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In this chapter the relationship between job design and older workers is considered. Starting from a conceptual definition of what the concept job and work design is, we consider theoretic approaches to the study of job design over the last decades, including recent frameworks, measurement, and research. We follow this with a specific focus on the topic of job design for older workers. We argue that the rules of “good job design” are not applicable to all workers, focusing specifically on the issues of age and career stage. We next show through a theoretical model and some empirical research that some job characteristics may be more suitable or beneficial for people in older age groups or later stages of their careers (e.g., Truxillo, Cadiz, Rineer, Zaniboni, & Fraccaroli, 2012). Empirical support for the role of age in job design is considered. We conclude by defining some avenues for future research, including the identification of additional factors that may determine how age and job characteristics affect worker behavior, attitudes, and well-being.

The purpose of this paper is to uncover the nature of job characteristics related to different generational cohorts (Baby-boomers, Generation X and Generation Y). Significant differences between four task and four social job characteristics across generational cohorts have been revealed.

The empirical research was conducted through a field study of employees from large-sized Croatian organizations. A cross-sectional and cross-occupational research design was applied. A total of 512 knowledge workers (139 managers and 373 professionals) participated in the research. Descriptive and inferential statistical methods were used to determine and compare work design across generations.

The results indicate that job characteristics are not equally represented within different generational cohorts. While the nature of task job characteristics is mostly irrespective of generations, social job characteristics to some extent differ among generational cohorts. High task variety, reasonably high task identity, and a moderate level of both received interdependence and task significance are recognized as common job characteristics of knowledge workers across generations. However, jobs of Baby-boomers, Xers, and Yers are idiosyncratic for work autonomy, interaction with others, initiated interdependence, and teamwork. Additionally, the inclusion of the work type as a control variable revealed that interaction with others does differ but only among generations of professionals.

The present study is the first research in which generational similarities and differences have been empirically examined through job characteristics. The authors focused on knowledge workers within an under-researched context (studies about knowledge workers, work design and generational differences are rare or non-existent in south-eastern European countries), making this systematic investigation unique and practically significant.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate a specific pattern of relationships among various task, knowledge and social characteristics of work design and work outcomes. It clearly shows how particular work characteristics influence task and contextual performance.

The empirical research was conducted through a field survey of the largest Croatian organizations with more than 500 employees. A cross-sectional and cross-occupational sample of 512 knowledge workers from 48 organizations is analyzed by applying the partial least squares structural equation modeling technique.

The results confirmed the existence and importance of the interaction between work characteristics and work outcomes. However, the findings suggest that only knowledge characteristics of work design exhibit a significant effect on both dimensions of work behavior, while task and social characteristics showed different effects on task and contextual performance, respectively.

The research findings clearly show that work design efforts are not straightforward but rather context-specific, and with diverging performance effects. Organizations can significantly enhance their bottom-line performance by designing challenging and cognitively demanding configurations of work tasks for their knowledge workers.

The paper extends previous research by capturing a broader set of work characteristics of knowledge workers. The results suggest that different categories of work characteristics have different effects on task and contextual performance. By revealing the nature of work design in the central and eastern European context, this study indicates the existence of possible differences in work design practices in various backgrounds.

How to design jobs to support innovation is an issue that has received plenty of consideration over the past years. Building on the job characteristics model, the present study is set up to identify configurations of perceived job characteristics for innovation.

By adopting a fuzzy-set configurational approach (fsQCA), the research question is addressed through a two-wave self-report survey of 199 employees of an Italian manufacturing company.

Results reveal four compatible configurations of job characteristics leading to high levels of innovative work behavior and two for low levels.

The results offer guidance for managers and organizations that aim to strengthen employee-driven innovation by offering different recipes of job design to maximize the chance of boosting innovative behaviors among their workers.

This research is one of the first to empirically test the relation of job characteristics for innovative behavior using a configurational approach. By doing so it contributes to the literature by advancing the notion that innovative endeavors are determined by the holistic effects of different interdependent configurations of job characteristics.

In this chapter we study job design. Do organizations plan precisely how the job is to be done ex ante, or ask workers to determine the process as they go? We first model this decision and predict complementarity among these following job attributes: multitasking, discretion, skills, and interdependence of tasks. We argue that characteristics of the firm and industry (e.g., product and technology, organizational change) can explain observed patterns and trends in job design. We then use novel data on these job attributes to examine these issues. As predicted, job designs tend to be “coherent” across these attributes within the same job. Job designs also tend to follow similar patterns across jobs in the same firm, and especially in the same establishment: when one job is optimized ex ante, others are more likely to be also. There is evidence that firms segregate different types of job designs across different establishments. At the industry level, both computer usage and R&D spending are related to job design decisions.

