DISCUSS THE TECHNO-STRUCTURAL INTERVENTIONS THAT ORGANISATIONS

CAN USE TO IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY AND ORGANISATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS.

Productivity and effectiveness are essential in each and every organization for its success and
growth. These aspects are helped by many factors including the ones in the question in hand that
are techno-structural interventions.

Techno-structural interventions are change programs focusing on the technology and structure of
the organization. These interventions are implemented to improve the technology of the firm that
is state of the art equipment and more over focus on structural development of the firm as this is
a major factor in organization performance as task and leadership levels are clearly defined
hence employees are aware of where to report and acquire tasks from thus improve productivity.
The interventions include Re-engineering, work design, downsizing, total quality management.

According to the Business Dictionary, work design is an arrangement in the work place that has
the objective of overcoming employee alienation and job satisfaction that comes from
mechanical and repetitive tasks in the workplace. This intervention offers non monetary rewards
to employees as it focuses on satisfaction of employees from a greater sense of personal
achievement. It encompasses approaches such as Engineering approach and Motivational
approach.

The engineering approach focuses on the technical aspect that is scientifically analyze workers
tasks and improve processes. Upon analysis of the tasks, workers are grouped into specification
groups with level of technical knowledge hence the worker is tasked with a task that there can
fully complete thus fulfillment and commitment thus improve productivity. Moreover, the
motivational approach mainly focuses on providing opportunities for employees. This can be
done through enriching jobs, autonomy hence the worker feels that there are fully appreciated
and recognized hence are motivated to worker harder hence improved performance which on
turn improves productivity,
Secondly, there is Re-engineering which entails the redesign of processes in order to improve use
of a firm’ resources. It focuses on equipment improvement that is machinery design and
movement or changes in processes of manufacturing a certain product or service. This is mainly
done by removing certain steps or adding a couple to improve the process. This intervention
improves effectiveness as it aims to maximize limited resources to produce large quantity of
products. More so, re-engineering results in reduced human error as the equipment is
programmed to fulfill certain tasks hence will execute with efficiency and effectiveness.

Duplication of work has resulted in wastage of resources hence downsizing can be used as an
intervention to improve productivity and effectiveness. This intervention focuses on the
reduction of an organization’s workforce. Downsizing is implemented to gain control of the use
and disposal of resources, man management and task overview and effective use of financial
health of an organization. By downsizing, it means the core objectives of the organization are
maintained hence can be attained very efficiently. More so, downsizing results in reduction in
resources as there are few employees thus given minimum resources to produce maximum
output hence leading to efficiency.

Productivity and effectiveness can also be improved by total quality management. This
intervention approach outlines success through customer satisfaction. In the approach, all
workers of the organization are focused in improving processes, products, services and the
culture in which they work. By doing so, it focuses on improving processes that is use minimum
resources to produce maximum outputs hence effectiveness. More so, by everyone participating,
the workers feel wanted because there are being involved in the processes hence are fully
committed thus providing expertise knowledge which will result in improved productivity.

However, these interventions are not fully applicable in all organizations as the firms face
different challenges although there may be in the same economy. Firstly, not all workers are
motivated by satisfaction from job fulfillment as highlighted by Abraham Maslow Hierarchy of
needs. So by focusing on one need, the firm maybe be forgetting other worker’s needs which will
result in workers feeling unwanted hence may sabotage the intervention. This will result in
wastage of time and expertise hence productivity is reduced resulting in poor products and
services.
Re-engineering can result in laying off of workers due to the alterations of work processes or
acquiring of new equipment or improving the organization to be capital intensive. This will in
turn reduce customers with disposable income hence the ex-workers can be involved in
secondary boycotting which is a process where the customers sabotage a firm products or service
which can result in the tarnishing of the company name hence sales are reduced resulting in
marginalized profits thus the firm is not able to support its operations resulting in closure of the
organization. Re-engineering can be costly especially in the acquiring and maintenance of new
equipment hence production may be affected hence the company may produce limited products
which may not meet demand thus the customers will look somewhere else for products thus the
firm may lose its cliental base.

Total Quality Management always needs to be continuously updated as it is based on customer

tests and preferences which are dynamic that is can change frequently. This can result in resource
and time wastage as the workers have to be focused on customer change and preferences but
losing focus on other concepts. This will result in deferred company objectives and goals thus the
company goals are lost hence wastage of time and resources.

In conclusion, the intervention may have advantages and disadvantages but there depend on the
type of company and economic situation as downsizing is more applicable to capital intensive
organizations and technological firms whilst work design is more applicable to labor intensive
firms so as to fully task the workers on their jobs thus improve work fulfillment hence
productivity and effectiveness.