prefer A Prefer A Prefer B Prefer B

10. A job with little freedom A job where the working

and independence to do conditions are poor.
your work in the way you
think best.
------------ 2------------- ------------ 4------------ 5
Strongly Slightly Neutral Slightly Strongly
Prefer A Prefer A Prefer B Prefer B

11. A job with very A job which allows you

satisfying team-work. to use your skills and
abilities to the fullest
extent.
1------------ 2 ------------ 3------------ 4------------ 5
Strongly Slightly Neutral Slightly Strongly
Prefer A Prefer A Prefer B Prefer B

12. A job which offers A job which requires you

little or no challenge, to be completely isolated
from co-workers.
4 --------------- 5
3---------------
-2--------------
Strorgly Slightly Neutral Slightly Strongly
Prefee A Prefer A Prefer B Prefer B
 54<

SECTION EIGHT

Biqgraphical rackground

1. Sex: Male Female

2. Age (check one):

under 20 40-49

20-29 50-59

30-39 60 or over

3. Education (check one):

Grade School

Some High School

High School Degree

Some Business College or Technical School Experience "

Some College Experience (other than business or technical school)

Business College or Technical School Degree

College Degree

Some Graduate Work

Master's or higher degree

4. What is your brief job title?

 55<

Reproduced from
best availabre copy.

APPEITDIX B

SCORING KEY FOR THE JOB DIAGNOSTIC SURVEY

. .
 56<
SCORING KEY FOR THE JOB DIAGN•TOSTIC SURVEY

The Job Diagnostic Survey (JDS) measures several characteristics of

Jobs, the reactions of the respondents to their jobs, and the growth need
strength of the respondents. Each variable measured by the JDS is listed
below, along with (a) a one or two sentence description of the variable, and
(b) a list of the questionnaire items which are averaged to yield a Summary
score for the variable.

The JDS is based on a questionnaire originally compiled by llackman &

Lawler (Employee Reactions to Job Characteristics, Journal of Applied
Psychology Monograph, 1971, 55(3), 259-286). A complete description of the
JDS is provided by Hackman & Oldham (The Job Diagnostic Survey: An Instru-
ment for Diagnosing the Motivational Potential of Jobs, Technical Report
No. 4, Department of Administrative Sciences, Yale University, 1974). The
theory on which the JDS is based is described by Hackman & Oldham (Motiva-
tion Through the Design of !Uork: Test of a Thecry, Technical Report No. 6,
Department of Administrative Sciences, Yale University, 1974).

For further information about the instrument and its uses, contact:

Prof. J. Richard IHackman or Prof. Greg R. Oldham

56 Hillhouse Avenue Department of Business Administration
Yale University University of Illinois
Few Haven, Ct. 06520 Urbana, Ill. 61801

I. JOB DImENSIONS: Objective characteristics of the job itself.

A. Skill Variety; The degree to which a job requires a variety of differ-

ent activities in carrying out the work, which involve the use of a number
of different skills and talents of the employee.

Average the following items:

Section One #4
Section Two #1
#5 (reversed scoring--i.e., subtrart the numLer
entered by the respondent from 8)

B. Task Identity" The degree to which the job requires the completion
of a "whole" and identifiable piece of work--i.e., doing a Job from
beginning to end with a visible outcome,

Average the following items:

Section One #3
Section Two #11
#3 (reversed scoring)
 57<

C. Task Significance: The degree to which the job has a substantial

impact on the lives or work of other people--whether in the imnediate organ-
ization or in the external environment.

Average the following items:

Section One: #5
Section Two: #8
#14 (reversed scoring)
D. Autonomy: The degree to which the job provides substantial freedom,
independence, and discretion to the employee in scheduling his work and in
determining the procedures to be used in carrying it out.

Average the folloiving itemst

Section One: #2
Section Two: #13
#9 (reversed scoring)
E. Feedback from the Job Itself: The degree to which carrying out the
work activities required by the job results in the employee obtaining
information about the effectiveness of his or her performance.

Average the following items:

Section One: #7
Section Two: #4
#12 (reversed scoring)

F. Feedback from ents: The degree to which the employee receives

information about his or her performance effectiveness from supervisors or
from co-workers. (This construct is not a job characteristic per se, and
is included only to provide information supplementary to construct (E)
above.)

Average the following items

Section One" #6
Section Two: #10
#7 (reversed scoring)

G. Dealing with Others: The degree to which the job requires the
employee to work closely with other people (whether other or"anization
members or organizational "clients").

