What job characteristics are most likely to provide employees with a sense of ownership over their work outcomes?

The answer is focused on autonomy and feedback as key job characteristics that foster a sense of ownership over work outcomes. Autonomy refers to the degree of freedom, independence, and discretion that employees have in scheduling their work and determining how they perform tasks. When employees feel they have control over their work, they are more likely to take ownership of the results, as they can see a direct connection between their decisions and their outcomes.

Feedback, on the other hand, is critical because it provides employees with information about their performance. Having timely and relevant feedback allows employees to assess and reflect on their work, reinforcing their personal contributions and enhancing their sense of responsibility for outcomes. When employees receive feedback, they are more likely to feel that their work has meaning and that their efforts directly impact the organization, thus reinforcing their ownership of their roles.

In contrast, while task significance, skill variety, and task identity may contribute to overall job satisfaction and engagement, they do not directly convey control over the work being done in the same way that autonomy does. Task significance and autonomy combined create a strong sense of ownership but the synergy of autonomy and feedback is particularly effective in motivating employees to feel responsible for their outcomes.