Production uncertainty as a contextual moderator of employee reactions to job design

A number of authors in the job design field have proposed production uncert ainty, the degree to which a qualified incumbent faces unexpected problems in the course of job performance, as a possible moderator of the effectiven ess of job design. However, empirical support for this view is limited and has not been explicitly recognized within mainstream job design theory. Thi s study of production operators in a waste water treatment setting provides further empirical support for production uncertainty as a contextual varia ble influencing job design outcomes, demonstrating that the relationship be tween job control and affective outcomes (job satisfaction and intrinsic mo tivation) varies with the level of production uncertainty.