Average the followiug items:

Section One: #1
Section Twot #2
#6 (reversed scoring)
 58<

II. EXPERIENCED PSYCHOLOGICAL STATES: The psychological impact of the job

on the employees. These three psychological states are viewed as mediating
between objective job characteristics (listed above) and the affective
(e.g., satisfaction, motivation) and behavioral (e.g., performance quality,
absenteeism) responses of employees to their work. Each of the three con-
structs are measured both directly (Section Three) and indirectly, via
projective-type items (Section Five).

A. Experienced Meaningfulness of the Vork: The degree to which the

emp?'yee experiences his or her job as one which is generally mingful,
valuable, and worthwhile.

Average the following items:

Section Three: #7
#4 (reversed scoring)
Section Five: #6
#3 (reversed scoring)
B. Experienced Responsibility for the Wlork: The degree to which the
employee feels accountable and responsible for the results of the work he
or sbe does.

Average the following items:

Section Three: #8, #12, #15

#1 (reversed scoring)
Section Five: #4, #7

C. Knowledge of Results: The degree to which the employee knows and

understands, on a continuous basis, how effe.tively he or she is performing
his job.

Average the following items:

Section Three: #5
#11 (reversed scoring)
Section Five: #5
#10 (reversed scoring)

III. AFFECTIVE RESPONSES TO WE JOB, The private, affective reactions or

feelings an employee gets from working on his job. The first two constructs
(general satisfaction and internal work motivation) are measured both
directly (Section Three) and indirectly (Section Five).

A. General Satisfaction: An overall measure of the degree to which the

employee is satisfied and happy in his or her work. (This measure has been
shot m to predict both turnover and absenteeism--i.e., the lower the satis-
faction, the more the turnover and absenteeism).
Average the following items:
Section Three: 03, #13
#9 (reversed scoring)
Section Five: #2
98 (reversed scoring)
 59<
B. Internal work Motivation: The degree to which the employee is self_-
motivated to perform effectively on the job. This measure previously has
been shown to relate directly to the quality of the employee's work.

Average the following items:

Section Three: #2, #6, #10

#14 (reverse scoring)
Section Five: #1, #9

C. Specific Satisfactions: These short scales tap several specific

aspects of the employee's job satisfaction. They all relate positively to
the general satisfaction measure (Construct A above), but the specific
satisfaction with "growth" (Scale 5, below) relates most strongly to the
characteristics of Jobs themselves.

Cl. "Pay" satisfaction. Averaoe items #2 and #9 of Section Four.

C2. "Security" satisfaction. Average items #1 and #11 of Section

Four.

C3. "Social" satisfaction. Average items #4, #7, and #12 of Section
Four.

C4. "Supervisory" satisfaction. Average items #5, #8, and #14 of

Section Four.

C5. "Growth" satisfaction. Average items #3, #6, #10, and #13 of
Section Four.

IV. INDIVIDUAL GROWTH NEFD STRENCTII. These scales tap an individual differ-
ence among employees--namely, the degree to which each employee has a
strong vs. weak desire to obtain "growth" satisfactions from his or her
work. Individuals high on this measure have been shown to respond posi-
tively (i.e., with high satisfaction and internal work motivation) to
complex, challenging, and "enriched" jobs; individuals U.ov on this measure
tend not to find such jobs satisfying or motivating. The questionnaire
yields two separate measures of growth need strength, one from Section Six
and one from Section Seven.

"'lould Like" Format (Section Six)

Averape the six items from Section Six listed below. Before
averaging, subtract 3 from each item score: this will restdt in a
sutmary scale ranging from one to seven. The items are:
02, #3, #6. #8, #10, O11

"Job Choice" Format (Section Seven)

Each item in Section Seven yields a number from 1-5 (i.e., "Strongly
prefer A" is scored 1 "NeutralY ic. scored 3: and "Strongly prefer
B" is scored 5. Compute the need strength measure by averaging thA
twelve items as follows:
#1, #5, #7, 010, 011, #12 (direct scoring)
#2, #3, A4, #6, #8, #9 (reversed scoring)

N.••••s••••• .N . .• -`:• `:••``• • • ••` • • •:"" '"w• . .r . ' • . - -•• ....

 60<

V. 0TIVATING POTENTIAL SCORE: A score reflecting the

potential of a job
for ellcititg positive internal work motivation on the
part of employee"
(especially Lthose with high desire for growth need satisfactions)
is given
below.

