Job and Workplace Design
MG 6163
(Blended Online Course)
Professor: Dr. Philip Ferrara
Office Phone: 212-428-2610
prof.ferrara@verizon.net
Course Description
This course examines the theoretical concepts, research findings, and
practical applications of job and workplace design. Job design is presented
from an interdisciplinary perspective with an emphasis on how job design
decisions can influence attitudes and work behavior within
organizations. Students are exposed to the diagnostic tools useful for
evaluating the motivational properties and the environmental conditions of
the workplace in order to guide principles of work redesign. Also reviewed
are the influences on work design by innovations in information technology,
modern manufacturing, virtual work arrangements and open office
systems. Other topics covered include the design and support of effective
work teams, reengineering and total quality management, and environmentbehavior relationships such as privacy and communication in the workplace.
Plan for the Course
In addition to readings, formal lectures and classroom discussions, this
course will also incorporate online case studies and exercises, as well as an
individual or small group project. Since this course is being offered as a
blended online class via E-poly, the 15-week course will have eight (8) formal
in-class meetings at the Brooklyn campus. To facilitate learning and enhance
faculty-student communication via the online course format, weekly
assignments and or discussions linked to the readings have been developed
for each topic and students are required to submit work and participate
online.
Project (Small Class Assignment Only)
Students will be asked to select a site and a particular set of jobs where they
will conduct an assessment (using the tools acquired in the course) of the
current psychological and environmental factors associated with the
workplace setting including a plan for both individual job redesign and
workplace improvements to support the new designed job. Students can
work in either pairs or alone on this project. The results of this assessment
will be presented orally in class with a brief written report due at the end of
the semester.
Evaluation
Midterm and final exams will be multiple-choice (in-class) tests and will also
include take-home short essay questions reflecting both the assigned
readings and lectures. There are three case exercise reports that are due on
scheduled dates. Final grades will be based upon the following approximate
weighting.
Midterm exam
25%
Final exam (noncumulative)
25%
Project (Small Class assignment Only)
Three Case Exercises
TBD
30%
Course Participation and Special Team assignment
20%
Primary Reading
Parker, S., & Wall, T. (1998). Job and Work Design, Organizing Work to
Promote Well-Being and Effectiveness. Thousand Oaks, California, Sage
Publications. (Paperback text available in POLY/CUNY bookstore)
Supplemental Required Readings
(All available on course e-poly website)
Campion, M.A. & Medsker, G. J. (1992). Job Design. In G. Salvendy (Ed.),
Handbook of Industrial Engineering (2nd. Ed.). New York: Wiley, (1992).
Aronoff, S., & Kaplan, A., (1995) Workplace Diagnostics. In Total Workplace
Performance: Rethinking the Office Environment (pp. 307-356).Ottawa,
Canada, WDL Publications.
Cascio, W.F. (2000). Managing a virtual workplace. Academy of
Management Executive, 14 (3), 81-90.
Selected Chapters from: Becker, F. & Steel, F. (1995) Workplace by
Design. California: Jossey-Bass. Making space for teamwork (Chapter 5);
Creating a healthy environment (Chapter 6); and, Supporting remote work
(Chapter 7).
Mathieu, J., Maynard, M.T., Rapp, T., & Gilson, L. (2008). Team
Effectiveness 1997-2007: A Review of Recent Advancements and a Glimpse
Into the Future . Journal of Management, 34: 410-476.
Parker, S. K., & Ohly, S. (2008). Designing motivating work. In Kanfer, R.,
Chen, G., & Pritchard, R. Work motivation: Past, present and future. A SIOP
Frontier Series volume. Lawrence Erlbaum.
Material should be read prior to the lecture to support discussion. The
required readings and specific chapters are identified each week in the
syllabus.
Job and Workplace Design
MG 6163 (Blended Online Course)
Week 1
Introduction to Job and Workplace Design
- Orientation to ePoly
- Syllabus and organization of course - assignments and readings
- Class simulation of organizational and environmental change issues
- Case Exercise # 1 - Northern Oil
Week 2 and 3
Basic Theory
- Job Design Principles
- Job simplification- Industrial Engineering- Scientific Management
- Motivational and Behavioral Job Enrichment Approaches
Motivator-Hygiene Theory
Job Characteristics Theory
- An Interdisciplinary Model of Job Design
approaches
Mechanistic, motivational, biological and perceptual-motor
Parker & Wall:`Chapters 1 & 2
Campion & Medsker: pp. 845-855
Week 4
Methods of Study I: Measuring the characteristics and the
motivational properties of jobs.
The Job Diagnostic Survey (JDS)Exercise on the use of the Job Diagnostic
Survey
C & M: pp. 855-860
Handout: JDS
Week 5
Methods of Study II: Evaluating the job and the environmental
setting using an interdisciplinary approach.
The Multi-Method Job Design Questionnaire
Exercise on the MJDQ
Handout: MJDQ
Case Exercise # 2 - Conducting a JDS or MJDQ Evaluation
Week 6
Critique of Existing Theory and Implications for Practice
- Research results on job enrichment and the Job Characteristics Model
- Research results on the Interdisciplinary Model approach to job design.
- Implications for practice (benefits and costs)
Parker & Wall: Chapters 3 & 4
Week 7
Midterm
Guiding Principles for Work Redesign
- Conditions for job redesign
- Diagnosing Work Systems
- Increasing the motivational properties of jobs
- Work design strategies and modern manufacturing
Parker & Wal: Chapter 5
C & M: pp. 861-867
Week 8
Spring Break
Week 9
Workplace Transformations and Work Teams
- Information technology and new forms of work
- Realigning HR systems
- Designing jobs for groups
- Self-managed work teams and virtual teams
Parker & Wall: Chapters 6 & 7
C & M: pp. 867-873
Week 10
Work Team Effectiveness
-Determinants of team effectiveness
-Conditions for effective teams
Case Exercise # 3 - Teams
Mathieu et. Al (2008) Article - A Review of Team Effectiveness 1997-2007
Week 11
Group Work & Technology
- Designing space for teams
- Impact of telecommunications
- Managing the virtual Workplace
See Becker and Steele Chapters
Cascio Article
Week 12
Modern Offices & More on Psychosocial Issues in Work Environments
- Physical environments and workgroup effectiveness
- The history of open and closed office systems
- Stress and restoration in the workplace
- Behavior-Environment Issues – privacy and control over social interactions,
interpersonal communication and territorial behavior in physical settings.
-
Introduction to Post Occupancy Evaluation
-
Physical & Psychological Workplace Diagnostics
See Aronoff & Kaplan Chapter
Week 13
Managing the Change Process- More Strategies for Redesign in the
Future Workplace
- Principles of participation
- Critical work design decisions
- Principles of reengineering
- TQM or Self-Directed Work Teams
Parker & Wall Chapter 8
C & M: pp. 874-876
Week 14
Designing Motivating Jobs - Recent research and Future Directions
Week 15
FINAL EXAM - Course Wrap-up