JOB DESIGN

 It involves conscious efforts to organize tasks, duties and

responsibilities into a unit of work to achieve certain objectives.

 Job Design involves the following three steps:

Specification of Individual Tasks
Specifications of the methods of performing each tasks
Combination of tasks into specific jobs to be assigned to
individuals
Job design enhances work specialization
 Factors affecting Job Design:
 Organizational Factors
 Characteristics of Tasks

 Workflow

 Ergonomics

 Work Practices

 Environmental Factors
 Employee ability & availability

 Social & Cultural Expectations

 Behavioral Factors
 Feedback

 Autonomy

 Use of Abilities

 Variety
 Job Engineering:

Focuses on the tasks to be performed; methods to be used; workflows

among employees; layout of the workplace; performance standards
and specialization of labor.

Itallows employees to learn a task rapidly.

Permits short work-cycle so that performance can be
almost automatic & involve little or no mental effort.
Makes hiring easier because low skilled people can be
easily trained & paid relatively low wages.
Reduce the need for supervision, using simplified jobs
and standardization.
 Job Enlargement:

Expansion of the number of different tasks performed by an employee

in a single job. It attempts to add somewhat similar tasks to the
existing jobs so that it has more variety & be more interesting.

Advantages Disadvantages

Task Variety Training costs tends to rise

Meaningful Work Modules Cost of adjustment may rise

Ability Utilization Productivity may fail during the

introduction of new system
Performance Feedback Unions
 Job Enrichment:

It involves adding more motivators to a job to make it more rewarding.

Job becomes enriched when it gives job-holder more decision-making,
planning and controlling powers.
 Characteristics of an Enriched Job:
 Direct Feedback
 Client Relationship
 New Learning
 Scheduling Own Work
 Unique Experience
 Control Over Resources
 Direct Communication Authority
 Personal Accountability
SOME CAUTIONS ABOUT JOB ENRICHMENT
 Job Enrichment is not a substitute for good management
 ‘Enriched’ is a relative term

 Enriching Jobs may create a ‘Snow Ball’ effect

 Job Enrichment assumes that workers want more

responsibility
 Job Enrichment may have Negative Short-run Effects

 Job Enrichment may become Static

 Participation can affect the Enrichment Process

 Change is difficult to implement