Introduction:
Job design ‘involves finding ways of adjusting the whole working environment so as to make all jobs in an organisation as intrinsically motivating as possible’ (Taylor, 1998).
Taylor with scientific management, henry ford and Fordism, human relations and today’s approach of job re-design all played a major role in defining job design.
This essay will look at the different methods of job design, the reasons for job design, and why it’s significant in organisations.
Main:
Traditional approaches:
Taylorism-
* Finding the most efficient method of performing a task. * Believed people were only motivated by money. * Taylor wanted to eliminate time and motion wastage.
SM 5 principles: * Simply the task * Divorce planning and control * Minimise skill requirements. * Reduce material handling. * Divorce direct and indirect labour.
Fordism- * Flow line assembly work * Control employees * Increase productivity * Different work stations * Standardisation.
Traditional job design: * Created boredom * Dissatisfaction * High staff turnover * Have to employee supervisors and controllers.
Human relation approach- * Considers psychological aspects of work * Work is made intrinsically appealing * Participation in decision making is increased
Job re-design: * Job rotation
Job enlargement: * Horizontal and vertical
Job enrichment: * Herzberg- motivators
Contemporary job design:
* Self-management= more freedom on task * Empowerment- flatter hierarchy * Knowledge=
Conclusion:
Throughout the years jobs have been designed using parts of all of these approaches. (Mullins 2007)
Job design has benefits including more efficient processes and it can also improve the quality of work for the workers. (Mullins 2007).
Copyighted by C