The various techniques of job design and redesign are discussed below:
- Job Simplification: In job simplification, the complete job is broken down into small subparts; this is done so that employee can do these jobs without much specialized training. Moreover, small operations of the job can also be performed simultaneously so that the complete operation can be done more quickly. For job simplification, generally time and motion studies are used.
2. Job Rotation: Another technique designed to enhance employee motivation is job rotation, or periodically assigning employees to alternating jobs or tasks. For example, an employee may spend two weeks attaching
bumpers to vehicles and the following two weeks making final checks of the chassis. During the next month, the same employee may be assigned to two different jobs. Therefore, the employee would be rotated among four jobs. The advantage of job rotation is that employees do not have the same routine job day after day. Job rotation only addresses the problem of assigning employees to jobs of limited scope; the depth of the job does not change. The job cycle of the actual daily work performed has not been lengthened or changed. Instead, employees are simply assigned to different jobs with different cycles.
Because job rotation does not change the basic nature of jobs, it is criticized as nothing more than having an employee perform several boring and monotonous jobs rather than one. Some employees dislike job rotation more than being assigned to one boring job because when they are assigned to one job they know exactly where to report and what work to expect each day. Workers quickly realize that job rotation does not increase their interest in their work.
Although it seldom addresses the lack of employee motivation, it give manages a means of coping with frequent absenteeism and high turnover. Thus when absenteeism or turnover occurs in the work force, managers can quickly fill the vacated position because each employee can perform several jobs.
Job rotation is often effectively used as a training technique for new, inexperienced employees. At higher organizational levels, rotation also helps to develop managerial generalists because it exposes them to several different operations.
Advantage of Job Rotation Technique:
- The employee experiences variety of work, workplace and peer group.
- Job rotation helps to broaden the knowledge and skills of an employee.
- The main advantage of job rotation is that it relieves the employee from the boredom and monotony of doing the same job.
- With the help of this method, people become more flexible. They are prepared to assume responsibility especially at other positions.
- Job rotation broadens the work experience of employees and turns specialists into generalists.
- It is beneficial for the management also as the management gets employees who can perform a variety of tasks to meet the contingencies.
- This method improves the self image and personal worth of the employee.
Disadvantage of Job Rotation Technique:
- Job rotation also creates disruptions. Members of the work group have to adjust to the new employee.
- Productivity is reduced by moving a worker into new position just when his efficiency at the prior job was creating organizational economies.
- Training costs are increased.
- The supervisor may also have to spend more time answering question and monitoring the work of the recently rotated employee.
- It can demotivate intelligent and ambitious trainees who seek specific responsibilities in their chosen specialty.
3. Job Enlargement: Another means of increasing employee’s satisfaction with routine jobs is job enlargement, or increasing the number of tasks performed (i.e. increasing the scope of the job). Job enlargement, like job rotation, tries to eliminate short job cycles that create boredom. Unlike job rotation, job enlargement actually increases the job cycle. When a job is enlarged, either the tasks being performed are enlarged or several short tasks are given to one worker. Thus, the scope of the job is increased because there are many tasks to be performed by the same worker. Job enlargement programs change
many methods of operation- in contrast to job rotation, in which the same work procedures are used by workers who rotate through work stations. Although job enlargement actually changes the pace of the work and the operation by reallocating tasks and responsibilities, it does not increase the depth of a job.
The focus of designing work for job enlargement is the exact opposite of that for job specialization. Instead of designing jobs to be divided up into the fewest of tasks per employee, a job is designed to have many tasks for the employee to perform. An enlarged job requires a longer training period because there are more tasks to be learned. Worker satisfaction should increase because is reduced as the job scope is expanded. However, job enlargement programs are successful with jobs what have increased scope; such workers are less prone to resort to absenteeism, grievances, slowdowns and other means of displaying job dissatisfaction.
Enlargement is done only on the horizontal level. Thus, the job remains the same, but becomes of a larger scale than before. In the words of Geroge Strauss and L.R. Sayles “Job enlargement implies that instead of assigning one man to each job, a group of men can be assigned to a group of jobs and then allowed to decide for themselves how to organize the work. Such changes permit more social contacts and control over the work process.”
Job enlargement has the following advantages:
- Increase in diversity of jobs
- Job satisfaction
- Provides wholeness and identity with the task and increases the knowledge necessary to perform it.
- Provides variety of skills.
- Reduces tension and boredom.
