Skill-utilization, skill-variety and the job characteristics model

Abstract

An examination of the job characteristics theory (Hackman & Oldham, 1975, 1976, 1980) showed that it contained two alternative statements about the relationship between job attributes and job satisfaction. One statement asserted that job satisfaction was an additive function of job attributes while the other asserted that the function was multiplicative. This study showed that both formulations omitted skill-utilization as a predictor of job satisfaction. A random sample of 125 employees in metropolitan Adelaide completed the job characteristics scales and a skill-utilization scale (O'Brien, 1980, 1982a). Job satisfaction was measured by the Job Descriptive Index and an 18-item facet satisfaction scale. Using hierarchical regression, it was found that skill-utilization accounted for as much unique variance in job satisfaction as did the additive or multiplicative combinations of job attributes denned by the job characteristics theory. The implications of these results for the job characteristics theory and job design were briefly discussed.