Which of the following are objectives of job design

Read this essay to learn about Job Design. After reading this essay you will learn about: 1. Meaning of Job Design 2. Objectives of Job Design 3. Pre- Requisites 4. Importance 5. Methods 6. Approaches.

Essay on Job Design Contents:

1. Essay on the Meaning of Job Design
2. Essay on the Objectives of Job Design
3. Essay on the Pre- Requisites of Job Design
4. Essay on the Importance of Job Design
5. Essay on the Methods of Job Design
6. Essay on the Approaches Job Design

Essay # 1. Meaning of Job Design:

Job design is of comparatively recent origin. The human resource managers have realised that the design of a job has considerable influence on the productivity and job satisfaction. Poorly designed jobs often result in boredom to the employees, increased turnover, job dissatisfaction, low productivity and an increase in overall costs of the organisation.

All these negative consequences can be avoided with the help of proper job design. Job design is an attempt to create a match between job requirements and human attributes. It involves organising the components of the job and the interaction patterns among the members of a work group. It helps in developing appropriate design of job to improve efficiency and satisfaction.

“Job design is the process of deciding on the contents of a job in terms of its duties and responsibilities, on the methods to be used in carrying out the job, in terms of techniques, systems and procedures and on the relationships that should exist between the job holder and his superiors, subordinates and colleagues”.

“Job design is a process which integrates work content (tasks, functions, and relationships), the reward (intrinsic and extrinsic) and the qualifications required (skills, knowledge, abilities) for each job in a way that meet the needs of the employees and the organisation”.

Job design is deliberate and systematic attempt to structure the technical and social aspect of work so as to improve technical efficiency and job satisfaction.

Essay # 2. Objectives of Job Design:

The main objectives of job design are as follows:

1. The first objective of job design is to meet the requirements of the organisation, such as high productivity, technical efficiency and quality of work.

2. The second objective is to satisfy the needs of the individual employees such as job satisfaction in terms of interest, challenge and achievement.

3. The next objective is to integrate the needs of the individual with the requirements of the organisation.

Essay # 3. Pre-Requisites of Job-Design:

(i) The organisations should not take the particular configuration of jobs that exist at a specific point of time as unchangeable. With the technological changes, the business process changes and hence, there should be a change in job design and structure.

(ii) Job design or redesign should be undertaken only after careful consideration is given to environmental, organisational, cost and behavioural factors.

(iii) After job redesign, HR managers need to update job descriptions, specification and performance evaluation criteria.

(iv) The reward system in the organisation should reflect the new roles and responsibilities caused by job design or redesign.

(v) The employees’ desire for redesign should be given at least as much consideration as the cost and technical aspects of efficiency before developing and implementing a job design and redesign programme.

Essay # 4. Importance of Job Design:

Job design is very important due to the following:

(i) Job design is fundamental to the organisation on which the organisational structure rests.

(ii) A property designed job leads to higher productivity and optimum utilisation of manpower.

(iii) Jobs are the building blocks of task-authority structure of the organisation. These are also considered to be the micro-structural element to which employees most directly relate.

(iv) Jobs are usually designed to complement and support other jobs in the organisation so that the overall organisational activities take place smoothly and effectively.

(v) Wrongly designed jobs can lead to role ambiguity and conflict of interest.

Essay # 5. Methods of Job Design:

1. Job Simplification:

In job simplification, the complete job is broken down into small subparts. This is done so that employees can do these jobs without much specialised training. Moreover, small operations of the job can also be performed simultaneously so that the complete operation can be done more quickly. For job simplification, generally time and motion studies are used.

2. Job Rotation:

Job rotation implies the shifting of an employee from one job to another job within a working group so that there is some variety and relief from the boredom of routine. Herzberg characterised this approach as merely substituting “one zero for another zero”, because job rotation implies transfer to a job of same level and status.

Job rotation is horizontal or lateral transfer. This transfer may be due to a development programme where the employee has to spend some time in one activity and then he is shifted to another activity. Job rotation may be due to situational factor which means shifting the employee to another job to meet the needs of work scheduling. Job rotation is also a part of management programme to develop managerial talent.

3. Job Enlargement:

As s evident from the name, job enlargement means the process of increasing the scope of job of a particular employee by adding more tasks to it. It means assignment of varied tasks or duties of the jobs of employees all on the same level.

However, the additional tasks or duties do-not require new skills, but can be performed with similar skills or efforts as before. In the words of Herzberg “Job enlargement is simply adding a zero to zero” meaning that one set of boring tasks is simply added to another set.

