Chapter 7 Work Design

Copyright © 2006 by Thomson Delmar Learning. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 2 Purpose and Overview Purpose –Provide a framework for jobs and organizational work groups –Describe relationships among work design, motivation, and information flow

Copyright © 2006 by Thomson Delmar Learning. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 3 Purpose and Overview Overview –Changes in Design of Health Care Work –Contrasting Approaches to Work Design –Dividing Work into Jobs –Job Requirements –Psychological Approach –Technical Approach

Copyright © 2006 by Thomson Delmar Learning. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 4 Changes in Design of Health Care Work Major Changes in Health Care –Cost –Nursing shortage –Managed care and shorter hospital stays

Copyright © 2006 by Thomson Delmar Learning. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 5 Contrasting Approaches to Work Design –Technical Approach –Psychological Approach

Copyright © 2006 by Thomson Delmar Learning. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 6 Dividing Work into Jobs Vertical and Horizontal Division of Labor

Copyright © 2006 by Thomson Delmar Learning. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 7 Job Requirements Behaviors for Effective Task Performance –Decisions to join/remain in an organization –Dependable role performance –Effort above minimum levels –Spontaneous and innovative behavior –Cooperative behavior

Copyright © 2006 by Thomson Delmar Learning. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 8 Job Requirements High uncertainty requires cooperative behavior

Copyright © 2006 by Thomson Delmar Learning. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 9 Psychological Approach Focus: Worker Motivation –Individuals perform work that meets their needs for growth –Jobs are intrinsically motivating

Copyright © 2006 by Thomson Delmar Learning. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 10 Psychological Approach Perspectives on Job Design and Motivation –People are motivated and exert effort to satisfy unmet needs –People evaluate courses of action to choose among them

Copyright © 2006 by Thomson Delmar Learning. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 11 Psychological Approach Connection: Behavior and Rewards –Experienced meaningfulness –Experienced responsibility –Knowledge of results

Copyright © 2006 by Thomson Delmar Learning. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 12 Psychological Approach Contributory Job Characteristics –Skill variety –Task identity –Task significance –Autonomy –Feedback

Copyright © 2006 by Thomson Delmar Learning. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 13 Psychological Approach MPS = 1/3 (Skill Variety + Task Identity + Task Significance) x Autonomy x Feedback

Copyright © 2006 by Thomson Delmar Learning. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 14 Technical Approach Scientific management school of thought Focus: –Design jobs that use technology and minimize waste

Copyright © 2006 by Thomson Delmar Learning. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 15 Technical Approach Assumptions –Divide work into repetitive routine elements –Train and motivate workers to perform dependably –Motivation is derived from economic rewards not from job itself

Copyright © 2006 by Thomson Delmar Learning. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 16 Technical Approach Interconnectedness of Work –Design jobs to minimize interconnected elements over several people –Organize work to contain interconnected elements within a single work group

Copyright © 2006 by Thomson Delmar Learning. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 17 Technical Approach Coordinating Interconnected Work Within Units –Programming methods –Feedback methods

Copyright © 2006 by Thomson Delmar Learning. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 18 Technical Approach Programming Approaches –Standardization of work processes –Standardization of skills –Standardization of output

Copyright © 2006 by Thomson Delmar Learning. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 19 Technical Approach Feedback Approaches –Supervision –Mutual adjustment –Group coordination

Copyright © 2006 by Thomson Delmar Learning. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 20 In Conclusion Psychological Approach –Increasing worker motivation Technical Approach –Improving flow of information among interconnected jobs In Reality –Both approaches contribute