Michaela works as an electrician and was recently sitting with a friend and explaining her job. "When I enter a job site, there is virtually nothing except the framing and a few walls. I'm responsible for pulling the electric from the main source, wiring the site, putting in the breakers, working with the customers to identify their lighting and electrical needs, and then installing the lights, the plugs, and anything else they may need like timers. By the time I leave, there is lighting throughout the site. It's pretty great, seeing something go from nothing to completion. I also really like how I have full control over the process—when I'm sent out on a job, it's just me to make all the decisions. It's just me and the electricity. If I make a mistake along the way, it tells me—I either get shocked, there won't be power, or the lights will work! No questions there, that's for sure! Yes, it's hard work, and I never know exactly what my day will involve. Sometimes, I'm talking with clients in an effort to find out just what they want. Other days, I'm doing paperwork costing out jobs and monitoring how we're doing on expenses. Then, on some days, I'm actually out in the field on site doing the kind of job I described earlier, where I'm handling everything from cradle to grave. Many people think being an electrician is just a boring, blue-collar job. But in reality, electricity is something that is very, very important for people, and if I do it well, they'll be happy. If I do it poorly, their lives are at stake. Can you imagine if I did a poor job and one day the building had an electrical fire?"
1. Explain which core job dimension from the Hackman and Oldham Model motivates Michaela when she states she handles "everything from cradle to grave".
a. Task identity
b. Task significance
c. Skill variety
2. Which of the core job dimensions is indicated by Michaela's ability to complete paperwork, communicate, problem solve, and install electrical wiring and component parts?
a. Expectancy
b. Skill variety
c. Coordination
3. Michaela stated that "...electricity is something that is very, very important for people…". Discuss which of the core job dimensions is met by this statement.
a. Task significance
b. Task identify
c. Hygiene factors
4. When Michaela describes how she has full control over a job and she gets to make all of the decisions, she is experiencing which part of the job design model?
a. Task significane
b. Task identify
c. Autonomy