Pick two people you know pretty well who are working (such as friends or relatives). Try to pick one person who is primarily extrinsically motivated by his or her job and another person who is primarily intrinsically motivated (or both intrinsically and extrinsically motivated). Informally meet with each of these people and ask them about their jobs (especially what their jobs entail, the social environment at work, and their work goals, if any). Then do the following:
1. Describe each person’s job.
2. Is either job designed according to the principles of scientific management? If so, how?
3. Describe each job in terms of the five core dimensions of the job characteristics model.
4. Describe each person in terms of the individual differences in the job characteristics model.
5. How are the people’s social environments at work similar? How are they different?
6. Is either person assigned goals? If so, what kinds of goals?
7. What do you think accounts for the extrinsic motivation and the intrinsic motivation of the people you have chosen?