A naturally occurring field experiment of job change was conducted over a one-year period in three applied research and development organizations. The experimental group (n = 42) were those employees who had been promoted or assigned to a different job. Employees who had maintained the same job made up the nonequivalent control group (n = 166). Standardized change score analysis showed the job change group to have greater increases in performance, innovativeness, and job satisfaction, as well as a greater reduction in role ambiguity when compared to the nonequivalent control group. In addition, the job change group reported greater increases in the job characteristics of variety and task autonomy, as well as in the role requirements of integration and boundary-spanning activities. The importance of the results and the role of field experimentation are discussed.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
ALDAG, R. J., & BRIEF, A. P.Task design and employee motivation. Glenview, Ill.: Scott, Foresman, 1979.
2.
BRIEF, A. P., & ALDAG, R. J.The Job Characteristic Inventory: An examination. Academy of Management Journal, 1978, 21, 659-670.
3.
COOK, T. D., & CAMPBELL, D. T.Quasi-experimentation: Design and analysis issues forfield settings. Chicago: Rand McNally, 1979.
4.
CRONBACH, L. J., & FURBY, L.How should we measure "change"-or should we?Psychological Bulletin, 1970, 74, 68-80.
5.
DUBIN, R., PORTER, L. W., STONE, E. F., & CHAMPOUX, J. E.Implications of differential job perceptions. Industrial Relations, 1974, 13, 265-273.
6.
DUNN, O. J., & CLARK, V.Comparison of tests of the equality of dependent correlation coefficients. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 1971, 66, 904-908.
7.
ETTLIE, J. E.Real-time studies in organizational research. Academy of Management Review, 1977, 2, 298-303.
8.
GOLEMBIEWSKI, R. T., & YEAGER, S.Testing the applicability of the JDI to various demographic groupings. Academy of Management Journal. 1978, 21, 514-519.
9.
HACKMAN, J. R., & OLDHAM, G. R.Development of the Job Diagnostic Survey. Journal of Applied Psychology, 1975, 60, 159-170.
10.
GRIFFIN, R. W.Task design determinants of effective leader behavior. Academy of Management Review, 1979, 4, 215-228.
11.
HOUSE, R. J., & RIZZO, J. R.Role conflict and ambiguity as critical variables in a model of organizational behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 1972, 7, 467-505.
12.
KANE, J. S., & LAWLER, E. E. III. Methods of peer assessment. Psychological Bulletin, 1978, 85, 555-586.
13.
KENNY, D. A.A quasi-experimental approach to assessing treatment effects in the nonequivalent control group design. Psychologial Bulletin, 1975, 82, 345-362.
14.
LAWLER, E. E. III. Adaptive experiments: An approach to organizational behavior research. Academy of Management Review, 1977, 2, 576-585.
15.
LINDZEY, G., & BYRNE, D.Measurement of social choice and interpersonal attractiveness. In G. Lindzey & E. Aronson (Eds.), Handbook of social psychology (Volume II, 2nd ed.). Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley, 1968.
16.
MILES, R. H.Role requirements as sources of organizational stress. Journal of Applied Psychology, 1976, 61, 172-179.
17.
NEMIROFF, P. M., & FORD, D. L.Task effectiveness and human fulfillment in organizations: A review and development of a conceptual contingency model. Academy of Management Review, 1976, 1, 69-82.
18.
O'REILLY, C. A., & CALDWELL, D. F.Informational influence as a determinant of perceived task characteristics and job satisfaction. Journal of Applied Psychology, 1979, 64, 157-165.
19.
O'REILLY, C. A., PARLETTE, G. N., & BLOOM, J. R.Perceptual measures of task characteristics: The biasing effects of differing frames of reference and job attitudes. Academy of Management Journal, 1980, 23, 118-131.
20.
PIERCE, J. L., & DUNHAM, R. B.Task design: A literature review. Academy of Management Review, 1976,1, 83-97.
21.
PIERCE, J. L., & DUNHAM, R. B.The measurement of perceived job characteristics: The Job Diagnostic Survey versus the Job Characteristic Inventory. Academy of Management Journal, 1978, 21, 123-128.
22.
RIZZO, J. R., HOUSE, R. J., LIRTZMAN, S. I.Role conflict ana ambiguity in complex organizations. Administrative Science Quarterly, 1970, 15, 150-163.
23.
SCHWAB, D. P., & CUMMINGS, L. L.A theoretical analysis of the impact of task scope on employee performance. Academy of Management Review, 1976, 1, 23-35.
24.
SIMS, H. P., SZILAGYI, A. D., & KELLER, R. T.The measurement of job characteristics. Academy of Management Journal, 1976, 19, 195-212.
25.
SMITH, P. C., KENDALL, L. M.HULIN, C. L.The measurement of satisfaction in work and retirement. Chicago: Rand Mcnally, 1969.
26.
STEERS, R. M., & MOWDAY, R. T.The motivational properties of tasks. Academy of Management Review, 1977, 2, 645-658.
27.
STOGDILL, R. M., & SHARTLE, C. L.Methods in the study of administrative leadership. Columbus, Ohio: Bureau of Business Research, Ohio State University, 1955.
28.
STONE, E. F.Field independence and perceptions of task characteristics: A laboratory investigation. Journalof Applied Psychology, 1979, 64, 305-310.
29.
WHITE, S. E., & MITCHELL, T. R.Job enrichment versus social cues: A comparison and competitive test. Journal of Applied Psychology, 1979, 64, 1-9.
30.
ZALTMAN, G., DUNCAN, R., & HOLBEK, J.Innovations and organizations. New York: Wiley, 1973.
