Job Redesign Efforts example essay topic

Motivation business Important points to note are that not all of these factors are logical and the grouping is rarely made with the motivation of workers in mind. It follows that some jobs are therefore unnecessarily demotivating. As a consequence, the quality of working life is degraded and production is diminished. It should be possible to regroup and rearrange the tasks to make jobs better. Researchers on industrial motivation suggest that motivating jobs require the exercise of a variety of skills, producing a meaningful es. The job characteristics approach was pioneered by Hackman and Oldham who suggests that the job characteristics which motivate are: 1. variety of work 2. working on an identifiable product (task identity) 3. working on a task that has impact on others (task significance) 4. autonomy 5. feedback on how the work is progressing The links between the characteristics of jobs and motivation are important, and an understanding of these links provides a basis for designing jobs that are both satisfying and motivating...

Because the limiting factors impose different constraints, different types of job enrichment are needed. The three main types are job rotation, job enlargement and autonomous working groups. Job rotation is probable the most rudimentary type of job redesign. At its simplest it involves bringing together four or monotonous, and usually unskilled jobs.

A working schedule is drawn up in which each employee spends limited period on each job before moving onto another. The simplicity of job rotation is its main advantage, little retooling or restructuring is necessary. The main disadvantages are the very limited amount of change which is achieved and that job rotation schemes may produce bickering Job enlargement involves widening the job to bring in additional skills and allows employees to complete a whole job, or a much larger part of a job, so that work no longer consists of short-cycle operations whose contribution t the final product seems indistinct and remote. In this way, a sense of achievement and the pride of the craftsman can be used as motivational forces. The main disadvantages of job enlargement are the likely abandonment of traditional equipment such as the conveyor belt system. Job Autonomous working groups carry job enrichment to its logical conclusion.

Not only is the job enlarged to include a wider range of operative skills but it is also enlarged by giving employees responsibility for basic management activities, such as deciding upon the methods of work and the scheduling and planning of work. In many situations this can be achieved by individuals. The realities of commercial and manufacturing life mean that the unit of work becomes a small work group of about six employees who By designing jx e 2 Motivation plays an important part in both an individual's and a company's performance. Even very well trained and very able employee will not perform well unless motivated.

We can look motivation as the set of process that arouse, direct and maintain human behaviour, toward attaining a goal. Normally there are three key elements in motivation: effort, organisational goals and needs. There are a number of theory of motivation applied in our workplace. Hierarchy of needs theory is the most well known theo 1. physiological- include hanger, thirst, shelter, sex and bodily needs. 2. safety- include security and protection from physical and emotional harm. 3. social- include affection, belonging ness, acceptance and friendship. 4. esteem- include internal esteem and ego factors, external esteem factors. 5. self-actualization+- include growth, achieving one's potential and self-fulfillment. A seach of these needs becomes substantially satisfied, the next becomes dominant. Another widely accepted explanation of motivation is expectancy theory.

The expectancy theory argues that the strength of a tendency to act in a certain way depends on the strength of an expectation that the act will be followed by a given outcome and on the attractiveness of that outcome to the employee. It includes variable or relationships: 1. attractiveness 2. performance-reward linkage 3. effort- performance linkage The relationship between motivation and performance can be expressed by the formula: Performance = ability + motivation + training The formula is not mathematically correct but it demonstrates two major points. First if motivation is zero, performance will be zero. Secondly, motivation on its own is not enough, it must be accompanied by ability and training. Higher motivation does not always result ina direct increase in productivity because. in many jobs, productivity is limited by other people or the pace of machines.

For example, higher motivation amongst production line workers will not result in higher productivity because the's ore, motivation is important even in those jobs paced by external events. Psychologists have established quite strong relationships between job satisfaction and lateness, absenteeism and quitting a job. It would seem that if jobs do not satisfy people's motives employees will tend to withdraw from their jobs whenever the slightest excuse arises. In most organizations, the consequences of such withdrawal of work, such as lateness, absenteeism and labour turnover, has a direct impact on profitability. Most managers are concerned with increasing the motivation of employees but often wonder what actions they can undertake to achieve their aims. In practice, managers may influence motivation in five main ways: ensuring that the environment is motivating; selecting highly motivated employees; training; appraisal; and remuneration.

A major aspect of designing a motivating organisation is job design and job redesign so that jobs are likely to interest and inspire employees... In essence, job design arises from the fact that people do not perform the same set of tasks in any organisation. The ta sobs in those ways an organisation can encourage their employees to become motivated by their job Does job redesign really make a difference in an organisation's performance The evidence strongly suggests that such programs can improve the quality of working life and ultimately contribute to the company's bottom line. It can also improve productivity by as much as 16 per cent and can also bring about increases in job satisfaction According to a recent survey of Fortune 500 firms, those that use innovative human resource practices and programs suc has work redesign consistently outperformed less progr several additional benefits may accrue from well conceived job redesign efforts. First, increasing job variety allows the organisation to develop a more widely skilled and flexible work force.

Second, the use of vertical loading can provide managers with more time to engage in planning and organising for the future. Third, the cost of coordination may be lowered through a reduced need for supervisors and inspectors. We would point out, however, that even though job redesign is often a useful strategy for improving employee satisfaction and productivity, it is not applicable for all jobs or situations. Some jobs do not easily lend themselves to meaningful job redesign and not all workers want their jobs enlarged or enriched.

Many individuals would prefer to become proficient doing what someone else might consider a boring, routine task. They may not react well to job redesign. Finally, job redesign is not a one-shot program. It is an ongoing effort. Whenever a job is changed, it will be new and interesting for a while. Over time, however, the newness wears off and employees may again become bored with the routine.

At that point more changes may have to be made. You cannot assume that one job redesign effort will improve employee behav our indefinitely. 314.