Motivating
Potential
FTs
Skill Task Febc
Task X Fredbact
Score (MPs) Variety Identity Significance from the

Scr MS

Jo

...............
 61<

Re roduced from
best available copy.

APPENDIX C

SUORT FOilM OF THE JOB DIAGNOSTIC SUIVEY

 Si 62<
4/74:SP "-- -- --
0 41

JOB DIAGNOSTIC SURVEY:

SHORT FORM

This questfonnmire was developed as part of a Yale

University study of jobs and hoy people react to them.
The questionnaire helps to deteruine how jobs can be
better designed, by obtaining information about how
people react to different kinds of jobs.

On the following pages you will find ezveral different kinds of questions
about your job. Specific instructions are given at the start of each
section. Please read then carefully. It should take no more than 10
minutes to complete the entire questiornnlre. Please move through it
quickly.

The questions are desi-zed to obtain your perceptions

of your Job and you reactions to it.

There are no "trick" question9. Your individual auswers will be kept

coapitetly confidenttal. Please n.ver each'±ite boaezcly
,a and fraukly
as possible.

Thank you for yoert coopertit on.

For nore ixnfora-tion abouat thisr qu3L1to;w•.ire and its use. pl.ac cont-act:

Prcf. S. Richard !Aackn•

n P
Prof. Greg R. Olfda
Departent of Adninistrative Scitncc Dcpartuent of Business Adi-Arr trtion
Yale University Univereitv of Illinois
Ncw 4ave-, Connecicjt 06520 Urban, :lliaoi± 61so±

..----'-we ..- ,•••-•• -. .;:A•>• "•:/'''•• • •''• , - : % "•• - ••• - . _

 63<

'This part of .the questionnaire asks you to

desc~ribe y-otr Job,- as obetvey.as you can.

Please do ltn use this part, of the questionnaire to show how much you like
or di-slike your joh. Questzions about that will co-a later. Ianco-e', try to
make your deacriptioan as acctrate and as objective as you possibly can6 I

A sample question is givern below,

A.ý To what extent does your Job require you to work with mechanical
eqt4I4Mlettt ..

Very little; the Maderately , Very much; the Job

job requires almost requires aexnst
no Contact with constant work with
mechanical aquip- xechsnical equipment.
Ment of any kind.

You are to tircle the untLer uhtch t; the tot accurate description of your job.

If, for eXample, y'ouc 1oh requires$ u to work

with ~ehncleupetagood' teal of the ttnt--
ait also requires soc.e paperwork--yo% ethrt Uir•e
the aorrther six, as waA done- in the example abov-e.

i yo-u do nut uit-er•sznd thso trsrncttcms, please for

-ts
twsistancr. i )-u do tLneirstand the, turn th0". pa4 d begin.
 1. To what extent does your job require you to -work clovelvwth~ othr JS1
(either tcitents,'* or people iz r-elated Job. to your ova orgeaitatiw$2

Very litttle; deal- Moderately; Ve~rr ztUC? cw41-

tug with other Some, deai1ing iag with other
people i4 not at with others is peOPl e to i
all ucoa;i necessary.i absolutely
doing the job. essantial and
crmcial part 0t
digthe job.

2. How much autqnow; is there in yottr job? That in, to Uhat ement does Y.Otr
job pormit *youi to decide pn mur own how to 4o aboot dotaS the work?

very littie; the Mossaautonomzy; very auch; the

job gi Z*malnost mauy things are job give's me
no psersonal Esa< standardized and almost comvdet
about hsw and when not under my control ran poot;tbtl Sty
theo 'work iLs done. but Itr' make scnme for deciving !wi4*
ukctiooon about tba ared whenl ths Wrk
work. is done.

t hl&dcktCs 'A eiet-

3. To. wh~at -extent does ,.our Job involve Joiax p
of aorki Th.ia t is, is- the Job x~ coaplirte pIeca of icrtthat h&L; ma obvkcsz-.
beginninwý, tdU o47. Or is it 0o111 4 ~lipart -of zh~e VLeraii piCe of
* wr, ~dctte in~tedby other yeople or 1-- aautowsllcr zwcnines

Hy job U, only, a
tiny pArt ethcdrt&ieddoirzs
4't jig Ns S y job isvolvea
the vtXzn
overu.1l piece dt or~ th* piece, of uvrL.
wAr.; the -tgs-1,tta of cver~al! piece of f re at-art to
=Y ucttvitie4 cannot t.-ort; zy own fitb thnt
bie "Can to thk\ final cc--atrtbut ion Can he results of- ay
Prdaor icr4ce.z aeen int th*e iteA3! ,crivilth azo
autca~e.etwsly sacs In
the fial r4x

