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  • 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.

  • Role of Job in an organizational Context

    In the last byte, we looked at the six different patterns for the meaning of work. In today’s byte, we look at the role of job in an organizational context. 

    Task and authority relationships define an organization’s structure. Jobs are the basic building blocks of this task-authority structure and are considered the micro-structural element to which employees most directly relate. 

    Jobs are usually designed to complement and support other jobs in the organization. Isolated jobs are rare.  

    Jobs in organizations are interdependent and designed to make a contribution to the organization’s overall mission and goals. Interdependencies require careful planning and design so that all of the “pieces of work” fit together into a whole. Failure to incorporate these interdependencies into planning could create conflict and cause failure.

    Inflexible jobs that are rigidly structured have an adverse effect and lead to stressed-out employees.

  • Meaning of Work – patterns and cultural influences

    In the last byte, we looked at the definitions of work and job. In today’s byte, we look at the meaning of work. 

    The meaning of a work differs from person to person and also varies across cultures. The meaning of work refers to the way a person interprets and understands the value of work as part of life. 

    In a study spanning six different countries, researchers found six patterns people follow to define work. Following is brief description of these 6 patterns:

    Pattern A: – people define work as an activity in which value come from performance and for which a person in accountable. It is generally self- directed and devoid of negative effect.
    Pattern B: – people define work as an activity that provides a person with positive personal affect and identity. Work contributes to society and is not unpleasant.
    Pattern C: – people define work as an activity from which profit accrues to others by its performance and that may be done in various settings other than a working place. Work is usually devoid of positive affect and is unpleasantly connected to performance.
    Pattern D: – people define work as primarily a physical activity a person must do that is directed by others and generally performed in a working place. Work is usually devoid of positive affect and is unpleasantly connected to performance.
    Pattern E: – people define work as a physically and mentally strenuous activity. It is generally unpleasant and devoid of positive affect.
    Pattern F: – people define work as an activity constrained to specific time periods that does not bring positive affect through its performance

    The above clearly identifies the way culture influences the meaning of work.

  • Job and Work Design

    In the last byte, we concluded our discussion on conflict management with the managerial implications of conflict management. In today’s byte, we begin our discussion on job and work design. 

    We begin with defining the following terms:
    Job: A set of specified work and task activities that engage an individual in an organization.
    Work: Mental or physical activities that has productive results.
     
    A job is different from an organization position or a career. Let’s understand the difference – organizational position identifies a job in relation to other parts of the organization; a career refers to a sequence of job experiences over time.
     
    A job is composed of a set of specified tasks, each of which is an assigned piece of work to be done in a specified time period.
     
    Work helps bind a person to reality. Work thus has different meaning for different people and we shall discuss about this in the next byte.

  • Managerial Implication of the discussion on conflict management

    In the last byte, we looked at the appropriate situations and the choice of the conflict management. In today’s byte, we try to summarize the discussion on conflict management with what implies from a managerial perspective.

    Following are four suggested and interrelated steps towards creating a conflict-positive organization:
    1. Value diversity and confront differences: Looking at differences as opportunities for innovation and celebrating diversity form a key to having open and honest confrontations that allow conflict to be positively used.
    2. Seek mutual benefits and unite behind cooperative goals: Individuals often depend on others to accomplish tasks and so, conflicts have to be managed together. A joint reward for teams when they accomplish some task together is a good way to encourage cooperative behavior.
    3. Empower employees to feel confident and skillful: Making people feel, they are in control of their conflicts and that they can deal with their differences productively is important. Recognizing such instances is important.
    4. Take stock to rewards success and learn from mistakes: Employees would benefit from appreciating one another’s strength, weakness and direct discussion. They should celebrate their conflict management success and work towards constantly improving the same in the future.
    Last but not the least, it is important for a good conflict manager to have a high emotional intelligence. This ability to influence one’s own and other’s emotions is an important tactical asset and helps negotiate situations better there by reducing conflicts.

  • Nammamma andre Nanagishta – Vasudendra

    Vasu (he has been a good trekking mate for me) had gifted this book to me almost an year back – I am pretty slow in reading kannada and always pushed away any such high effort attempt on my part. Recently, I began using the traffic signals as a time when I could catch up with some reading that I had left behind sighting various reasons. 


    It is only when I read through the book did I realize what I had been missing all these months. Written in simple and lucid style – it took me back to my childhood and the sweet memories tied with it. 

    This is a must read for anyone who is wondering how simplicity could be beauty – hats off to this work sir! I loved it – thank you.

  • Conflict Management Styles 4

    In the last byte, we looked at when three of the conflict management styles could be used. In today’s byte, we look at the apt situation when the remaining two of the styles could be used.


  • Conflict Management Styles 3

    In the last byte, we discussed what each of the conflict management styles meant. In today’s byte, we look at when three of the types of conflict management styles could be used. 


  • Conflict Management Styles 2

    In the last byte, we looked at diagrammatically understanding the positioning of various conflict management styles.  In today’s byte, we look at each of these styles in a bit more detail:

    Avoiding: Is a style low on both assertiveness and cooperativeness. It is a deliberate decision to take no action on a conflict or to stay out of conflict situation. 

    Accommodating: Is a style in which you are concerned that the other party’s goals be met but relatively unconcerned with getting your own way is called accommodating. It is cooperative but unassertive.

    Competing: Is a style that is very assertive and uncooperative – one party may want to satisfy your own interests and are willing to do so at the other’s expenses.

    Compromising: Is intermediate in both assertiveness and cooperativeness, because each party must give up something to reach solution to the conflict – it is often made in the final hours when time is of essence.

    Collaborating: Is a win-win style that is high on both assertiveness and cooperativeness. Working towards collaborating involves an open and thorough discussion of the conflict and arriving at a solution that is satisfactory to both parties.

  • Conflict Management Styles

    In the last byte, we looked at how confronting and negotiating could help effectively resolve conflicts. In today’s byte, we begin our discussion on Conflict Management Styles.
     
    Managers have at their disposal a variety of conflict management styles: avoiding, accommodating, competing, compromising and collaborating. We could represent these on a matrix as indicated below: