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Category: Job Design

  • Job Enrichment

    In the last byte, we looked at job enlargement and job rotation. In today’s byte, we look at job enrichment. 

    Job enlargement achieves a better job design through horizontal loading. Job Enrichment on the other hand, increases the amount of vertical loading (through increased job responsibility).
     
    Job Enrichment is a job design or redesign method aimed at increasing the motivational factors in a job. It builds on Herzberg’s two-factor theory of motivation. Job enlargement recommends increasing and varying the number of activities a person does, job enrichment recommends increasing the recognition, responsibility, and opportunity for achievement.
     
    Some people prefer simple jobs. Once jobs are selected for enrichment, management should brainstorm about possible changes; revise the list to include only specific changes related to motivational factors, and screen out generalities and suggestions that would simply increase activities or number of tasks.
     
    Two key problems when implementing Job Enrichment are —

    1. First, an initial drop in performance can be expected as workers accommodate to change
    2. Second, supervisors may experience some anxiety or hostility as a result of employees’ increased responsibility.

  • Job Enlargement and Job Rotation

    In the last byte, we looked at the scientific management approach to job design. In today’s byte, we look at Job Enlargement and Job Rotation.
    Job Enlargement is a method of job design that increases the number of activities in a job to overcome the boredom of overspecialized work.
    Job Rotation is a variation of job enlargement in which workers are exposed to a variety of specialized jobs over time.
    The limitations of the overspecialization viz:
    ⦁    lack of variety
    ⦁    under stimulation and underutilization
    Workers would be more stimulated and better utilized by increasing the variety in the jobs.
    Job rotation and cross-training (a variation of job enlargement in which workers are trained in different specialized tasks or activities) are variations of job enlargement. All three kinds of programs horizontally enlarge jobs, that is, the number and variety of an employee’s tasks and activities are increased.

  • Scientific Method of Job Design

    In the last byte, we initiated the discussion on some of the traditional approaches to Job Design. In today’s byte, we look the Scientific Method of job design.
     
    The genesis of the scientific management approach is attributed to Frederick Taylor, and emphasizes on Work Simplification.
     
    Work Simplification refers to “Standardization and the narrow, explicit specification of task activities for workers.”
     
    Through scientific management, jobs are often designed to have limited number of tasks, and each task is scientifically specified so that worker is not required to think of deliberate. (The management calibrates and defines task carefully, and the worker only executes the task).
     
    Some of the elements of scientific management are – time and motion studies, differential piece-rate systems to pay, the scientific selection of workers, and focus on the efficient use of labor for the economic benefits of the corporation.
     
    2 arguments that support the efficient and standardized approach to job design are:
    1. Work simplification allowed workers of diverse ethnic and skill backgrounds to work together in a scientific way.
    2. Work simplification also leads to production efficiency in the organization and therefore to higher profits.
    The limitation of this approach is that it undervalues the human capacity for thought and ingenuity. Failure to fully utilize the workers’ capacity in a constructive fashion may cause a variety of work problems.

  • Approaches to Job Design

    In the last byte, we discussed about the role of job in an organizational context. In today’s byte, we look at some approaches towards job design.

    Badly designed jobs leading up to a variety of performance problems in organizations are often due to failure to differentiate, integrate or both. If jobs are designed well, it could avoid problems, improve productivity, and enhance employee well-being.
     
    Four approaches to job design are:
    1. Scientific Management
    2. Job Enlargement/Job Rotation
    3. Job Enrichment
    4. Job Characteristics Theory
    We shall discuss these over the next few bytes.