4. sch
*v ar'tv there inD xnt3 TINt Itt, to' wuat extent does the
ja rvý4-tdre ,4~ "t< doa Win difewx -~t tbkr's at woirk". uSt&4 a nPricty of

Vtery Jttttýje tilt di'e1aL Vey uch1 flwo

o r~1re ~e
Job to re-txqirag tre
dt ti&~cat &w to do an

over agzW. 'k

ofT allfereit
stiOlOs and
tZItalet .
 --- i65<~

5. In general, how s icant or iLortant is your Job? That is. are the
results of your work likely to significantly affact the lives or wel-belng
of other people?

I -------- 2----------- ---- - --------- 5

4
Not very significant- Moderately Highly signiOh
the outcomes of my wýork significant. iczmt; the
are not likely to have outcomes of my
important effects on work can affect
other people. other people in
'vezy important
way•.

6. To what extent do managers or co-workers let you know bow well you are
doi.g on your job?

1..---------- 2 3 ------
Very little; people Moderately; Very mich;
almost never let me sometimes people maagers or co-
kaow how vlel I am may give me :'feed- workers provide
doing. back;" other times me with almost
they may not. constant "I'ed-
back" about how
well I aea doin.

7. To what extent does dnthe lob itself provide ycu wi.•h information about
your work performance? That is, does the actual work itself provide clues
about how well you are dcing--aside from any '"feedback" co-workers o0
supervisors may provide?

I1----------2----------3 ----- '-----4--~------5 --------- -- -

Very little: the Moderately; some- Very much; the
job itself is set times doing the job is set up So
up so I could work job provides that I get almost
forever without "feedback" to me; constant "fee4-
finding out how sometimes it does back" as I work
well I am doing. not. about how well I
a& doing.

SCk
 66<

SECTION TWO
Listed below are a number of ztatements which could be used to describe a job.
You are to indicate whether each statement is an
accurate or an inaccurate description of your job.
Once again, please try to be as objective as you can in deciding
how accurately each statemenL describes your job--regardless of
wh2ther you like or diElike your job.

Write o number in the blan. beside each statement, based on the following scale:
How accurate is the statement in describing our job?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Very. Mostly Slightly Uncertain Slightly Mostly Very
Inaccurate Inaccurate Inaccurate Accurate Accurate Accurate

1. The jub requires me to uge a nuwmber of complex or high-level skills.

2. The job requir-s a lot of cooperative work with other people.

3. The job is arranged so that I do not have the chance to do an entire piece
of work from beginning to end.

4. Just doing the uork required by the job provides many chances for me to
figure out how well I am doing,

5. The job is quite simple and repetitive,

6. The job can be done adequately by a person working alone--without talking

or checking with other people.

7. The supervisors and co-workArs on this job almost never give me any "feedback"
about how well I am doing in my work.

8. This job is one where a lot of other people can be affected by how well-the
work gets done.
9. The job denies me any chance to use my personal initiative or judgment in
carrying out the work.

10. Supervisors often let me know how well they think I am performing the job.

11. The job provides me the chance to completely finish the pieces of work I begin

12. The job itself provides very few clues about whether or not I am performing
well.

13. The job gives me consliderable opportunity for independence and freedom in
how I do the work.

14. The job i, self is not very significant or important in the broader scheme
of things.
 67<

SECTION THREE

Now please indicate how you personally eel about your job.

Each of the stater.ants below is something that a person might say about
his or her job. You are to indicate your own, personal feelings about your
job by marking how much you agree wLth each of the statements.

Write a number in the blank for each statement, based on this scale:

flow much do you agree with the statement?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Disagree
Strongly Disagree Disagree
Slightly Neutral Agree Agree Agree
Slightly Strongly

1. My opinion of myself goes up when I do this job well.

2. Generally speaktng, I am, very satisfied with this job.

3L I feel a great sense of personal satisfaction when I do this job well.

4. 1 frequently think of quitting this job.

5. I feel bad and unhappy when I discover that I have perfovmed poorly on
this job.

6. I am generally satisfied with the kind of work I do in this job.

7. My own feelings gene:rally are not affected much one way or the other by
-__
how well I do on this job.

• &Lw
 S~68<

SECTION FOUR
Now please indicate how satisfied yoi are with each aspect of your Job listed
below. Once again, write the appropriate number in the blank beside each
statement.