- Trains and develops more versatile employees.
Despite these advantages this is not a completely satisfactory method of job design as it does not increase the depth of a job. Enlarged jobs require longer training period as there are more tasks to be learned.
4. Job Enrichment: The concept of job enrichment has been derived from Herzberg’s two-factor theory of motivation in which he has suggested that job content is one of the basic factors of motivation. If the job is designed in such a manner that it becomes more interesting and challenging to the job performer and provides him opportunities for achievement, recognition, responsibility, advancement and growth, the job itself becomes a source of motivation to the individual.
According to Richard W. Beatty and Graig Eric. Schneider, “Jobenrichment is a motivational technique which emphasizes the need for challenging and interesting work. It suggests that jobs be redesigned so that intrinsic satisfaction is derived from doing the job. In its best applications it leads to a vertically enhanced job by adding function from other organizational levels, making it contain more variety and challenge and offer autonomy and pride to the employee.”
According to P. Robbins, “Job enrichment refers to the vertical expansion of the jobs. It increases the degree to which the worker controls the planning, execution and evaluation of his work.”
In the words of Robert Albanese, “Job enrichment sometimes called. “vertical job leading’ is a job redesign strategy that focuses on job depth.”
According to Mondy. Holmes, and Flippo, “Job enrichment refers to basic changes in the content and level of responsibility of a job so to provide for the satisfaction of the motivation needs of personnel. Rebert Ford, who was associated with designing of jobs to make them more enriched, has provided some bases (though not exhaustive) for job enrichment as shown in Table 1
Techniques of Job Enrichment: In order to enrich the jobs. The management should adopt the following measures:
- Freedom in decisions
- Assign a natural work unit to an employee.
- Encouraging participation
- Allow the employee to set his own standards of performance.
- Minimize the controls to provide freedom to the employees
- Make an employee directly responsible for his performance.
- Encourage participation of employees in deciding organizational goals and policies.
- Expand job vertically
- Introducing new, difficult and creative tasks to the employees.
- Sense of achievement.
Advantages of Job Enrichment: The advantages of job enrichment are as follows:
- It enriches the role.
- Job enrichment is the most widely used of job design as it provides a meaningful learning to employees.
- It makes the work interesting and employee get motivated.
- It helps in reducing the rate of labour turnover and absenteeism.
- It increases skills of the employees.
- It increases morale and performance.
- Reduce Boredom and dissatisfaction.
- Increase in output both qualitative and quantitative.
Disadvantages of Job Enrichment: Dunham and Newstrom state, “Even the strongest supporters of job enrichment readily admit that there are limitations in its application.” Newstrom and Keith Davis also write, “Employees are the final judges of what enriches their jobs. All that management can do is to gather information about what tends to enrich jobs, try these changes in the job system, and then determine whether employees feel that enrichment has occurred.” Afew limitations of or problems with job enrichment are as follows:
- Increase cost
- Need more employee counseling, training, and guidance.
- Not applicable to all jobs.
- Negative impact on personnel.
- Imposed on people.
- Objected by unions
- Pay dissatisfaction
JOB ENLARGEMENT vs. JOB ENRICHMENT
Job enlargement and job enrichment are both important forms of job design in order to enhance productivity and satisfaction of the employees. They differ from each other in the following respects:
- Nature of Job: The major difference between job enrichment and enlargement lies in the nature of additions to the job. Enlargement involves a horizontal loading or expansion, or addition of tasks of the same nature. Enrichment involves vertical loading of tasks and responsibilityof the job holder; it improves the quality of the job in terms of its intrinsic worth.
- Purpose: The purpose of job enlargement is to reduce the monotony in performing repetitive jobs by lengthening the cycle of operation. On the other hand, the purpose of job enrichment is making the job lively, challenging and satisfying. It satisfies the higher level needs such as ego satisfaction, self expression, sense of achievement and advancement of Job holders.
- Skill Requirement: Job enlargement may not necessarily require the use of additional skills which the job holder was using in performing the job before the enlargement. This is due to similarity of additional tasks. Enrichment calls foe development and utilization of higher skills, initiative, and innovation on the part of the job holder in performing the job.
- Direction and Control: Job enlargement requires direction and control from external sources, say supervisor. In fact, the job holder may require more direction and control because of enlargement of his responsibility. Enrichment does not require external direction and control as these come from the job holder himself. He requires only feedback from his supervisor.
