The way work is structured has a bigger impact on an individual’s motivation than might first appear. Job design suggests that the way elements in a job are organized can influence employee effort, and the job characteristics model can serve as a framework to identify opportunities for changes to those elements. Job characteristics model (JCM) is a model proposing that any job can be described in terms of five core job dimensions: skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback.

Skill variety is the degree to which a job requires different activities using specialized skills and talents. The work of a garage owner-operator scores highly on this dimension compared to a body shop worker who sprays paint 8 hours a day. Task identity is the degree to which a job requires completion of a whole and identifiable piece of work. A cabinetmaker who designs and builds furniture scores much higher than someone operating a lathe solely to make table legs. Task significance is the degree to which a job affects the lives or work of other people. The job of a nurse helping patients in a hospital intensive care unit scores high on task significance; sweeping floors in a hospital scores low.

Autonomy is the degree to which a job provides the worker freedom, independence, and discretion in scheduling work and determining the procedures for carrying it out. Feedback is the degree to which carrying out work activities generates direct and clear information about your own performance. Evidence supports the relationship between these job characteristics and higher job satisfaction.