How satisfied are you with this aspect of_ yourjob?

2 3 4 5 6 7
Extremely Dissatisfied Slightly Neutral Slightly Satisfied Extremely
)issatisfied Dissatisfied Satisfied Satisfied

1. The amount of job security I have.

2. The amount of pay and fringe benefits I receive.

3. The amount of personal growth and development I get in doing my job.

4. The people I tilk to and work with on my job.

5. The degree of respect and fair treatment I receive from my boss.

6. The feeling of worthwhile accomplishment I get from doing my job.

7. The chance to get to know other people while on the job.

8. The amount of support and guidance I receive from my supervisor.

9. The degree to which I am fairly paid for what I contribute to this organization

10. The amount of independent thought and action I can exercise in my Job.

11. How secure things look for me ilL the future in this organization.
12. The chance to help other people while at work.

_13. The amount of challenge in my job.

14. The overall quality of the supervision I receive in my work.

 69<

SECTION FIVE

Listed Y!-w are a number of characteristics which could be present on any

job. People differ about how much they would like to have each one present
in their 6ýn jobs. We are interested in learning how much yg.
b82!!lly
would like to have each one present in your job.

Using the scale below, please indicate the deg to which you would like
to have each characteristic present in your job.

NOM. The numbers on this scale aze different from those used in previous
scale*.

4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Would like Would like Would like
having this only havitag this hauing this
a moderate amount very much *ztrnLy wch
(or lee.)

1. High respect and fair treatment ftom my supervisor.

2. Stimulating #iod challenging work.

3. Chances to ezercise independent thought and action in my job.

4. Great job security.

5. Vary friendly co-workers.

6. Opportuntities to learn new things from my work.

7. High salary and good fringe benefite.

8. Opportunitiee to be creative and imaSiuative in my work.

9. Quick promotiona.

10. Opportvunitice for personal growth aad development it my job.

L1. A sense of worthwhile accomplishment in my work.

 70<

I Reproduced from
best available copy.

APPENDIX 1)

SCORING KEY FOR TUE STIORT PORM OF THE JDS

 71<
May, 1974
SCORING KEY FOR THE SHORT FORM OF THE JOB DIAGNOSTIC SURVEY

"The Short Form of the Job Diagnostic Survey (JDS) measures several
characteristics of jobs, the reactions of the respondents to their jobs,
and the growth need strength of the respondents. Some of the scales
tapped by the JDS are not included in the Short Form! others are measured
with fewer items. The scales measuring the objective job dimensions are,
however, identical with those in the JDS.

Each variable measured by the JDS Short Form is listed below, along
with (a) a one or two sentence description of the variable, and (b) a list
of the questionnaire items which are averaged to yield a summary score
for the variable.

For further information about the instrument and its uses, contact:

Prof. J. Richard Hackman or Prof. Greg R. Oldham

56 Hillhouse Avenue Department of Business Administration
Yale University University of Illinois
New Haven, Ct. 06520 Urbana, Il. 61801

I. JOB DIMENSIONS: Objective characteristics of the job itself.

A. Skill Variety: The degree to which a job requires a variety of diff-

erent activities in carrying out the work, which involve the use of a
number of different skills and talents of the employee.

Average the following items:

Section One #4
Section Two #1
#5 (reversed scoring--i.e., subtract the number
entered by the rcspondent from 8)

"B. Task Identity: The degree to which the job requires the completion
of a "whole' and identifiable piece of work--i.e., doing a job from be-
ginning to end with a visible outcome.

Average the following items:

Section One #3
Section Two #11
#3 (reversed scoring)

C. Task Significance: The degree to which the job has a substantial

impact on the lives or work of other people--whether in the immediate
organization or in the external environment.

Average the following items:

Section One #5
Section Two #8
#14 (reversed scoring)

- , ,.... ''. ~ ......

 72<

D. Autonomy: The degree to which the job provides substantial freedom,

independence, and discretion to the employee in scheduling his work and
in determining the procedures to be used in carrying it out.

Average the following items:

Section One #2
Section Two #13
#9 (reversed scoring)

E. Feedback from the Job Itself: The degree to which carrying out the
work activities required by the job results in the employee obtaining
information about the effectiveness of his or her performance.

Average the following items"

Section One #7
Section Two #4
#12 (reversed scoring)

F. Feedback from Agents: The degree to which the employee receives

information about his or her performance effectiveness from supervisors
or from co-workers. (This construct is not a job characteristic per se,
and is included only to provide information supplementqary to construct
(E) above.)

