Organizational Design, Diagnosis, and Development Session 21 Techno-structural Interventions, IV Work Design

To review the application of Socio-technical systems to job design To review the Demand -Control model of job strain To review Action Theory approach to job design To understand the implications of the demands of modern manufacturing for job design To understand the implications of information technologies & teleworking on job design Objectives

Sociotechnical System Model Environmental Forces Technical Production process Work setting Technology dimensions Moderators Work roles Goals Skills & Abilities Social Organizational Culture Leadership styles Motivational practices Communication

Socio-technical Principles Innovativeness Human resource development Environmental agility Cooperation Commitment/energy Joint optimization

Self-Managed Work Groups Team task design –Task differentiation: Responsibility for product or service –Task control: Control of task behaviors –Boundary control: Decision latitude Group process Organizational support

Demand -Control Model of Job Strain Decision latitude and psychological demands Job strain level and activity level Interaction of demands and decision making Social support

Decision Latitude and Psychological Demands Decision latitudes - Combination of decision making authority and opportunity to use and develop skills on the job Psychological demands - The mental workload or intellectual requirements of the job

Job Strain Level and Activity Level Job strain level - level of stress derived from the workplace. Job strain relates positively to feelings of passivity and helplessness on the job Activity level - Level of job demands in relation to decision latitude. –High activity - lawyers, engineers, teachers, nurses –Low activity - clerks, janitors

Interaction of Demands & Decision Making Job demands HighLow Job Decision Latitude High Low Low Strain High Strain Active Passive Risk of psychological strain & illness Active learning, etc.

Social Support Buffering effect of social support Social isolation carries risks Social isolation combined with high strain carries higher risk factors for ill health

Goal Development Plan generation Decision Execution & monitoring Feedback The Action Process

Goal Development Goal is most important concept in action theory Goal attributes –difficulty –specificity –hierarchy –time range –valence

Plan Generation Detailedness Inclusiveness

Execution & Monitoring Flexibility Speed Monitoring

Feedback Concurrent vs terminal Extrinsic vs intrinsic Immediate vs delayed Verbal vs non-verbal

Levels of Action Regulation Sensori-motor Flexible action plans Intellectual level Heuristic level

Implications for Work Design Employees should choose own strategy Work should have complete actions Minimize obstacles Design for activity Design for control & complexity Emphasis on selection Design for feedback Design for job expansion

Advanced Manufacturing Technology CAD - Computer aided design uses computers to aid in the design of a product CAM - Computer aided manufacturing links computers to manufacturing equipment so that the equipment is controlled via computer CAPR - Computer aided production management is the planning & control of production resources CIM - Computer integrated manufacturing uses the computer as the spine for all aspects of design, manufacturing, assembly and inspection

Cellular Manufacturing Traditional factories - all machines of one type grouped together, e.g. all drills, all borers, etc. Cell technology - groups all machines required for producing a product into a cell –Advantage is simpler flow of work –Group people and machinery around the product, may include engineering, purchasing, etc

Just - In - Time Production JIT is an inventory control process which minimizes stockpiling parts and finished products Inventories typically a control system to handle fluctuations in demand and unexpected problems - Just- In- Case Lower inventories require coordination between suppliers and producers

Work Content AMT leads to deskilling - –concern stems from machines taking over decision process and skills to concern with statistical numerical control –JIT takes buffers out of the system –TQM pressures workers AMT leads to enrichment and enhanced skills

Contingency Approach Contingency approach says, It depends. –Management commitment to initiative –Environmental uncertainty –Cognitive demands and the non-routine –Interdependence or collaboration needed –Production responsibility and error cost –Performance visibility –Workload

Supporting Job Designs Uncertainty in production –High uncertainty - enriched job designs & autonomy –Low uncertainty - standard job design and level of autonomy –Uncertainty and needs for performance-related knowledge

Office Technologies Word processing Presentation packages Data bases Spreadsheets Information storage and retrieval Internet capability (information search strategies)

Communication Technologies Audio teleconferencing Video conferencing Electronic conferencing –Asynchronous –Anytime –Anywhere

Design Implications Job design –Initially some de-skilling –Ability to develop multiple skills in applications –Task lines blur between skill areas –Flexible job descriptions Organizational design –Flatter –Decentralized

Teleworking A definition: Trips to work are substituted with a home-based or telecenter based work-site. Benefits: Productivity,Reduction of absenteeism, Retention, Employee safety, Disaster Mitigation, Environmental benefits Costs: Isolation, Reduced corporate culture, loyalty, Added effort, Perceived inequitable treatment

Implications for Design Goal setting Complete tasks Minimize obstacles Feedback Emphasis on selection

Backwards & Forwards Summing up: Today’s session covered work design from the perspective of socio-technical theory, demand-control model, and action theory. Implications of advanced manufacturing and information technologies were explored for work design. Looking ahead: Next time we examine human resource interventions, particularly performance management