APA Dictionary of Psychology

a measure of the motivational components of a job, as identified by the job-characteristics model of J. Richard Hackman and U.S. organizational behaviorist Greg R. Oldham (1947–  ). The JDS is a self-report instrument in which employees’ answers are used to score a job in terms of five core dimensions that are held to determine employee motivation (skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback). If scores are low, a program of job enlargement or job enrichment may be recommended.