This study examined the relationship among perceived job characteristics, job evaluation factors, and salary in twenty jobs from two job families. The Job Diagnostic Survey (JDS) and the Job Characteristics Inventory (JCI) were used to assess job characteristics. The results revealed high agreement across the 445 individuals who described their jobs, but substantial divergence between pairs of common dimensions across instruments in their relationship with job worth. While the major findings are consistent with previous research on the relationship between job characteristics and job worth, it is proposed that job‐level explanations for the motivating properties of jobs are conceptually limited The concept of job‐role differentiation (Ilgen & Hollenbeck, 1991) was offered as a potentially useful explanatory mechanism for understanding the structure of work, particularly those concepts pertaining to motivation and satisfaction.

Although both job design and its broader context are likely to drive motivation, little is known about the specific workplace characteristics that are important for motivation. The purpose of this paper is to present the Workplace Characteristics Model, which describes the workplace characteristics that can foster motivation, and the corresponding multilevel Workplace Design Questionnaire.

The model is configured as nine workplace attributes describing climate for motivation at two levels, psychological and organizational. The multilevel multi-time questionnaire was validated with data from 4,287 individuals and 212 workplaces and with integrated regulation as the criterion outcome.

Multilevel factor analysis and regression indicated good internal reliability, construct validity, and stability over time, and excellent concurrent and predictive validity of the questionnaire.

The model could help to optimize job and workplace design by contextualizing motivation. The questionnaire offers advancement over single-level climate measures as it is validated simultaneously at two levels. Further research can focus on overcoming the low response rate typical for online surveys, on need fulfillment as the mediating variable, and on the joint influence of job and workplace characteristics on organizational behavior.

This work responds to calls to incorporate context in research into organizational behavior and job design. An understanding of the workplace is a first step in this direction. This questionnaire is the first to be validated at multiple levels of analysis. Ultimately, workplace design could support job design and the development of inherently motivating workplaces.

Information technology (IT) professionals and their intentions to leave an organization have been studied by researchers; however, these studies do not compare the turnover intentions of IT professionals with non-IT professionals from the same institution. The purpose of this paper is to examine how IT and non-IT job professionals relate to motivational and social job characteristics and their impact on job satisfaction, job performance and turnover intentions.

Data were collected from IT-shared services employees through a survey and quantitative analyses were performed.

Among the motivational job characteristics, IT professionals experienced greater task significance than the non-IT job holders. With social job characteristics, IT professionals had greater outside interaction than the non-IT professionals. However, the non-IT professionals had greater intentions to leave the IT organization than the IT professionals. Additionally, the study examined the differences of the job characteristics and job outcomes among transactional, transformational, and professional advisory work groups. The professionals and advisory group differed from the other groups in terms of feedback from the job, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions.

The findings are based on a small sample. However, it highlights some unique differences in how IT and non-IT job occupants perceive job characteristics and job outcomes.

This study compares job characteristics and job outcomes of IT and non-IT job occupations in the same IT work environment.

This study aims to identify the job characteristics that would boost the personal and work outcomes (e.g. job satisfaction, internal motivation and output quality) of facility managers (FMs) in Singapore based on the Job Characteristics Theory.

The research method is a survey method, and data were collected using a structured questionnaire from 34 FMs through electronic mail and by post.

Using t-test of the mean, 23 out of the 39 identified job characteristics are found to be significantly present in FMs’ jobs. Pearson’s correlation analysis revealed that the job characteristics that are significantly correlated with personal and work outcomes of FMs include those that use a variety of skills, in which task identity is present, task is significant, allow autonomy, provide feedback and meet FMs’ growth needs.

The Job Characteristics Theory is found to be applicable to FMs’ jobs, but this needs to be generalized carefully because of the relatively small sample size.

It is recommended that the significant job characteristics that are identified in this study be designed and incorporated into FMs’ jobs. These include setting up teams where members play their parts well; a reward system when a job is done well; a career path with ample opportunities for promotion; and communication channels that are clear and precise.

Important job characteristics that could boost FMs’ job satisfaction, internal motivation and quality of work are identified. In addition, job characteristics that could reduce their likelihood of leaving the profession are also uncovered. These job characteristics should be designed into FMs’ jobs, so that firms have high performing and motivated FMs.

Due to the increasing trend of global competitiveness, lean manufacturing has received much attention in the international literature. Although previous studies have indicated the positive effects of lean manufacturing on the performance of the manufacturing firms, the impact of lean practices on two aspects of “job”, namely, characteristics and satisfaction, as of yet remains unclear. As a result, this study aims to evaluate job characteristics to understand the effects of lean manufacturing on job satisfaction.

Data from a survey of 206 employees in lean manufacturing companies were gathered and analysed using the partial least squares technique.

The results indicate that customer relationship, human resources and product design practices had positive indirect effects on job satisfaction through job characteristics, whereas, process and equipment practices had a negative indirect effect.

The findings of the study will be useful for the companies that implement lean manufacturing practices. Companies could either adjust their lean initiatives or make a trade-off amongst job characteristics.

This study contributes to the advancement of knowledge on the effects of lean manufacturing practices on job satisfaction through job characteristics.