Enlargement is done only on the horizontal level. Thus, the job remains the same, but becomes reaches at a larger scale than before.

In the words of George Strauss and L.R. Sayles, “Job enlargement implies that instead of assigning one man to each job, a group of men can be assigned to a group of jobs and then allowed to decide for themselves how to organise the work. Such changes permit more social contacts and greater control over the work process.”

Job enlargement has the following advantages:

(i) Increase in variety of jobs

(ii) Provides wholeness and identity with the task and increases the knowledge necessary to perform it.

(iii) Reduces monotony and boredom.

(vi) Trains and develops more versatile employees.

Despite these advantages this is not a completely satisfactory method of job design as it does not increase the depth of a job. Enlarged Jobs require longer training period as there are more tasks to be learned.

4. Job Enrichment:

Job enrichment consists of designing the job in such a way that the worker gets greater autonomy for planning and controlling his own performance. The greatest motivation for the employee, according to this method, is die opportunity for achievement, recognition, responsibility, and growth.

A few definitions of job enrichment are as follows:

“Job enrichment is a motivational technique which emphasises the need for challenging and interesting work”.

Herzberg gave greater emphasis on job enrichment in his two factor theory. Job enrichment implies increasing the contents of a job or the deliberate upgrading of responsibility; scope and challenge in work.

According to Richard W. Beatty and Graig Eric. Schneider –

“Job enrichment is a motivational technique which emphasises the need for challenging and interesting work. It suggests that jobs be redesigned so that intrinsic satisfaction is derived from doing the job. In its best applications it leads to a vertically enhanced job by adding functions from other organisational levels, making it contain more variety and challenge and offer autonomy and pride to the employee”.

In job enrichment the jobholder is given a measure of discretion in making operational decisions concerning his job.

Essay # 6. Approaches to Job Design: 

Various approaches to the job design are as explained below:

1. Traditional Approach:

Under the traditional approach, the organisation allocates duties and responsibilities consistent with the common practices and traditions.

The traditional approach has many advantages:

(i) In this approach the procedures of recruitment, selections and fixation of remuneration are simplified.

(ii) This approach is consistent with employee’s expectations, training and education programmes.

(iii) It is easier to implement since this approach has developed over a number of years and is acceptable to the organisation.

2. Scientific Management Approach:

Also known as engineering approach, it was developed by F.W. Taylor and his associates. In this approach, principles of scientific management form the basis of designing the jobs in the organisations.

In the words of Taylor, “the work of every workman is fully planned out by the management at least one day in advance and each man receives in most cases complete written instructions, describing in detail the task which he is to accomplish. This task specifies not only what is to be done but how it is to be done and the exact time allowed for doing it.”

Scientific management approach offers the following principles for designing the jobs:

(i) Task Fragmentation:

To Break the tasks into small components to improve technical efficiency.

(ii) Optimisation:

To develop best method of doing the task with the help of scientific study and analysis.

(iii) Standardisation:

To standardise the method so developed with the help of time and motion studies.

(iv) Specialisation:

Workers should be selected to perform specific jobs only to ensure specialisation.

(v) Training:

The selected workers should be given adequate training to help them in performing their tasks in the most efficient manner. Task fragmentation helps to reduce the time and cost of training.

(vi) Responsibility:

Each worker should be made responsible for performing a single operation forming part of the total task.

(vii) Monetary Rewards.

Economic incentives should be used to reward efficient performance.

These principles offer a rational and task oriented approach to job design. These principles tend to make the job holders experts in their jobs which leads to higher productivity and lower costs.

But this has the following limitations also:

(i) The engineering approach fails to take into consideration the social and psychological needs of workers. As a consequence majority of employees become alienated and frustrated.

(ii) At the individual level it may lead to physical illness, poor mental health, chronic depression, maladjustments to family and community life.

(iii) At organisational level, low morale, poor quality consciousness, loss of interest in work, high labour turnover and absenteeism, resistance to change and even sabotage can occur.

(iv) Jobs designed on the basis of this approach are not suitable in the modern environment characterised by increased awareness, improved education and rising expectations of workforce.

3. Human Relations Approach:

The limitations of the scientific management approach gave rise to the human relations approach. This approach is based upon the famous Hawthorne studies conducted during 1924—33. This approach concerned itself with the impact of employees’ social and psychological needs on productivity. The emphasis was less on technical components of the job.