Average the following items,

Section One #6
Section Two #10
#7 (reversed scoring)

G. Dealing with Others: The degree to which the job requires the
employee to work closely with other people (whether other organization
m,•mbers or organizational "clients").

Average the following items:

Section One #1
Section Two #2
#6 (reversed scoring"

II. AFFECTIVE RESPONSES TO TWE JOB: The priviate, affective reactions or

feelings an employee gets from working on his job.

A. General Satisfaction: An overall measure of the degree to which the

employee is satisfied and happy in his or her work.

Average the followin3 items from Section Three: #2

#6
#4 (reversed scoring)
 73<

B. Internal Work Motivation: The degree to which the employee is self-

"motivated to perform effectively on the Job.
Average the following items from Section Three: #1
#3
#5
#7 (reversed scoring)

C. Specific Satisfactions: These short scales tap several specific

aspects of the employee's job satisfaction.

Cl. "Pay" satisfaction. Average items #2 and #9 of Section Four.

C2. "Security" satisfaction. Average items #1 and #11 of Section
Four.
C3. "Social" satisfaction. Average items #4, #7, and #12 of Section
Four.
C4. "Supervisory" satisfaction. Average items #5, #8, and #14 of
Section Four.
C5. "Growth" satisfaction. Average items #3, #6, #10, and #13 of
Section Four.

III. INDIVIDUAL GRO!I!! IEED STRENGTH: This scale taps the degree to which
an employee has strong vs. weak desire to obtain "growth" satisfactions
from his or her work.

Average the six items from Section ýalisted below. Before

averaging, subtract 3 from each item score! this will result
in a summary scale ranging from one to seven. The items are:
#2, #3, #6, #8, #10, #11

IV. MOTIVATING POTENTIAL SCORE: A score reflecting the potential of a j,

for eliciting positive internal work motivation on the part of employee
(especially those with high desire for growth need satisfaction) is giv,
below.

Motivating Potential. Skill Taek +Task " 1

4feodbe
Score (01S) j Variety Identity Significncea 1 utonomy fom
3
 'V

Reproduced from
best available copy.

APPENDIX E

THE JOB RATING FORM

Note: The Job Rating Form is scored identically with

Sections One and Two of the JDS and the JDS Short Form.

59

2-
-.. " .,, . ..- .-. • • .• .. o - ,; '- ,- • - ' " , ! •
 75<

J30B DI LGNOS TI C SURV 1Y

JOB RATING FORM

This questionnaire was developed as part of a Yale University study of

jobs and how people react to them. The questionnaire helps to determine
how jobs can be better designed, by obtaining information about how people
react to different kinds of Jobs.

You are asked to rate the characteristics of the following

job:

Please keep in mind that the questiona refer to the job listed above, and
not to your own Job.

On the following pages, you will find several

different kinds of questions about the job
listed above. Specifl• instructions are given
at the start of each section. Please read
them carefully. It should take you no more than
10 minutes to complete the entire questionnaire.
Please move through it quickly.

For more information about this quesatonnaire and I•s u.c, please contact:

Professor J. Richard H1ackman OR Profeasor C(reg flldham

Department of Administrative Sciences Department of wuniness Administration
Yale Unt.versity University of Illinots
New llavc-. Cc. 06520 Urbana, 111. 61801
 S76<

This part of the questionnaire asks you to describe

the job listed on the front page as objectively as you
can. Try to make your descriptions as accurate and as
objective as you possibly can.

A sample question is given below.

A. To what extent does the job require a person to work with mechanical
equipment?
1---- -----2 ---------- 33.-- -.--------4----------5-.5 ----- '-6-- 7
Very little; Moderately ..- 'Very much
the Job the job
requires almost requires
no contact with almost con-
mechanical equip- stant work
ment of any kind. with mechan
cal equipm

You are to circle the number which is the most accurate deacripZioa of
the job listed on t1he front page.

If, for example, the job requires a person to work with

me• nic'-l equipment a good deal of the time-but alao
reqt'ire:. some papervork--you uight circle the number
sixa, s sas done il the -exple above.
 77<

1. To what extent does the job require a person te work closely witt' other
pop.e (either "client," or oeople in related jobs in the organizatian)?

Very little; Moderately; Very much; deal-

dealing with some di'ling ing with other
other people is with others is people is an
not at all necessry. absolutely essential
necessary in and crucial part
doing the Job. of doing the job.

