Applying Job Characteristics Theory To Adult Probation

• Author: David R. Frew,Thomas J. Leonardi
• Date: 01 March 1991
• Published date: 01 March 1991
• DOI: 10.1177/088740349100500102
• Subject Matter: Articles

17

Applying

Job

Characteristics

Theory

To

Adult

Probation

Thomas

J.

Leonardi

Gannon

University

of

Erie,

Pennsylvania

David

R.

Frew

Gannon

University

of

Erie,

Pennsylvania

Abstract

Thirty-five

members

of

an

adult

probation

department

were

given

the

Hackman/Oldham

Job

Characteristics

Questionnaire.

Statistical

results

were

computed

and

compared

to

the

national

averages

for

technical/professional

workers.

As

a

group,

probation

officers

seemed

to

experience

more

"com-

plicated"

and

"enriched"

jobs

than

most

professionals,

but

significantly

lower

levels

of

"feedback"

and

"knowledge

of

results."

This

would

appear

to

be

responsible

for

both

the

measured

level

of

"job

satisfaction"

which

was

sig-

nificantly

lower

than

the

national

average,

and

for

the

moderately

higher

"turnover

intention"

reported

by

probation

officers.

CJPR,

VOL.

5,

NO.

1/91,

@IUP

Applying

Job

Characteristics

Theory

To

Adult

Probation

There

have

been

few

reported

attempts

to

apply

the

theories

and

techniques

of

management

to

criminal

justice

functions

such

as

probation

(see

Roberg

1979,

Leonard

and

Moore

1974,

Braun

1955,

Felkemes

1977,

Skinner

1978,

Weston

1978,

Hussey

and

Duffee

1980,

and

Sarata

1977).

While

the

literature

on

organizational

behavior

and

management

has

expanded

rapidly

into

other

non-business

areas

such

as

nursing

and

general

public

administration,

a

search

revealed

almost

no

references

to

the

applications

of

management

theory

in

criminal

justice.

It

would

seem

that

criminal

justice

personnel,

more

than

other

functional

specialists

(accountants,

engineers,

nurses,

etc.),

have

become

so

focused

upon

their

technical

missions

that

they

fail

to

attend

to

the

mechanics

of

organizational

design

and

maintenance.

They

begin

their

careers

idealistically

driven

by

the

romantic

appeal

of

&dquo;helping

people&dquo;

or

&dquo;catching

bad

guys&dquo;

(two

romantic

visions

of

Criminal

Justice

work)

but

often

end

them

bogged

down

by

the

depression

and

cynicism

of

office

politics.

From

a

management

perspective,

this

is

like

the

automobile

owner

who

is

so

enthralled

with

driving

a

new

car

that

he

or

she

fails

to

perform

oil