TY - CHAP

T1 - Job characteristics

AU - Kößler, Franziska J.

AU - Degen, Johanna L.

PY - 2024/7/23

Y1 - 2024/7/23

N2 - Job characteristics seem essential for most tasks of Work and Organizational Psychology that involve describing and comparing jobs in a standardized way. The history of job characteristics highlights that underlying theories have varied considerably over time, emphasizing either the environmental or psychological side. This back-and-forth between determinism and subjective idealism limits theory development and distracts from fundamental challenges in organizations and society. The present entry develops a definition of job characteristics based on activity theory that offers a holistic view of work activities as systems in which subjects use instruments on objects to produce outcomes. These activity systems are explicitly connected to collectives in a mutual relationship. Aside from developing this definition, we conclude from a critical review of old and new approaches that job characteristics bear potential for humanistic and management purposes.

AB - Job characteristics seem essential for most tasks of Work and Organizational Psychology that involve describing and comparing jobs in a standardized way. The history of job characteristics highlights that underlying theories have varied considerably over time, emphasizing either the environmental or psychological side. This back-and-forth between determinism and subjective idealism limits theory development and distracts from fundamental challenges in organizations and society. The present entry develops a definition of job characteristics based on activity theory that offers a holistic view of work activities as systems in which subjects use instruments on objects to produce outcomes. These activity systems are explicitly connected to collectives in a mutual relationship. Aside from developing this definition, we conclude from a critical review of old and new approaches that job characteristics bear potential for humanistic and management purposes.

KW - Psychology

KW - Description

KW - Determinism

KW - Activity theory

KW - Subjective idealism

KW - ideology

KW - positivism

UR - https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/gbp/elgar-encyclopedia-of-organizational-psychology-9781803921754.html

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/0d928291-4b10-386e-8bd9-bec812ccc285/

U2 - 10.4337/9781803921761.00065

DO - 10.4337/9781803921761.00065

M3 - Articles for encyclopedia

SN - 978 1 80392 175 4

SP - 330

EP - 334

BT - Elgar Encyclopedia of Organizational Psychology

A2 - Bal, P. Matthijs

PB - Edward Elgar Publishing

ER -