2. How much autono• is there in the Job? That is, to what exteat does the Job

perm±t a person to decide on his or her own how to go about doing the work?

1......-3- - ---------
Very little; the Modexate Very much; the
job gives a person autonomy: '&anny job gives the person
almost no personal things ar't stan- almost complete
"say" about how dardi..ed vid not responsibility for
and when the work under the control deciding how and
is done. of the person. but when the work is
he or she can m-ake done,
so-ae decisioa about

3. To what extent 'oes the Job involve %oifl a "whole- anT idanitifiable piece
work? That is, is the job a cc4pletc piece of work that 11s aa obvious
beginning and tnd! :r is it only a z-mal Lt4rt of the ove-r•U plice of work,
which Is finished by ochar people or by autcoatic zachinaes?

--------------
±--- a-----~--.-------'------r
The job is only a The Job i's T0e4Joh involves
tiny part of tne- doit'g the vhole
oaverfl piece ot Tchun•" of the piece of work, Or
work; thet results% .verall piece s start to finlsh; the
of the peLrson'r.- k; th* parsoots resuflt of' the pcrwv
activities cantot o• zocrihuzop car. activiti-e. arc nil:
be seea in the be gr ir. the fti•l s*c-or. to the fial
ftri pred4uct or outco-te, prcdu-ct or vervicc.
5ervice.

4. Iluh -Uch. vjrk'v( 1is thre It-. ti-e ~V7:,t-- vhat exte-nt does the-
Jott 'epzroý!i A -rvcii Th-&
%io U½ett sAt v-0 im. a Variety Of
- ,-' - - " - ..- {• -,- - --

Very, little- tz;Y~rl Vet ry ldh: the lob-I

job requIlrcs tv va7 C V re.--uIrikt
person to dQ thr .- rc to de v•snv dfi[r'rent
rcv •tini th!;s ,ex -,,;,S- -,usiins ;
and%aver arain. of dIf-erent CI'-AA.

., "'.1*.
* 78.c

5. In geaeral, how sfirficant or ingortaqn is the job? That is, are the results
of the person's work likely to significantly affact the lives or well-being of
other People?

Not at all significant; Moderately Highly significant;

the outcomes of the significant. the outcomes of the
work are not likely to work can affect
affect anyone in any other people in
important way. - vixy important ways.

6. To what extent do maingers or co-workers let the person know how well he or she
is doing on the job?

Very littlC: people Hoderately; Very much; managers

almost never let the sometimes people or co-workers providt
person Tmow how well may give the per- the person with
he or she is doing. son "feediback . almo~st constant
other times they "feo4!Lack" about how
may not. well he or she is
doing.

7. To what extent does doa.0 t.e- lob aýclf

- rovido the crawith information
about his or her work pe-rforzance 7That ts, doe-u the Qctual work itelf
provide clues 444out h1W veil the perngCC iti doing--aside fron asy "feedbiac,
co-terkers or s-=ervisors my provide?
- . . . . 3i • .. . . 1

Very littlV-; tile Inv V--ry -uch; the Job

job It&elf is g-at .- dingsI i@ actUp
t t-a a
up so a per!tze' cnu-IJ the jet, vpc~ersou ZetsR a1,,mC
vvirk; forever vitilout o ? *cinsan
4
'"fedocAk1
finding out htvy veillpes;;~tiLse he or ghe vozks
he or She Is dobgar U~s -:jeL. ;0-aut how -wall 'he ar
&ht-i -oIa
 SECTION 79"=-
Listed below are a number of statements hilch could be used to describe a job.

'fou are to indicate whether each statement is an

accurate or an inaccurate description of the job
listed on the front pate.

Once again, please try to be as obpective as you can i.- deciding

how accurately each statement describes the job-regardless of your
own Ceelings about that job.

Write a number in the blank beside each statement, based on the following
scale.:

How accurate is the statement in describing the job listed on

the front age?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Very Mostly Slightly Uncertain Slightly Mostly Very
Inaccurate Inaccurate Inaccurate Accurate Accurate Accurate

-I. The job requires a person to use a number of complex 4r sophisticated skills.

2. The 4ob requires a t, of cooperative work with othev people.

3. The job is arranged so that a pevson does not have the chance to do an entire
piece of work from beginning to e,!r

4. Just doing the work required by the job ,'ovides mary chances for a person to
figure out how well he or she is dcing.

__._5, The' job is quite s-imple and repetitive.

6. The job can be done adequately by a peison working alone--without talking or

checking with other people.

