Human relations

OD, i.e. Organization development

Socio-technical systems theorypower points used Sep 14 and 28, 2010 by Torbjörn Stjernberg

Some perspectives on organization

Taylor (1856 - 1915) Scientific managementFayol (1841-1925) General principles of managementWeber (1864 - 1920) Legitimate authority and bureaucracy

Mary Parker Follet (1868 - 1933) The law of the situationMayo (1880 - 1949), Roethlisberger, Dickson (Harvard) Human relations schoolBarnard (1886 - 1961) Stake-holder models, Cooperative system

Likert, (1903 - 1981, Michigan) Survey feed-back as OD interventionLewin, (1890 - 1949, MIT) Learning and leadership processes, Action researchMcGregor (1906 - 1964), Blake, Beckhard OD, Group dynamics, Action researchFoote Whyte (1914 - 2000) Ethnographic approach, Action research

Bion (1897 - 1979), Jacques (1917 - 2003, Tavistock Group dynamics, CultureTrist (1909 - 1993), Emery (1925 - 1997, Tavistock Socio-technical systems theory, Action researchThorsrud (1923 - 1985), Herbst (WRI, Oslo)

Michel, Etzioni Conflict modelsGouldner, Dalton

von Bertalanffy, Ashby, Boulding Open systems perspectiveSimon, Katz & Kahn, Systems theoryBurns&Stalker, Lawrence&Lorsch Contingency theoryHannan & Freeman Organization ecologyPfeffer & Salancik, Resource dependent system

Western Electric’s Hawthorne works

in Cicero, Illinois

The relay assembly test room

The Hawthorne projectA: The Relay Assembly Test Room 1924-32

Stage 1 (Phase I, 3 months; Phase II, 7 months; Phase III, 14 months) 5 girls (of which 2 were exchanged after Phase II), 30% increase in productivity caused by changes in mental attitudes rather than physical working conditions.

Stage 2: 9 weeks: 5 other girls, 12 % immediate increase caused by group rather than factory bonus.

Stage 3: 2 years, 5 other girls, 15 % increase due to friendly supervision, rest pauses, etc. during first 14 months, then declining productivity.

B: Bank Wiring Test Room: 1931 Observations and interviews

“The function of restriction of output … is to protect the worker from management’s schemes” (Dickson quoted in Hoopes, 2003 p 152)

C: The Interview Program: Training interviewees (and supervisors) in “therapeutic interviewing skills”, aiming to interview every worker

D: The Counseling Program

Analyze the situation.

What are the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) of the work organization in the example?

Give your recommendations to the production manager about how to develop the work organization.

Give your recommendations to the human resource manager about how to develop the work organization.

Give your recommendations to a joint management and union committee about how to develop the work organization

recommendations

Work Work Work Strategy forPERFORMEDBY

MONITOREDBY

PACEDBY

CONTROL

1A Worker Foreman Line Surveillance

1B Worker Balances Measurements

2 Machine Worker Capital utilization Through-put timeQuality demands Quality control

1C Worker Customer Dead-line

3 Worker Customer Sales

Foreman

Foreman

When the machine breaks down, the situation is like 1C

AvailabilityBookings

CASE

TAPETSERI

BERGBORRMONTERINGFÖRETAGSTARIFFERING

LANTMÄTERIETPOLISEN

Studied

REPARATIONSVERKST.BILSKADEREGLERINGPROGRAMTILLVERKNING

PRESSVERKSTADPAPPERSBRUKKAROSSERIFABRIKKOPPARVERK

KONSUMBUTIKER

Typology of production systems

People (Actors)

Technology

Structure

Task

Leavitt's diamond

Harold J. Leavitt "Applied Organizational Change in Industry: Structural, Technological, and Humanistic Approaches" in James G,. March (ed.) Handbook of Organizations. Rand McNally, 1965;

Motivation and work studies(individual - work relation)

Work organization principles such asJob rotationJob enlargementJob enrichment

Motivation theories such as those formulated by Maslow (fysiological, security, social, esteem, self-actualization needs)

Herzberg (satisfiers and motivators)

Vroom (Force to perform act i = Valence of outcome j x Expectancy that act i will lead to outcome j.)

Hackman & Oldham (motivation depends on perceived meaning, responsibility and knowledge of results, i.e. work content, autonomy and feedback)

Intrinsic job needs

• Variety & challenge: Reasonably demanding and with some variety• Continuous learning: Be able to learn, but neither too much, not too

little• Discretion, autonomy: Own area of decision-making• Recognition & support: Some social support and recognition at the

workplace for what one does.• Meaningful social contribution: To be able to relate what one does and

produces to a larger social life, to afford dignity • Desirable future: To feel that the job leads to some sort of desirable

future (not necessarily a promotion)

based on Eric Trist (1981) The evolution of socio-technical systems; a conceptual framework and an action research program. Ontario Quality of Working Life Centre, Toronto Ca.

Hackman's & Oldham's Job Characteristics Model

J. Richard Hackman & Greg R. Oldham, Work Redesign. Addison-Wesley, 1980

CORE JOBCHARACTERISTICS

CRITICAL PSYCHOLOGICAL

STATES

OUTCOMES

Skill varietyTask Identity

Task significance

Autonomy

Feedback from job

Meningfullness

Responsibility

Knowledge ofresults

Motivation

Moderators:Knowledge and skillGrowth need strength"Context" satisfactions

DESIGN PRINCIPLES

Combine tasks

Create "natural" task areas

Establish direct contacts with internal and external customers

Increase autonomy

Create channels for supporting feedback

Work design - what is a good work?

• Optimum variety• Meaningful pattern of tasks• Optimum length of the work cycle• Suitable standards for quantity and quality and feedback of knowledge

of results• Inclusion of auxiliary and preparatory tasks• Inclusion of some degree of care, skill, knowledge or effort that is

worthy of respect in the community• The inclusion of some perceivable contribution to the utility of the

product for the consumer

based on Eric Trist (1981) The evolution of socio-technical systems; a conceptual framework and an action research program. Ontario Quality of Working Life Centre, Toronto Ca. p 31.

Socio-technical analysis - key concepts

JOINT OPTIMIZATION OF SOCIAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL SYSTEMS AS A SOCIO-TECHNICAL SYSTEM

Organizing groups rather than individuals

Redundancy of functions rather than redundancy of parts

Minimum critical specification design rather than complete specification design

Requisite variance

Self-regulation

Boundary-control

based on Eric Trist (1981) The evolution of socio-technical systems; a conceptual framework and an action research program. Ontario Quality of Working Life Centre, Toronto Ca.