Chapter 6 Motivation and Job Design It’s about person-job fit

Chapter 6 Study Questions What are the alternative job design approaches? What are the keys to designing motivating jobs? How are technology and job design related? What alternative work arrangements are used today? Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Figure 6.1 Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

What are the alternative job design approaches? process through which managers plan and specify job tasks and the work arrangements that allow them to be accomplished Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

What are the alternative job design approaches? Scientific management Sought to improve work efficiency by creating small, repetitive tasks and training workers to do these tasks well Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

What are the alternative job design approaches? Job simplification Standardizes work procedures and employs people in clearly defined and highly specialized tasks Intent is to increase efficiency, but it may be decreased due to the motivational impact of unappealing jobs Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

What are the alternative job design approaches? Job enlargement Increases task variety by combining into one job two or more tasks that were previously assigned to separate workers Job rotation Increases task variety by periodically shifting workers among jobs involving different tasks Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

What are the alternative job design approaches? Job enrichment The practice of enhancing job content by building motivating factors such as responsibility, achievement, recognition, and personal growth into the job Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

What are the alternative job design approaches? Ways to increase job depth Allow workers to plan Allow workers to control Maximize job freedom Increase task difficulty Help workers become task experts Provide performance feedback Increase performance accountability Provide complete units of work Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

What are the alternative job design approaches? Concerns about job enrichment Job enrichment can be very costly Controversy concerning whether pay must be increased when jobs are enriched Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Figure 6.2 Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

What are the keys to designing motivating jobs? Job characteristics model provides a data-based approach to creating job designs with good person-job fit that maximize the potential for motivation and performance Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

What are the keys to designing motivating jobs? Core job characteristics Skill variety Degree to which a job requires a variety of different activities and involves the use of a number of different skills and talents of the individual Task identity Degree to which the job requires the completion of a “whole” and identifiable piece of work; one that involves doing a job from beginning to end with a visible outcome Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

What are the keys to designing motivating jobs? Core job characteristics (cont.) Task significance Degree to which the job is important and involves a meaningful contribution to the organization or society in general Autonomy Degree to which the job gives the employee substantial freedom, independence, and discretion in scheduling the work and in determining the procedures used in carrying it out Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

What are the keys to designing motivating jobs? Core job characteristics (cont.) Job feedback Degree to which carrying out the work activities provides direct and clear information to the employee regarding how well the job has been done Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

What are the keys to designing motivating jobs? Motivating potential score MPS indicates the degree to which the job is capable of motivating people. A job’s MPS can be raised by enriching the core characteristics. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

What are the keys to designing motivating jobs? Critical psychological states When the core characteristics are highly enriched, three critical psychological states are positively influenced Experienced meaningfulness of work Experienced responsibility for work outcomes Knowledge of actual results of work activities Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

What are the keys to designing motivating jobs? Enriched core job characteristics will create positive psychological states, which in turn will create positive work outcomes only when: Employee growth-need strength is high. The employee has the requisite knowledge and skill. Employee context satisfaction exists. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

What are the keys to designing motivating jobs? Social information processing theory Social information in organizations influences the way people perceive their jobs and respond to them Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

What are the keys to designing motivating jobs? Managerial and global implications of enriching jobs Not everyone’s job should be enriched Job enrichment can apply to groups Culture has a substantial impact on job enrichment Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

How are technology and job design related? Sociotechnical systems Reflects the importance of integrating people and technology to create high-performance work systems Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

How are technology and job design related? Automation using a machine to do work previously accomplished by a human Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

How are technology and job design related? Flexible manufacturing systems Adaptive computer-based technologies and integrated job designs that are used to shift work easily and quickly among alternative products. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

How are technology and job design related? Process reengineering the analysis, streamlining, and reconfiguration of actions and tasks required to reach a work goal Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

How are technology and job design related? Typical activities of process value analysis Identify the core processes Map the core processes in respect to workflows Evaluate all tasks for the core processes Search for ways to eliminate unnecessary tasks Search for ways to eliminate delays, errors, and misunderstandings Search for efficiencies in how work is shared and transferred among people and departments Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

What alternative work arrangements are used today? Compressed work weeks Any scheduling of work that allows a full-time job to be completed in fewer than the standard five days “4/40” is most common form Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

What alternative work arrangements are used today? Compressed work weeks Advantages For workers: added time off For organizations: lower absenteeism and improved recruiting of new employees Disadvantages For workers: increased fatigue and family adjustment problems For organizations: work scheduling problems, customer complaints, and possible union opposition Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

What alternative work arrangements are used today? Flexible working hours Gives individuals a daily choice in the timing of their work commitments Advantages: For workers: shorter commuting time, more leisure time, more job satisfaction, and greater sense of responsibility For organizations: less absenteeism, tardiness, and turnover; more commitment; and higher performance Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

What alternative work arrangements are used today? Job sharing One full-time job is assigned to two or more persons who divide the work according to agreed-upon hours Advantages. For workers: less burnout and higher energy level For organizations; attracting talented people who who would otherwise be unable to work Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

What alternative work arrangements are used today? Telecommuting Work done at home or in a remote location via use of computers and advanced communication linkages with a central office or other employment locations Variants of telecommuting Flexiplace Hoteling Virtual office Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

What alternative work arrangements are used today? Advantages of telecommuting For workers: flexibility, comforts of home, and choice of work locations consistent with one’s lifestyle For organizations: costs savings, efficiency, and improved employee satisfaction Disadvantages of telecommuting For workers: isolation from co-workers, decreased identification with work team, and technical difficulties with computer linkages Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

What alternative work arrangements are used today? Part-time work Temporary part-time work An employee is classified as temporary and works less than the standard 40-hour work week Permanent part-time work An employee is classified as a permanent member of the workforce and works less than the standard 40-hour work week Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

What alternative work arrangements are used today? Advantages of part-time work For workers: appeals to people who want to supplement other jobs or do not want full-time work For organizations: lower labor costs, ability to better accommodate peaks and valleys of business cycle, and better management of retention quality Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

What alternative work arrangements are used today? Disadvantages of part-time work For workers: added stress and potentially diminished performance if holding two jobs, failure to qualify for benefits, and lower pay rates than full-time counterparts Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.