Importance of Job Design

Many of us assume the most important motivator at work is pay. Yet, studies point to a different factor as
the major influence over worker motivation—job design. How a job is designed has a major impact on
employee motivation, job satisfaction, commitment to an organization, absenteeism, and turnover.

The question of how to properly design jobs so that employees are more productive and more satisfied
has received attention from managers and researchers since the beginning of the 20th century. We will
review major approaches to job design starting from its early history.

Furthermore, job specialization was one of the major advances of this approach. Job specialization entails
breaking down jobs into their simplest components and assigning them to employees so that each person
would perform a select number of tasks in a repetitive manner. There are a number of advantages to job
specialization. Breaking tasks into simple components and making them repetitive reduces the skill
requirements of the jobs and decreases the effort and cost of staffing. Training times for simple, repetitive
jobs tend to be shorter as well. On the other hand, from a motivational perspective, these jobs are boring
and repetitive and therefore associated with negative outcomes such as absenteeism (Campion & Thayer,
1987). Also, job specialization is ineffective in rapidly changing environments where employees may
need to modify their approach according to the demands of the situation (Wilson, 1999).
Rotation, Job Enlargement, and Enrichment

One of the early alternatives to job specialization was job rotation. Job rotation involves moving
employees from job to job at regular intervals. When employees periodically move to different jobs, the
monotonous aspects of job specialization can be relieved. For example, Maids International Inc., a
company that provides cleaning services to households and businesses, utilizes job rotation so that maids
cleaning the kitchen in one house would clean the bedroom in a different one (Denton, 1994). Using this
technique, among others, the company is able to reduce its turnover level. In a supermarket study,
cashiers were rotated to work in different departments. As a result of the rotation, employees’ stress levels
were reduced, as measured by their blood pressure. Moreover, they experienced less pain in their neck
and shoulders (Rissen et al., 2002).
Job rotation has a number of advantages for organizations. It is an effective way for employees to acquire
new skills and in turn for organizations to increase the overall skill level of their employees (Campion,
Cheraskin, & Stevens, 1994). When workers move to different positions, they are cross-trained to perform
different tasks, thereby increasing the flexibility of managers to assign employees to different parts of the
organization when needed. In addition, job rotation is a way to transfer knowledge between departments
(Kane, Argote, & Levine, 2005). Rotation may also have the benefit of reducing employee boredom,
depending on the nature of the jobs the employee is performing at a given time. From the employee
standpoint, rotation is a benefit, because they acquire new skills that keep them marketable in the long
run.

Is rotation used only at lower levels of an organization? Anecdotal evidence suggests that companies
successfully rotate high-level employees to train managers and increase innovation in the company. For
example, Nokia uses rotation at all levels, such as assigning lawyers to act as country managers or
moving network engineers to handset design. This approach is thought to bring a fresh perspective to old
problems (Wylie, 2003). Wipro Ltd., India’s information technology giant that employs about 80,000
workers, uses a 3-year plan to groom future leaders of the company by rotating them through different
jobs (Ramamurti, 2001).

Job enlargement refers to expanding the tasks performed by employees to add more variety. By giving
employees several different tasks to be performed, as opposed to limiting their activities to a small
number of tasks, organizations hope to reduce boredom and monotony as well as utilize human resources
more effectively. Job enlargement may have similar benefits to job rotation, because it may also involve
teaching employees multiple tasks. Research indicates that when jobs are enlarged, employees view
themselves as being capable of performing a broader set of tasks (Parker, 1998). There is some evidence
that job enlargement is beneficial, because it is positively related to employee satisfaction and higher
quality customer services, and it increases the chances of catching mistakes (Campion & McClelland,
1991). At the same time, the effects of job enlargement may depend on the type of enlargement. For
example, job enlargement consisting of adding tasks that are very simple in nature had negative
consequences on employee satisfaction with the job and resulted in fewer errors being caught.
Alternatively, giving employees more tasks that require them to be knowledgeable in different areas
seemed to have more positive effects (Campion & McClelland, 1993).

Job enrichment is a job redesign technique that allows workers more control over how they perform their
own tasks. This approach allows employees to take on more responsibility. As an alternative to job
specialization, companies using job enrichment may experience positive outcomes, such as reduced
turnover, increased productivity, and reduced absences (McEvoy & Cascio, 1985; Locke, Sirota, &
Wolfson, 1976). This may be because employees who have the authority and responsibility over their
work can be more efficient, eliminate unnecessary tasks, take shortcuts, and increase their overall
performance. At the same time, there is evidence that job enrichment may sometimes cause dissatisfaction
among certain employees (Locke, Sirota, & Wolfson, 1976). The reason may be that employees who are
given additional autonomy and responsibility may expect greater levels of pay or other types of
compensation, and if this expectation is not met they may feel frustrated. One more thing to remember is
that job enrichment is not suitable for everyone (Cherrington & Lynn, 1980; Hulin & Blood, 1968). Not
all employees desire to have control over how they work, and if they do not have this desire, they may
become frustrated with an enriched job.

