Job and Organizational Design
Approaches to Job Design
 Work Simplification

Advocated by Frederick Taylor


Break jobs down into simple components (small tasks)
Hire/Train people in necessary KSAs for components
 Lower skill levels needed
 Cheaper for the organization
 Can decrease potential for errors



Have “expert” employees (specialists)
Product produced by combining efforts
Employees are replaceable “cogs” in the machine
Consequences of Work Simplification
Process
Perception
Feeling
Work
Simplification
Monotony
Boredom
Emotional
Response
Behavioral
Response
Job
Dissatisfaction
Tardiness
Absenteeism
Turnover
Stress
Results of Moon Tent Exercise
7
6
5
4
2.9
3
2.9
2.8
2.9
3.1
2.9
2.8
2
1
0
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Job Change Strategies
 Job enlargement

Increasing the number and variety of tasks
 Job enrichment


Increasing the amount of control over planning
and performance of a job
Increasing involvement in setting
organizational policy
MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS
ACTUALIZATION
ESTEEM
SOCIAL
SAFETY
PHYSICAL
Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory
Hygiene Factors
salary
company policy
physical facilities
administration
working conditions
co-worker relations
Motivators
challenge
autonomy
advancement
recognition
Job Characteristics Model
Core Job
Dimensions
Skill variety
Task identity
Task significance
Autonomy
Feedback
Critical
Psychological
States
Experienced meaningfulness
of work
Experienced responsibility
for work outcomes
Knowledge of actual
results of activities
Growth Need
Strength
Personal and
Work Outcomes
High internal work
Motivation
High quality work
Performance
High satisfaction
With work
Low absenteeism
And turnover
Results of Exercises
Moon Tent
Water Carrier
7
6.375
6.125
6.375
6.125
5.875
6
5
4.5
4.5
4
2.9
2.9
2.8
n
ss
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l
3
2.9
2.9
y
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ne
3.1
2.8
2
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Pr
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Summary
 There is no “one best way” to design jobs
 Simple Jobs
 advantages
 Can reduce potential for error
 Be cheaper to staff
 Increase efficiency

disadvantages
 Result in decreased motivation
 Result in decreased satisfaction
 Result in decreased attendance/tenure

Enriched Jobs
 Can enhance motivation and satisfaction
 May increase costs to organization
 more training
 more compensation
Organizational Structure
 Why use organizations?


Facilitate complex goal accomplishment
Reduce individual risk
 Organizational Structure


Form or Shape of Organization
Helps coordinate system activity


e.g., decision making, communication, etc.
Organizational structure often based on people’s
implicit theories
McGregor’s Management Theories
Theory X assumes people…
Theory Y assumes people…
truly dislike work
want to work
must be coerced into working
will exercise self-control
prefer close supervision
are motivated to achieve goals
avoid responsibility
are imaginative and creative
have little ambition
are boxed in by conventional jobs
value security the most
Classical School of Management
Assumptions
1. Work is inherently distasteful to most people.
2. What workers do is less important than what they earn for doing
it.
Policies
1. Manager’s task is to supervise and control.
2. Break tasks down into simple, repetitive components. (e.g.
Taylor)
3. Establish detailed work routines and procedures.
Classical Organizational Theory
 Organizational Components




A system of differentiated activities
People
Authority
Cooperation
President
Marketing
Director
Assistant to
Director
Production
Director
Keyboard
Manager
Finance
Director
Monitor
Manager
Assistant
Director
Research &
Development
Scientist
Scientist
Scientist
 Structural
Principles
Scientist

Assistant
Director
Employee
Employee
Employee


Employee
Employee
Employee
Employee
Employee
Employee
Employee

Functional Principle
Scalar Principle
Line/Staff Principle
Span of Control Principle
Applied Example
 Moon Tent Exercise
 Communication was “top-down”
 Decision making was “top-down”
GM
AGM
W
W
W
W
W
W
W
Neoclassical Organizational Theory
 Critiqued principles of Classical theory



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Functional Principle
Scalar Principle
Line/Staff Principle
Span of Control
Marketing
Director
Assistant to
Director
Assistant
Director
President
Production
Director
Keyboard
Manager
Finance
Director
Monitor
Manager
Assistant
Director
Scientist
Employee
Employee
Employee
Employee
Employee
Employee
Employee
Employee
Employee
Employee
Research &
Development
Scientist
Scientist
Scientist
Human Relations School of
Management
Assumptions
1. People want to feel useful and important.
2. People desire to belong and be recognized as individuals.
Policies
1. Manager’s task is to make workers feel useful and important.
2. Keep workers informed and listen to their objections to
manager’s plans.
3. Allow workers to exercise some self-direction and control in
routine matters.
Human Resources School of
Management
Assumptions
1. Work is not inherently distasteful. People want to contribute to
meaningful goals that they have helped establish.
2. Most people can exercise far more creative, responsible, self-direction
than their job currently allows.
Policies
1. Manager’s task is to coach and utilize untapped human resources.
2. Create an environment that allows workers to contribute to the limits of
their abilities.
3. Encourage full participation on important matters, continually
broadening worker self-direction and control.
Systems Theory
Inputs
Information
Equipment
Facilities
Materials
Money
Technology
Transformation
Outputs
Organization
Human Resources
Products
Goods
Services
Inputs
Transformation
Outputs
Information
Organization
Products
Equipment
Goods
Human Resources
Facilities
Services
Materials
Customer Feedback
 Characteristics of Systems’ Theories
Money
Technology
Subsystems
 Synergy
 Input/Output
Customer
Feedback Model
 Goal seeking
 Entropy
 Dynamic Equilibrium
 Feedback
