Which pair is credited with creating the Job Characteristics Model?

• A. Bandura and Skinner
• B. Hackman and Oldham
• C. Maslow and Alderfer
• D. Katz and Kahn

Answer: (B)

The Job Characteristics Model explains how the way a job is designed affects a person’s motivation. It was created by Hackman and Oldham, who identified five key characteristics that shape how meaningful and engaging a job feels: skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback. When a job includes these elements, workers tend to experience three psychological states: the meaningfulness of the work, responsibility for outcomes, and knowledge of results. These states, in turn, drive higher motivation, better performance, and greater job satisfaction. The model is attributed to Hackman and Oldham; other well-known theorists—Bandura and Skinner, Maslow and Alderfer, Katz and Kahn—contributed to different areas of psychology and organizational behavior, not this model.