Jobs and the Design of Work

Jobs and Design of Work

A job is defined as an employee’s specific work and task activities in an organization. Jobs help people define their work and become integrated in the organization. It is composed of a set of specific tasks, each of which is an assigned piece of work to be done in a specific time period (Nelson & Quick, 2005, p. 309).

Work is a mental or physical activity that has productive results. It is one important reason why organizations exist. The way a person interprets and understands the value of work as part of life differs from person to person, and from culture to culture (Nelson & Quick, 2005, p. 309 - 310).

Job design may be defined as the methods that management use to develop the content of a job, including all relevant tasks, as well as the processes by which jobs are constructed and revised (Luthans, 2008, p. 344).

Jobs are usually designed to complement and support other jobs in the organization. Jobs in organizations are interdependent and designed to make a contribution to the organization's overall mission and goals. These interdependencies require careful planning and design so that all of the “pieces of work" fit together into a whole. Differentiation is the process of subdividing and departmentalizing the work of an organization. Jobs result from differentiation, which is necessary because no one can do it all. Even small organizations must divide work so that each person is able to accomplish a manageable piece of the whole. At the same time the organization divides up the work, it must also integrate those pieces back into a whole. Integration is the process of connecting jobs and departments into a coordinated, cohesive whole (Nelson & Quick, 2005, p. 311). Badly designed jobs cause a variety of performance problems in organizations. Good job design helps avoid problems, improves productivity, and enhances employee well-being.

A. FOUR TRADITIONAL APPROACHES TO JOB DESIGN

1. Scientific Management

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