SU9: JOB DESIGN & WORK ORGANISATION

Job Design
How we structure each individual’s:

• Job
• Workplace In which they work &
• Environment
• Interaction with Technology They use

6XKey Elements of Job Design

ELEMENT DESCRIPTION
ERGONOMIC ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN How the WORKING CONDITIONS were
adapted to increase the workers:

• safety
• comfort
• effectiveness

ERGONOMIC WORKPLACE DESIGN How the WORK TASKS were adapted to

suite the WORKING NEEDS.
TASK ALLOCATION DIVISION OF LABOUR.
DESIGNING JOB METHODS Approved METHODS of JOB COMPLETION.
DESIGNING JOB TIME WORK MEASUREMENT
MOTIVATION OF STAFF Maintain COMMITMENT

Exam: Adapt answers to specific/various scenarios if case study is provided

See: Tut 201 for further breakdown of this aspect

ERGONOMICS
Concerned with PHYSIOLOGICAL ASPECTS of Job Design
(i.e. Human body & How it fits into its surroundings)

4xErgonomic Environmental Design Elements:

Elements Description
WORKING TEMPERATURE Individuals vary in the way their performance & comfort vary
with temperature.
ILLUMINATION LEVELS The intensity of lighting required to perform any job
satisfactorily will depend on the nature of the job.
NOISE LEVELS Noise-induced hearing loss is a well documented
consequence of working environment where noise is not kept
below safe limits.
ERGONOMICS IN THE OFFICE As the number of people working in offices has increased.
Ergonomic principles have been applied increasingly to this
type of work.

Exam: Explain each point briefly

DESIGNING OF JOB METHODS – SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT
Two separated but relate related fields emerged.

1. METHOD STUDY
Concentrate on DETERMINING THE METHODS & ACTIVITIES which should be INCLUDED in the job.

Systematic Approach: 6xSteps

1. Select work to be studied
2. Record all relevant facts of present method
3. Examine facts critically & in sequence (Study Table 9.4; Pg 250: Broad Questions)
4. Develop most, economic & effective method (Study Table 9.5: Broad Questions)
5. Install new method
6. Maintain method by periodically checking it in use.

2. WORK MEASUREMENT
Concerned with MEASURING THE TIME that it should take to PERFORM certain jobs.
The process of establishing the TIME for a QUALIFIED WORKER, @ a DEFINED LEVEL OF
PERFORMANCE, to carry out a SPECIFIED JOB. (See pg 251-252)

Together these fields are referred to as WORK STUDY

Exam: Explain both these method, Discuss each separately:

See Work Study comprises Method Study & Work Measurement Fig 9.5; Pg 248; 2nd Ed
BEHAVIOURAL APPROACHES TO JOB DESIGN:

APPROACHES DESCRIPTION PROVIDE: BENEFITS

JOB ROTATION Moving individuals periodically Some VARIETY in their + SKILL
BETWEEN DIFFERENT SETS of tasks. ACTIVITIES + FLEXIBILTY
+ MOTIVATION
(-) MONOTOMY

JOB ENLARGEMENT Allocating a LARGER NUMBER of More Complex & thus (-) MONOTOMY
tasks which are BROADLY of the slightly MORE (-) REPETITIVE
SAME TYPE to individuals MEANINGFUL job
JOB ENRICHMENT INCREASE NUMBER of tasks which More DECISION-MAKING Greater AUTONOMY
are ALLOCATED to jobs Greater CONTROL over job
EMPOWERMENT Give STAFF the SUGGESTION Involvement Faster online responses to:
AUTONOMY/AUTHORITY to MAKE JOB Involvement Customer needs
CHANGES; HIGH Involvement Dissatisfied customers
To job, itself & How it is performed. Employees:
Feel better about their jobs
Will interact with customers
more enthusiastically.
Empowered Employees:
Can be useful source of service
It promotes:
‘Word-of-mouth’ advertising &
customer retention.
TEAMWORKING Where STAFF that often OVERLAP in Have a HIGH DEGREE of Team would typically control:
SKILLS, COLLECTIVELY PERFORM a DISCRETION over HOW Tasks allocation between
DEFIND task. they ACTUALLY PERFORM members
their tasks. Scheduling of work
Team assumes SHARED Quality management
SET of OBJECTIVES & Hiring of staff
RESPOSIBILITIES
FLEXIBLE WORKING SKILLS: where FLEXIBLE
3xAspects WORKFORCE can ADAPT to SEVERAL
tasks.
TIME: Allows staff to TRANSFER
where DEMAND is occurring &
allows for a VARIATION in the
NUMBER OF STAFF on duty @ any
time.
LOCATION: Allows for many jobs to
be performed @ any location where
there are COMMUNICATION LINKS
to the organisation.
Exam: Know Benefits associated with Empowerment

See: Study Fig 9.7; Pg256 A typical behavioural job design model