7. The supervisors and co-workers on this job almost never give a person any
"feedback" about how well he or she is doing the work.

_8. This job is one where a lot of other people can be affected by how well the
work gets done.

9. The job denies a person ar., chance Lo use Mis or her pers" nal initiative or
discretion in cazrying out the work.

10. Supervisors often let the person know how well they think he or she is
performing the job.
11.Ii The Job p, -vide.,. a person kyith the chance to finish completely any work he or
•. -- she starts.

.... 12. T} e job itself provides very few, clues about whetiier or not the person is
yrforming well.

__._ 13. The io" gives a person consilerable opportunity for independence and
freedom in hovlhe or she does the work.

I-- ' The Job ityelf I'-,not very significant or important i.n the broader scheme
of Lhin-s.
 -80<

"SECTION T-REE

General Inf ormation

1. What is your name?

2. What is your own job title?

3. What is your age? (Check one)

under 20 40 - 49
20 - 29 50 - 59
30 - 39 60 or ;er

4. How long have you been ia your present position? (Check one)
0o- 1/2 yr. 3 - 5 rs,•
1/2- I yr. _5- 10 yrs.
I - 2 yrs. 10 or more yrs.

SECTTON HOUR
In the space below (or on the back of the page), please write down any
additional information about the job you supervise which you feel might be

helpful to us in understanding that job. Thank you for your cooperatJon.

 8i1z

Reproduced from
best available copy.

APPENDIX F

LIEAN JDS SCORES FOR A SAMPLE FROM4 PUBLIC ORGAi'IZATIONS

-. =
 VaWnaanen & Katz (1974) administered sections of the JDS to7 a large
"sample of public employees, and mean scores for the JDS scales they used
are shown in Table F-I.

The sample included four governmental organizations (two cities, one

county, and one state). Within each governmental entity, a stratified
random sample of public employees was determined. Of the total sample of
3500 employees, 88 percent participated. The stratification was based on
eight Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) job categories:

1. Administrators: Occupations in which employees set broad policies and

exercise or direct overall responsibility for execution of these policies.
Includes: department heads, bureau chiefs, division chiefs, directors,
wardens, inspectors, superintendents, police and fire chiefs, unit super-
visors, and kindred workers.

2. Professionals: Occupations which require specialized and theoretical

knowledge usually acquired through college txaining or through work exper-
ience. Includes: doctors, psychologists, registered nurses, personnel and
labor relations workers, lawyers, system analysts, accountants, engineers,
teachers, employment and vocational rehabilitation counselors, and kindred
workers.

3. Technicians: Occupations which require a combination of basic scien-

tific or technical knowledge and manual skill which can be obtained
through specialized post--secondavy school education or through equivalent
on-the-job training. Includes: computer programmers and operators,
draftsmen, surveyors, photographers, radio operators, assessors, techni-
cians, practical nurses, and kindred workers.

4. Protective Service: Occupations in which workers are entrusted with

public safety, security, and protection from destructive forces. Includes:
police officers, fire figitters, guards, bailiffs, detectives, marshals,
and kindred workers.

5. Paraprofessionals: Occupations in which workers perform some of the

duties of a professional or technician in a supportive role - ustally
requiring less formal training. Includes: library assistants, research
assistants, medical aides, child support workers, welfare service aides,
police auxiliary, and kindred workers.

6. Office and Clerical: Occupations in which workers are responsible for

communications, recording and retrieval of information, and other paper
work required in an office. Includes: bookkeepers, messengers, stenog-
raphers, clerks, transcribers, office machine operators, license dis-
tributors, and kindred workers.

7. Skilled Craft: Occupatiori in which workers perform jobs which require

special manual skill and a knowled-e of the processes involved in the
work - acquired throuoh on-the-job training and experience or through
apprenticeship or other formal trainin? pro!grams. Includes: mechanics,
repairmen, electricians, carpenters, heavy equipment operaters, skilled
machinists, typesetters, and kindred workers.
 8. Service and Maintenance: Occupations in which workers perform duties
which result in or contribute to the comfort, convenience, hygiene, or
safety of the general public or which contribute to the upkeep and care of
buildings, facilities, or grounds of public property. Includes: chauffeurs,
truck an- bus drivers, refuse collectors, custodial personnel, gardeners,
groundkeepers, construction workers, garage laborers, laundry and dry
cleaning operatives, and kindred workers.

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