JOB DESIGN
It is crucial when talking about employee motivation that the different concepts of job design are under stood.
1. Job Enlargement
· Job enlargement can be summed up as ‘adding zero to zero’.
· All it does is expand the number of tasks assigned to the given job.
· The additional jobs required no new skills, and were similar to the monotonous tasks previously done.
· The employee saw job enlargement as an added burden and hence impacted on the area of motivation.
2. Job Rotation
Rather than adding tasks of similar nature to the job, job rotation required that a given employee alternatively perform a number of different, but unfortunately similar, jobs.
It was hoped that by offering different jobs, different skills would be required and motivation would increase. However, as the tasks were similar the reward/motivation from the job rotation never eventuated.
3. Job Enrichment
Job enrichment attempts to change the relationship between the employee and the job by providing the employee with greater responsibility, power to make decisions, greater variety of tasks and feedback on their performance.
Job enrichment provided the worker with the ability to take responsibility for their actions and provide them with power to become involved in decision-making.
4. Quality Control Circles
· Quality Control Circles consist of between two and ten employees who are permanently assigned to that circle.
· The task of each Quality Control Circle is to identify any problems that fall within the scope of their work.
· Once a problem has been identified the circle members suggest ways to overcome the problem.
· Quality Control Circles can therefore be seen as a broad from of job enrichment, which attempts to equate productivity to employee’s control of quality.
5. Team Building/Cells.
Team building recognises the interdependence that exists between the individual, other employees and the goals and objectives of the business organisation.
Thus team building is designed to set common goals between group members, analysing the way in which work is performed by the group and examine the way the group functions in the area of problem solving and decision making.
Working within a team enabled to employee to gain a sense of ownership and continual responsibility for their work.
1. Job Enlargement
· Job enlargement can be summed up as ‘adding zero to zero’.
· All it does is expand the number of tasks assigned to the given job.
· The additional jobs required no new skills, and were similar to the monotonous tasks previously done.
· The employee saw job enlargement as an added burden and hence impacted on the area of motivation.
2. Job Rotation
Rather than adding tasks of similar nature to the job, job rotation required that a given employee alternatively perform a number of different, but unfortunately similar, jobs.
It was hoped that by offering different jobs, different skills would be required and motivation would increase. However, as the tasks were similar the reward/motivation from the job rotation never eventuated.
3. Job Enrichment
Job enrichment attempts to change the relationship between the employee and the job by providing the employee with greater responsibility, power to make decisions, greater variety of tasks and feedback on their performance.
Job enrichment provided the worker with the ability to take responsibility for their actions and provide them with power to become involved in decision-making.
4. Quality Control Circles
· Quality Control Circles consist of between two and ten employees who are permanently assigned to that circle.
· The task of each Quality Control Circle is to identify any problems that fall within the scope of their work.
· Once a problem has been identified the circle members suggest ways to overcome the problem.
· Quality Control Circles can therefore be seen as a broad from of job enrichment, which attempts to equate productivity to employee’s control of quality.
5. Team Building/Cells.
Team building recognises the interdependence that exists between the individual, other employees and the goals and objectives of the business organisation.
Thus team building is designed to set common goals between group members, analysing the way in which work is performed by the group and examine the way the group functions in the area of problem solving and decision making.
Working within a team enabled to employee to gain a sense of ownership and continual responsibility for their work.
REDESIGNING JOBS TO IMPROVE EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION
To help with the understanding of how redesigning job can improve employee motivation, read the below example;
Renee and Brendan are employed by the Oasis International. The following transcript relates to the feels they have to their job at this particular point in time.
Renee Lee: (Chef) ‘I am a skilled worker and yet all day, for weeks on end, I make the same meals over and over again. A monkey could do what I am doing. I want to be creative like a Chef should be, I want to experiment with the taste buds of the customers. I spend all day in a dungeon of a kitchen and never see anyone apart from the same boring faces day after day. People don’t realize that if it wasn’t for my culinary delights no one would even talk about the Oasis International at all.’
Brendan Lynch (Office Manager) ‘I work longer than the others and yet I am the lowest paid. I start at 6 am to ensure that yesterday’s stuff ups are fixed and I am still here at 6 pm to process paper work. I am stuck all day in the office and never get any fresh air. If it weren’t for me this place wouldn’t function. No one appreciates the effort I put in.’
Renee and Brendan are employed by the Oasis International. The following transcript relates to the feels they have to their job at this particular point in time.
Renee Lee: (Chef) ‘I am a skilled worker and yet all day, for weeks on end, I make the same meals over and over again. A monkey could do what I am doing. I want to be creative like a Chef should be, I want to experiment with the taste buds of the customers. I spend all day in a dungeon of a kitchen and never see anyone apart from the same boring faces day after day. People don’t realize that if it wasn’t for my culinary delights no one would even talk about the Oasis International at all.’
Brendan Lynch (Office Manager) ‘I work longer than the others and yet I am the lowest paid. I start at 6 am to ensure that yesterday’s stuff ups are fixed and I am still here at 6 pm to process paper work. I am stuck all day in the office and never get any fresh air. If it weren’t for me this place wouldn’t function. No one appreciates the effort I put in.’