Jobs and the Design of Work

13 JOBS AND THE DESIGN OF WORK

key terms

Chapter 13 introduces the following key terms:

job

work

meaning of work

work simplification

job enlargement

job rotation

cross-training

job enrichment

Job Characteristics Model

Job Diagnostic Survey (JDS)

social information-processing (SIP) model

lean production

sociotechnical systems (STS)

technocentric

anthropocentric

job sharing

flextime

virtual office

technostress

task revision

counter-role-behavior

I. WORK IN ORGANIZATIONS

Work is effortful, productive activity that results in a product or service. Work plays an important role in connecting people to reality. Work is organized into jobs, and people get work done through sets of task and authority relationships that make up organizations.

A. The Meaning of Work

The meaning of work differs from person to person, and from culture to culture. One recent study found six patterns people follow in defining work that help explain the cultural differences in people’s motivation to work. Nevertheless, people in many cultures seem to make a similar distinction between the nature of their work and the context in which they perform the work.

B. Jobs in Organizations

Jobs are the basic building block of the task and authority relationships that define an organization's structure. Differentiation is the process of subdividing organizational work into jobs. Integration is the process of connecting jobs into a coordinated, cohesive whole. Jobs are interdependent and require careful planning and design.

II. TRADITIONAL APPROACHES TO JOB DESIGN

Failure to differentiate, integrate, or both may result in poorly designed jobs, which may lead to performance problems. In contrast, well-designed jobs improve productivity and enhance employee satisfaction. Four approaches to job design developed during the twentieth century include scientific management, job enlargement/job rotation, job enrichment, and the job...