Realistic Job Previews (RJP) are developed to provide the potential applicants a true picture of the
different features of the job. It highlights not only the positive aspects, but also the associated hazards and
problems.

Advantages of Realistic Job Previews:

For the employee:
•Reduced stress: The employee takes up the job knowing exactly what to expect. This reduces job related
grievances considerably and thus keeps the employee from getting too stressed
•Taking an informed decision: When a Realistic Job Preview is shared, the candidates apply only when
they know that they will be able to cope up with the expectations
•Increase in job satisfaction: Unpleasant work details are not presented to employees post joining. Their
job tasks are exactly as described to them. This increases job satisfaction

For the employer:

•Reduced attrition: As the job preview describes the associated negative aspects of the job clearly, the
new hires do not face any unknown unpleasantness. E.g. X took up a job knowing that he is expected to
work on erratic shifts. So working on weekends or night shifts does not stress him and he does not
consider leaving the organization for the same.
•Better hiring decisions: On providing a Realistic Job Preview, the talent pool that applies are well aware
of the job and turnover is low. So, cost of bad hire is reduced
•Increase in corporate citizenship behaviour: The employee sees Realistic job Preview as an act of
honesty on the part of the organization. Thus the employer-employee trust increases, thereby the
organizational citizenship behaviour of the employee increases
Job Enlargement vs Job Enrichment
The difference between job enrichment and job enlargement is quality and quantity. Job enrichment
means improvement, or an increase with the help of upgrading and development, whereas job
enlargement means to add more duties, and an increased workload. By job enrichment, an employee finds
satisfaction in respect to their position and personal growth potential, whereas job enlargement refers to
having additional duties and responsibilities in a current job description.
Job enlargement is a vehicle employers use to put additional workload on employees, perhaps in
economical downtime. Due to downsizing, an employee might feel lucky to have a job at all, despite the
fact that his duties and responsibilities have increased. Another approach is that by adding more variety
and enlarging the responsibilities will provide the chance of enhancement and more productivity. Job
enrichment involves organizing and planning in order to gain more control over their duties and work as a
manager. The execution of plans and evaluation of results motivates workers and relieves boredom. Job
enlargement and job enrichment are both useful for motivating workers to perform their tasks
enthusiastically.
Although job enlargement and enrichment have a relationship with each other, they also possess some
distinct features that differentiate them, such as area of expansion, mutual reliance, allocation of duties
and responsibilities, motivation and profundity. Job enrichment is largely dependent on job enlargement,
whereas job enlargement has no such dependency. Job enlargement expands horizontally when compared
to job enrichment, which expands vertically. Vertical growth of job or augmentation is helpful to obtain
managerial rights.
In spite of mutual dependency, managerial duties are sanctioned, as in the case of enhancement. The
employee focuses more on job depth, which does not happen in job enlargement. Job enrichment has a
greater motivational impact than job enlargement.
The job enlargement theory involving horizontal expansion to increase job satisfaction and productivity is
relatively simple, and applied in numerous situations. Job enrichment, when compared to job
enlargement, not only includes more duties and responsibilities, but also gives the right of decision
making and control.
Summary:
1. Job enrichment is dependent on job enlargement, whereas job enlargement is not dependent on
enrichment.
2. Job enlargement means taking charge of more duties and responsibilities which are not mentioned in
the job description.
3. Job enrichment gives more control and managerial access to perform tasks and responsibilities.
4. Job enlargement is horizontal, whereas job enrichment is vertical expansion.
5. Job enlargement and job enrichment are tools for motivation and growth.

Rewards

Companies reward their employees with both tangible goods, as well as praise. For example, a sales
department may offer a monthly bonus to the highest earner. Not all tangible rewards come in the form of
money. Some companies host free lunches, or give away company gear to good workers. Many managers
choose to reward their best employees by simply praising them for a job well done, or by recognizing the
hard work they put in to a project.

The following are descriptions of the four intrinsic rewards and how workers view them.

 Sense of meaningfulness. This reward involves the meaningfulness or importance of

the purpose you are trying to fulfill. You feel that you have an opportunity to accomplish
something of real value—something that matters in the larger scheme of things. You feel
that you are on a path that is worth your time and energy, giving you a strong sense of
purpose or direction.
 Sense of choice. You feel free to choose how to accomplish your work—to use your
best judgment to select those work activities that make the most sense to you and to
perform them in ways that seem appropriate. You feel ownership of your work, believe in
the approach you are taking, and feel responsible for making it work.
 Sense of competence. You feel that you are handling your work activities well—that
your performance of these activities meets or exceeds your personal standards, and that
you are doing good, high-quality work. You feel a sense of satisfaction, pride, or even
artistry in how well you handle these activities.
 Sense of progress. You are encouraged that your efforts are really accomplishing
something. You feel that your work is on track and moving in the right direction. You see
convincing signs that things are working out, giving you confidence in the choices you
have made and confidence in the future.