Job design, Method study &

Work Measurement
 Job Design
• Job design refers to the process through which
tasks are structured to improve the efficiency
and productivity of the workers.
• Managers design jobs to minimize worker inputs
(time and physical effort) and maximize their
output.
• Job design should be technically, behaviorally
and economically feasible for workers as well as
the organization.
 Types of feasibility in Job Design
1. Technical feasibility
• The set of duties or tasks assigned to a
worker should be designed to keep the
workload at a convenient level, i.e. the
workload for each worker should be within the
reasonable limits of his skills, and physical and
mental ability.
• Employees should be selected and trained to
achieve the goals and objectives set forth by the
organization.
2. Economic feasibility
• The primary objective of a business organization
is to make profits. In order to earn profits,
organizations need to control their costs, and
other expenditure as well.
• The costs associated to perform jobs should be
such that it is economical to carry out production
activities at the required production levels.
3. Behavioral feasibility
• The nature of duties and responsibilities that
characterize a job affect the workers’
performance.
• When an important responsibility is delegated to
a worker, this enhances his self-esteem and
motivates and stimulates him to work harder.
• Job design needs to take these behavioral factors
into consideration, as behavioral traits and
attitudes of people have a significant impact on
the effectiveness of an organization.
 How can jobs be improved?
1. Work Simplification:
• Under this method, the job is simplified by breaking it down
into small sub-parts. Then, each part of the job is assigned to a
worker who does the same task over and over again.
• This enables the worker to gain proficiency and fitness in doing
the repetitive task.
• This increases worker’s productivity and in turn, profits, on the
other.
• However, due to the repetitive job, workers feel boredom. They
tend to remain absent frequently.
• Boredom also leads to mistakes and accidents. On the whole,
the quality and quantity of output gets adversely affected
2. Job Rotation:
• One solution to boredom, as seen in work
simplification, is job rotation.
• Job rotation implies the moving of employees from
job to job without any change in the job.
• In case of job rotation, an employee performs
different jobs, but of the same nature.
Advantages of job rotation:
(i) It removes boredom
(ii) It broadens employee’s knowledge and skill.
(iii) Employees become competent in several jobs
rather than only one.
Disadvantages of job rotation
(i) Frequent shifting of employees across the jobs
causes interruption in the job routine,
(ii) Employees may feel alienated when they are
rotated from job to job.
(iii) The employees who look for more challenging
assignments may still feel frustrated.
3. Job Enlargement:
• Job enlargement means giving a worker a larger
portion of the total task.
• This constitutes horizontal loading- the
additional work is on the same level of skill and
responsibility as the original job.
• Job enlargement reduces boredom and monotony by
providing the employee more variety of tasks in the
job. Thus, it helps increase interest in work and
efficiency.
4. Job Enrichment:
• Job enrichment involves adding motivating factors to
job. Thus, job enrichment is a vertical expansion of a
job by adding more responsibility and freedom to do
it.
• Removing some controls while retaining
accountability.
• Granting additional authority to an employee in his
activity. Give more job freedom.
• Making periodic reports directly available to the
worker himself rather than to his superior
 Advantages and Disadvantages of Job
Design
Advantages:
• Ease in recruiting new workers because fewer skills
are required.
• Higher productivity due to repetition.
• Lower wage rates due to lower levels of skills
requirement.
• Ease of supervision and training the workers.
• Scope for higher degree of mechanization
or automation.
Disadvantages
• Lower flexibility: in the absence of a worker, it is
difficult to shift workload to any of the available
workers as they do not possess variety of skills.
• Lower work satisfaction, as the work is monotonous
and boring.
• Higher chances of workers getting local
muscular fatigue as the same muscles are used in
performing the task.
Work Study
-Method Study
-Work Measurement
 Work study
• Work study is a generic term for those techniques,
method study and work measurement which are
used in the examination of human work in all its
contexts.
• Work study is a means of enhancing the production
efficiency (productivity) of the firm by elimination of
waste and unnecessary operations.
• It is a technique to identify non-value adding
operations by investigation of all the factors affecting
the job.
• Method study and work measurement is part of
work study.
• Part of method study is motion study, work
measurement is also called by the name ‘Time
study’.
Advantages of Work Study
METHOD STUDY
• Method study is essentially concerned with finding
better ways of doing things. It adds value and
increases the efficiency by eliminating unnecessary
operations, avoidable delays and other forms of
waste.
• The main purpose of method study is to eliminate
the unnecessary operations and to achieve the best
method of performing the operation.
• Fundamentally method study involves the
breakdown of an operation or procedure into its
component elements and their systematic analysis.
 The improvement in efficiency is achieved through:
1. Improved layout and design of workplace.
2. Improved and efficient work procedures.
3. Effective utilization of men, machines and materials.
4. Improved design or specification of the final product.
 The objectives of method study techniques are:
1. Present and analyze true facts concerning the situation.
2. To examine those facts critically.
3. To develop the best answer possible under given
circumstances based on critical examination of facts.
Scope of Method Study
Steps or Procedure Involved in Methods Study
Recording Techniques for Method Study

Records are very much useful to make before and after

comparison to assess the effectiveness of the proposed
improved method.
 CHARTS USED IN METHODS STUDY
(A) MACRO MOTION CHARTS:
Diagrams Used in Method Study
Symbols Used in Method Study
Example: Develop a Process Chart for making a
cheese sandwich.
 MOTION STUDY
• Motion study is part of method study where analysis of
the motion of an operator or work is studied.
•There are a number of principles concerning the
economy of movements which have been developed as a
result of experience and which forms the basis for the
development of improved methods at the workplace.
•These are first used by Frank Gilbreth, the founder of
motion study
The principles are grouped into three headings:
(a) Use of the human body.
(b) Arrangement of workplace.
(c) Design of tools and equipment.
WORK MEASUREMENT
 Environmental consideration in work place
design

1. Light
2. Noise
3. Temperature, Humidity and air quality