Chapter 11 - Work System Design

Flashcards covering work system design, job design strategies, work measurement techniques, and compensation approaches from Chapter 11.

Work System Design

A component of operations strategy that provides structure for company productivity and includes job design, work measurements, and worker compensation.

Job Design

The specification of work activities for an individual or group, identifying the purpose, location, and required skills for a job.

Technical Feasibility

A job design factor ensuring the job is physically and mentally doable for the worker.

Economic Feasibility

A job design factor where the cost of performing the job is less than the value it adds.

Behavioral Feasibility

The degree to which a job is intrinsically satisfying to the employee.

Labor Specialization

The degree to which an employee’s scope of expertise is narrowed via high levels of specialization or widened through lower levels of specialization.

Job Enlargement

The horizontal expansion of a job through increasing the scope of work assigned to instill pride.

Job Enrichment

The vertical expansion of a job through increased worker responsibility, such as adding work planning or inspection to a routine task.

Job Rotation

The shifting of cross-trained workers to different tasks to broaden understanding and reduce fatigue.

Problem-solving Teams

Small groups trained in problem-solving techniques used to identify, analyze, and propose solutions to workplace problems.

Special-purpose Teams

Highly focused, short-term, and often cross-functional teams with a focused agenda.

Self-directed (SD) Teams

Teams where members work through consensus to plan and control work flow, with goals defined by the team.

Self-managed (SM) Teams

Teams where members work through consensus to plan and control work flow, with goals defined by others.

Alternative Workplace

An approach that brings work to the worker rather than the worker to the workplace, facilitated by technologies like video conferencing and e-networks.

OSHA

The act passed by Congress in 1970 to mandate specific safety conditions in the work environment.

Method Analysis

A process for evaluating and improving operations by charting steps, talking with employees, and revising existing operations for continuous improvement.

Work Measurement

The process of determining how long it should take a qualified worker, using appropriate tools and processes, to complete a specific job.

Standard Time

The length of time to complete a job, including allowances for personal fatigue and unavoidable delays, used for costing and scheduling.

Time Study

A procedure to determine standard time involving the observation of work elements to calculate the mean and standard deviation of task duration.

$$n$$

The number of observations of an element needed for a time study.

$$z$$

The number of normal standard deviations needed for the desired confidence level in a study.

Performance Rating Factor (PRF)

A subjective estimate of a worker's pace relative to a normal work pace.

Frequency of Occurrence (F)

How often an element must be done during each work cycle.

Normal Time (NT)

The computation of mean observed time (MOT) multiplied by the performance rating factor (PRF) and the frequency of occurrence (F): $MOT \times PRF \times F$.

Allowance Factor (AF)

The amount of time added to normal time to account for personal time, fatigue, and unavoidable delays.

Standard Time Formula

$$\text{Normal Time} \times AF$$

Elemental Time Data

Standards established based on previously completed time studies stored in an organization’s database.

Predetermined Time Data (MTM)

Published databases of elemental time data, such as methods-time measurement, used for actions like reach, grasp, and move.

Work Sampling

A technique for estimating the proportion of time a worker or machine spends on a given activity through random observations.

Learning Curve Theory

The theory that the time required to complete a task decreases each additional time it is performed by the same employee.

Learning Curve Calculation

The formula $T \times L^n$ where $T$ is the initial time, $L$ is the rate of learning, and $n$ is the number of times the task has doubled.

Time-based Compensation

A system where pay is based on the number of hours worked.

Output-based (Incentive) Systems

A system where pay is based on the number of units completed.

Profit Sharing

A group incentive plan providing an employee bonus pool based on the sharing of company profits.

Gain Sharing

A group incentive plan that focuses on rewarding employees for cost reduction rather than overall profits.