Initially, the Hawthorne investigators aimed to find out those elements of environment which had a positive impact on productivity. To the surprise of the investigators, they discovered that the factors which had a greatest impact on productivity were the social interaction pattern of the workers rather than the physical conditions of their jobs.

Their findings led the investigators to develop human relations approach with the objectives of:

(i) Facilitating social need gratification of the workers.

(ii) Using non authoritarian leadership styles by supervisors and

(iii) The fostering of effective work groups.

4. Job Characteristics Approach:

The job characteristics approach is based upon the findings of Elton Mayo, Frederick Herzberg and other human relations experts. This approach like human relations approach also stresses on the social and psychological needs of the employees rather than on technical aspects of the job only.

Job characteristics approach is the most popular behavioural approach and is based on the model given by:

Hackman and Oldham:

This model assumes that there are three psychological states of a job holder that determine his motivation satisfaction and performance on the job.

The states are:

(i) Experienced meaningfulness:

The degree to which the job holder experiences work as important and worthwhile.

(ii) Experienced responsibility:

The extent to which the job holder feels personally responsible and accountable for the results of the work performed.

(iii) Knowledge of results:

Information about how well he is performing the job.

The worker has a great sense of motivation when he experiences these states on the job. He will always work hard to perform well. According to this approach, thus, motivation, satisfaction and performance should be integrated in the job design.

The following core dimensions of the job help in generating these psychological states:

(i) Skill Variety:

The degree to which the job requires the worker to do different activities so that he can use a number of different skills and activities.

(ii) Task Identity:

The degree to which the job requires completion of a whole and identifiable piece of work.

(iii) Task Significance:

The degree to which the job has a substantial impact on the work and lives of others both inside and outside the organisation.

(iv) Autonomy:

The degree to which the job provides freedom, independence and discretion to the individual in scheduling the work and in deciding the procedures to be used to do die job.

(v) Feedback:

The degree to which the job provides the individual with clear and direct information about job performance and outcomes.

All the job characteristic dimensions have psychological impact on the workers. The first three dimensions affect whether or not workers view their work as meaningful. Autonomy determines the sense of responsibilities the workers feel. Feedback allows for feeling of satisfaction for a job well done by providing knowledge of results to the job holder.

The three critical states provide intrinsic motivation for those people only who have a high need for learning and growth on the job. This desire for personal feeling of accomplishment and growth is called growth need which serves as a motivator.

This theory stresses the point that workers will feel more satisfied if they view their jobs as meaningful. If they are given adequate responsibility and if they receive feedback regarding their performance. This goal is achieved by focussing on the above mentioned five specific job characteristics when designing the job.

The following chart shows in Concise from the job characteristics theory:

The main limitation of this approach is that for many employees these psychological states are not important. Research studies indicate that some employees respond well to jobs redesigned according to this approach, whereas for others it has no discernible impact. Those employees who do not have a high need for learning and growth on job, this approach will not have any use.

It will be a motivator for those employees only who desire a feeling of personal accomplishment and growth. Thus, job satisfaction and performance depends on the job holders’ perception of the job rather than actual contents of the job.

5. Socio-Technical Systems Approach:

The socio-technical systems approach deals with both the technical and social aspects of the job. It is, therefore, an improvement over the engineering approach which considered only the technical aspects of the job. TAVISTOCK INSTITUTE OF HUMAN RELATIONS, LONDON has carried out several experiments in the application of the socio- technical approach to job design.

Redesigning jobs through this approach requires the combined efforts of employees, supervisors and trade union representatives in analysing significant job operations. Jobs are designed in this approach by taking a ”systems” view of the entire job situation including its physical and social environment.

This approach is situational because few jobs involve identical technical requirements and social surroundings. Specifically, this approach requires that the job designer should carefully consider the role of employee in the socio-economic system, the nature of the tasks performed and the autonomy of the work group.

Essential elements of the socio technical approach are as follows:

Job should be reasonably demanding for the individual and yet provide some variety.

Employees should be able to learn on the job. It should be a continuous process.

Employees should have some minimum area of decision making.

Employees should have some minimum degree of social support and recognition at work place.

Employees need to be able to relate what they do and what they produce to their social life.

This approach is probabilistic and has an intuitive appeal. But there is little empirical evidence to support it. Like the job characteristics approach, this approach also depends upon the perception of employees. For some employees these factors may lead to motivation and satisfaction, while for some others, it may not have any impact.