Job Design

PEOPLE JOBS

Psychological Contract

= Contributions Inducements

A Model of Job Design

JOB DESIGN FACTORS JOB DESIGN OUTCOMES

Job Content Task Variety Task Autonomy Task Identity Task Significance Work Methods Coordination RequirementsRelationships with Others Teamwork Requirements Contractual Arrangements

Task Accomplishment Productivity Efficiency Effectiveness

Employee Responses Satisfaction Absenteeism Turnover

Historical Development of Job Design

Job Speciali-

zation

Low

High

JobSpecialization

EmployeeResponse

ContemporaryApproaches

Entrepreneur

SpecializedCrafts

Scientific Management

Job RotationJob Enlargement

- Job Enrichment - Redesign of Job Characteristics

- Self-directed work teams

AlternativeApproaches

Alter Relation- shipsAlter Time @

(1880s - 1940s) (1940s - ) (1960s - ) (1970s - )

Social Info. processing

Job Design StrategiesJob Design Strategies

Job Rotation Task Variety (different skills)

Job Enlargement Task Variety +(horizontal) Task identity (whole piece of work)+

Feedback (job provides info onperformance)

Job enrichment Task Variety+Identity+Feedback+(vertical loading) Job autonomy (independence & self- add planning & determination of schedule etc)+ control Task Significance (job affects others)

Redesign of Job Characteristics

Implementation Core Job Critical PersonalConcepts Characteristic Psychological and Work

Dimensions States Outcomes

Combining Tasks Task Variety Experienced High internal meaningfulness work motivation

Forming Natural Task Identity of the workWork Units

Establishing Client Task Significance High qualityRelationships performance

ExperiencedVertical Loading Task Autonomy responsibility for High work

work outcomes satisfactionOpening Feedback Feedback Knowledge of Low absenteeismChannels actual results and turnover

Employee GNS

Practical Issues Related to Job EnrichmentPractical Issues Related to Job Enrichment

• Does the job need enriching?

•Can it be meaningfully enriched?

•Is your workforce likely to desire job enrichment?

Does the job need enrichingDoes the job need enriching

Check outcomes associated with job enrichment for clues

Job enrichment

Job Satisfaction(as perceived by the employee)

EffortAbsenteeismTurnoverGrievancesQuality of work

Productivity

Does the job need enriching?Does the job need enriching?

If yes, take our cue from the Job Characteristics Model

Which of the Core Job Characteristics are deficient?

Skill Variety – (different skills)Task identity – (whole piece of work)Task significance – (job affects others)Autonomy – (job offers independence &

self-determination)Feedback – (job provides information on performance)

Answer is based on employee perceptions.Job Diagnostic Survey

Job Diagnostic SurveyJob Diagnostic SurveyThis job … (1=SD to 7=SA)1. Provides much variety.2. Permits me to be left on my own to do my work.3. Is arranged so I often have the opportunity to see jobs or

projects through to completion.4. Provides feedback on how well I am doing as I am working.5. Is relatively significant in my organization.6. Gives me considerable opportunity for independence and

freedom in how I do the work.7. Provides me with different responsibilities.8. Enables me to find out how well I am doing.9. Is important in the broader scheme of things.10. Provides an opportunity for independent thought & action.

JDS: continuedJDS: continued

11. Provides me with considerable variety of work.12. Is arranged so that I have the opportunity to complete the work I start13. Provides me with the feeling that I know whether I am performing well or poorly.14. Is arranged so that I have the chance to do a job from beginning to end (i.e., an chance to do the whole job).15. Is one where a lot of other people can be affected by how well the work gets done.

Two hypothetical jobsTwo hypothetical jobs

Variety Identity Significance. Autonomy Feeedback

7654321

Motivating Potential Score (MPS)Variety+Identity+Significance

3XAutonomyXFeedbackMPS=

Job A MPS = 250Job B MPS = 45

Job A

Job B

Norms for Job Characteristics for all US jobs Norms for Job Characteristics for all US jobs

Variety Identity Significance Autonomy Feedback

7654321

4.5 5.0 5.8 5.0 5.2

MPS score norm for all jobs is 132.6Theoretical Range = 1 to 343

Can it meaningfully be enriched?Can it meaningfully be enriched?

Several issues:

CostAbility to redesign

Change employee (since it is based on perceptions)

Does your workforce want enrichment?Does your workforce want enrichment?

Enrichment typically introduced by management(in response to disastrous outcomes)

Unions typically suspicious so their involvement iscritical.Enrichment is viewed as:

a way to cut jobsa trick to get labor to assume managerial

responsibilitiesIndividual differences play a huge role.

Based on perceptionsSome may seek it, others may not.

Job Design SummaryJob Design SummarySpecialization Employee Response Contemporary

Job Content•Variety Low Medium High•Identity Low Some High•Significance Low Low High•Autonomy Low Low High•Feedback High High High

Formal Org. Context•Responsibility Low Low High•Authority Low Low High•Info. Flow Downward Downward All Directions•Work Methods Standardized Standardized Flexible•Coord. Requirements Low Medium High

Informal Context•Friendship Opportunities - Attempt to increase High•Teamwork Requirements - but not via job design High

Theoretical Basis Traditional Human Relations Human Resources

Social Information Processing & Job DesignSocial Information Processing & Job Design

Job Characteristics Model

JobCharacteristics

NeedFulfillment

JobAttitudes

JobBehaviors

Social Information Processing Model

JobAttitudes

JobCharacteristics

NeedFulfillment

JobBehaviors

Alternative Approaches to Job Design

1. Alter Relationships With OthersSelf-Managed Work Teams

2. Alter Time Spent at Work4 Day Work WeekFlextimeJob SharingTelecommutingPart-time Work

3. Automation

4. Redefinition of Work

Job Design Strategies: continuedJob Design Strategies: continued

Self-directed Work Teams Task Variety+Identity+Feedback+ (job enrichment at the Job Autonomy+Task Significance group level)

Characteristics of Self-Managed Work Teams

MEMBERS… are held accountable for results

have discretion in assigning tasks

have discretion in scheduling work

can perform multiple jobs on the team

train one another to develop multiple job skills

evaluate one another’s job performance

are responsible for personnel issues

Benefits of Alternative Work SchedulesBenefits of Alternative Work Schedules

Individual Benefits Organizational Benefits

More leisure time Lower absenteeism & T/O costs

Greater personal responsibility Reduced tardiness

Greater satisfaction Greater work commitment

Increased quality of work life Higher performance

Less commuting time Improved recruiting and PR

Decreased stress from home/ work demand conflicts

Adapted from: J.R. Schermerhorn, J.G. Hunt and R.N. Osborn, Managing Organizational Behavior

Redefinition of WorkRedefinition of Work

•Hire the right people

•Eliminate hierarchies

•Emphasis on work needed to be done, not on jobs

•People will take work cues from the work, not from the job description or supervisor