Job Diagnostic Survey (Hackman & Oldham)
HR & WorkReliability: alphas 0.62–0.76 across original five core dimensions3 sample items
About this scale
A foundational instrument operationalizing the five core dimensions of the Job Characteristics Model: skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback. Used to compute the Motivating Potential Score (MPS).
Sample item(s)
“How much variety is there in your job? (variety)”
“To what extent does your job involve doing a 'whole' and identifiable piece of work? (identity)”
“How much autonomy is there in your job? (autonomy)”
Reliability
Reported internal consistency: alphas 0.62–0.76 across original five core dimensions. As a rule of thumb, Cronbach’s α ≥ .70 is considered acceptable, ≥ .80 good, and ≥ .90 excellent for established measures.
Notes
Modern researchers prefer the WDQ (Morgeson & Humphrey, 2006). Cite both for completeness.
Source & citation
Hackman, J. R., & Oldham, G. R. (1975): Development of the job diagnostic survey. Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 60, No. 2, pp. 159–170.
Hackman & Oldham (1975): Development of the job diagnostic survey. JAP, 60(2), 159–170.
Source. Scale details are summarised from the publication cited above. Always consult the original source for the full item set, scoring, and permission to use.
Use it in your research
Need to check the reliability or psychometrics of this scale in your own data? Use the free DrAIStudio research tools:
Cronbach’s alpha calculator
All statistical calculators
Search the full Scale Atlas
Academic writing humanizer