1. 14
Work Design

2. Describe the engineering approach to work design.
Explore and evaluate the motivational approach to work design.
Discuss and apply the principles of sociotechnical systems work design.
Learn how to design work to meet technical and personal needs.

3. Work Design Approaches
Engineering: Traditional Jobs & Groups
High specification and routinization
Low task variety and autonomy
Motivational: Enriched Jobs
High task variety and autonomy
Feedback of results
Sociotechnical: Self-Managing Teams
Control over total task
Multi-skilled, flexible, and self-regulating

4. The Engineering (Traditional)Approach
Based on Scientific Management
Highly specified behaviors
Narrow range of skills
Low levels of authority and discretion
Highly repetitive
Benefits
Low selection and training costs
High productivity
High levels of control

5. The Motivational Approach
Organization effectiveness is a function of member needs and satisfaction
Seeks to improve employee performance and satisfaction by enriching jobs
Provides opportunity for autonomy, responsibility, doing a complete job and performance feedback

6. Enriched Jobs Overview
CORE JOB DIMENSIONS
CRITICAL PSYCHOLOGICAL STATES
PERSONAL AND WORK OUTCOMES
High internal work motivation
High quality work performance
High satisfaction with the work
Low absenteeism and turnover
Skill Variety
Task Identity
Task Significance
Experienced meaningfulness
of the work
Autonomy
Experienced responsibility for outcomes of the work
Feedback
Knowledge of the actual results of the work activities
INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES
Knowledge and skill
Growth-need strength
Context satisfaction

7. Core Job Dimensions
Skill Variety -- extent to which multiple skills are used
Task Identity -- extent to which an individual works on a “whole” task
Task Significance -- impact of the work on others
Autonomy -- amount of discretion in the work
Feedback from the Work Itself -- extent to which work provides information on effectiveness

8. Job Enrichment Application Stages
Perform a thorough diagnosis
Form natural work units
Combine tasks
Establish client relationships
Vertical loading
Opening feedback channels

9. Sociotechnical Systems Work Design
Sociotechnical systems (STS) theory is based on two basic ideas:
An organization or work unit is a combined, social-plus-technical system (sociotechnical)
The system is open in relation to their environment and must interact with their environments to survive and develop
Self-managed work teams is the most prevalent application of STS

10. Sociotechnical Systems Design
Can work system be designed to better fit with the environment?
Can work system be designed to better operate conversion process and control variances?
Can work system be designed to better satisfy members’ needs?

11. Sociotechnical Systems Diagnosis
Define the Work System
Conduct an Environmental Analysis
Conduct a Technical Analysis
Conduct a Social Analysis

12. Model of Self-Managed Work Teams
Team Task Design
Team Functioning
Team Performance and Member Satisfaction
Team Process Interventions
Organization Support Systems

13. Team Task Design and Development
Whole and interdependent tasks
Common mission and goals
Requisite multi-skills
Task and boundary control
Feedback of results
Minimum specification design
Develop from narrow to broad boundaries for discretion

14. Team Process Interventions
Promoting healthy interpersonal relationships
Coordinating efforts
Weighting member inputs and sharing knowledge
Making good decisions
Confronting and resolving conflicts

15. Organization Support Systems
Recruitment and Selection
Training
Evaluation and reward systems
Leadership support
Use of freed-up time

16. Self-Managed Work Teams Application Stages
Sanction the design effort
Diagnose the work system
Generate appropriate designs
Specify support systems
Implement and evaluate the work design
Continual change and improvement

17. Designing Work for Technical and Personal Needs
Technical Factors
Technical interdependence: the extent to which cooperation among workers is required
Technical Uncertainty: the amount of information processing and decision making among workers necessary to do the work
Personal Need Factors
Social Needs: the desire for significant social relationships
Growth Needs: the desire for personal accomplishment, learning, and development

18. Work Designs that Optimize Technology
Traditional
Job Design
Traditional
Work Groups
High Technical Uncertainty Low
Enriched Jobs
Self-Regulating
Work Groups
Low Technical Interdependence High

19. Work Designs that Optimize Personal Needs
Traditional
Job Design
Traditional
Work Groups
High Growth Needs Low
Enriched Jobs
Self-Regulating
Work Groups
Low Social Needs High