The literature on job design and work design is currently very abundant. This is probably because the theoretical model proposes a specific reading of the functioning of organizations and the workplace—one that has demonstrated a very high degree of reliability and scientific validity. Since the middle of the 20th century, studies have proven the importance of several characteristics linked to working conditions and the ways by which tasks are carried out by employees in explaining both their motivation (whether they work in the public or private sector) and their well-being or arduousness at work. Therefore, it is probably no exaggeration to say that job or work design is a theoretical point of view that has great importance in the field of management. This chapter is precisely dedicated to the study of this model of analysis, with the particularity of adopting an institutional reading, which allows us to account for the organizational specificities of the public sector. In other words, the aim here is to better understand the motivation of public employees on the basis of an institutional reading of the job design model. Therefore, in this chapter, we propose to discuss this job design model. Indeed, a rich body of knowledge has been developed about the links between work characteristics and different outcomes, such as job satisfaction and motivation, quality, and performance. Identifying the factors that positively and negatively influence these dimensions seems to be useful in the implementation of policies and practices aimed at orienting strategies for regulating public employees in directions that are favorable to both organizational efficiency and their well-being and satisfaction. We start by defining the notions of job design and work design. Based on a review by Parker et al. (2017), we then present five streams of research on this subject. We briefly review the relationships between work characteristics and work outcomes. After having stressed the importance of motivation in the public sector, the heart of the chapter is devoted to an institutional and cultural reading in which we highlight the specificities of public administrations in terms of job design. We focus on six elements: (1) the cultural and institutional context; (2) the organizational climate; (3) changes and reforms; (4) role ambiguity, political interference, and administrative constraints; (5) relational work; and (6) human resource management (HRM) in the public sector. The chapter concludes with proposals for possible research topics in future works.