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1、Lesson 1 Job designJob designJob design involves specifying the content and methods of jobs. Job designers focus on what will be done in a job, who will do the job, how the job will be done, and where the job will be done. The objectives of job design include productivity, safety, and quality of wor
2、k life.Ergonomics is an important part of job design. Ergonomics is the incorporation of human factors in the design of the workplace. It relates to design of equipment, design of work methods, and the overall design of the work environment. Among other things, ergonomics seeks to prevent common wor
3、kplace injuries such as back injuries and repetitive-motion injuries by taking into account the fact that people vary in their physical dimensions and capabilities. Companies have compelling interests in reducing worker injuries since they result in lower productivity, lost workdays, and increases i
4、n health premiums.The factors that affect job design and the implications of various alternatives are often so complex that a person without a good background in job design is likely to overlook important aspects of it. Workers and managers alike should be consulted in order to take advantage of the
5、ir knowledge and to keep them informed. Because they are intimately involved with the work, employees can be a source of valuable ideas for job improvements. Managerial support for job design depends on the commitment and involvement of managers. It is usually easier to sell a design to workers if t
6、hey have been included in the process. Finally, establishing a written record of the job design can serve as a basis for referral if questions arise about it.Current practice in job design contains element of two basic schools of thought. One might be called the efficiency school because it emphasiz
7、es a systematic, logical approach to job design; the other is called the behavioral school because it emphasizes satisfaction of wants and needs. The efficiency approach, a refinement of Frederick Winslow Taylors scientific management concepts, received considerable emphasis in the past. The behavio
8、ral approach followed and has continued to make inroads into many aspects of job design. It is noteworthy that specialization is a primary issue of disagreement between the efficiency and behavioral approaches.SpecializationThe term specialization describes jobs that have a very narrow scope. Exampl
9、es range from assembly lines to medical specialties. College professors often specialize in teaching certain courses, some auto mechanics specialize in transmission repair, and some bakers specialize in wedding cakes. The main rationale for specialization is the ability to concentrate ones efforts a
10、nd thereby become proficient at that type of work.Sometimes the amount of knowledge or training required of a specialist and the complexity of the work suggest that individuals who choose such work are very happy with their jobs. This seems to be especially true in the “professions” (e.g., doctors,
11、lawyers, professors) . At the other end of the scale are assembly-line workers, who are also specialists, although much less glamorous. The advantage of these highly specialized jobs is that they yield high productivity and relatively low unit costs, and they are largely responsible for the high sta
12、ndard of living that exists today in industrialized nations.Unfortunately, many of the lower-level jobs can be described as monotonous or downright boring, and are the source of much of the dissatisfaction among many industrial workers. While some workers undoubtedly prefer a job with limited requir
13、ements and responsibility for making decisions, others are not capable of handling jobs with greater scopes. Nonetheless, many workers are frustrated and this manifests itself in turnover and absenteeism. In the automotive industry, for example, absenteeism runs as high as 20 percent. Workers may al
14、so take out their frustrations through disruptive tactics such as deliberate slowdowns.The seriousness of these problems caused job designers and others to seek ways of alleviating them. Some of those approaches are discussed in the following sections. Before we turn to them, note that the advantage
15、s and disadvantages of specialization are summarized in Table 1.1. Major advantages and disadvantages of specialization in businessAdvantagesFor management:1.Simplifies training2.High productivity3.Low wage costsFor labor:1.Low education and skill requirements2.Minimum responsibilities3.Little menta
16、l effort neededDisadvantagesFor management:1.Difficult to motivate quality2.Worker dissatisfaction, possibly resulting in absenteeism, high turnover, disruptive tactics, poor attention to qualityFor labor:1.Monotonous work 2.Limited opportunities for advancement3.Little control over work 4.Little opportunity for self-fulfillmentBehavioral Approaches to Job DesignIn an effort to make jobs more interesting a
