PSY 3113 Chapter 6

Job Design

Job Design

how organizations define and structure jobs

Job Specialization

Breaking jobs down into small component tasks and standardizing them across all workers doing those jobs

Job rotation

involves systematically shifting workers from one job to another to sustain their motivation and interest

Job enlargement (Horizontal Job Loading)

is expanding a worker's job to include tasks previously performed by other workers

Job Enrichment (Vertical Job Loading)

Entails giving workers more tasks to perform and more control over how to perform them

Job Characteristics Theory

Uses five motivational properties of tasks and three critical

psychological states to improve outcomes

Experienced meaningfulness of the work

Experienced responsibility for work outcomes\

Knowledge of results

The three critical psychological states are?

Experienced meaningfulness of the work

the degree to which the individual experiences the job as generally meaningful, valuable, and worthwhile

Experienced responsibility for work outcomes

the degree to which individuals feel personally accountable and responsible for the results of their work

Knowledge of results

the degree to which individuals continuously understand how effectively they are performing the job

Skill variety

the degree to which the job requires a variety of activities that involve different skills and talents

Skill variety

Task identity

Task significance

Autonomy

Feedback

5 characteristics of the job or core job dimensions

Task identity

the degree to which the job requires completion of a "whole" and an identifiable piece of work; that is, the extent to which a job has a beginning and an end with a tangible outcome

Task significance

the degree to which the job affects the lives or work of other people, both in the immediate organization and in the external environment

Autonomy

the degree to which the job allows the individual substantial freedom, independence, and discretion to schedule the work and determine the procedures for carrying it out

Feedback

the degree to which the job activities give the individual direct and clear information about the effectiveness of his or her performance

Skill variety

Task identity

Task significance

Core Job Dimensions associated with Experienced Meaningfulness of work (3)

Autonomy

Core Job Dimensions associated with Experienced Responsibility for Outcomes of the work (1)

Feedback

Core Job Dimensions associated with Knowledge of the actual results of work activities (1)

Participation

occurs when employees have a voice in decisions about their own work

Empowerment

the process of enabling workers to set their own work goals, make decisions, and solve problems within their spheres of responsibility and authority

Compressed Work Schedule

Work schedule in which employees work a full forty-hour week in fewer than the traditional five days

Job Sharing

Two or more part-time employees sharing one full-time job

Extended Work Schedule

Work schedule that requires relatively long periods of work followed by relatively long periods of paid time off

Flexible Work Schedules (or flextime)

Give employees more personal control over the hours they work each day

Telecommuting

Work arrangement in which employees spend part of their time working off-site

Goal

A desirable objective

Goal Difficulty

The extent to which a goal is challenging and requires effort

Goal Specificity

The clarity and precision of a goal

Goal acceptance

is the extent to which a person accepts a goal as his or her own.

Goal commitment

is the extent to which he or she is personally interested in reaching the goal.

Management By Objectives (MBO)

A collaborative goal-setting process through which organizational goals cascade down throughout the organization

Performance Appraisal

The process of assessing and evaluating an employee's work behaviors by measurement

360-degree Feedback

A performance appraisal method in which employees receive performance feedback from those on all sides of

them in the organization

Balanced Scorecard or BSC

A relatively structured performance management technique

that identifies financial and nonfinancial performance measures and organizes them into a single model

Reward System

All organizational components, including people, processes, rules and procedures, and decision-making activities, involved in allocating compensation and benefits to employees in exchange for their contributions to the organization

Surface value

is its objective meaning or worth

Symbolic value

Subjective and personal meaning or worth of a reward

Compensation Package

The total array of money (wages, salary, commissions), incentives, benefits, perquisites, and awards provided by

an organization to an individual

Incentive systems

Plans in which employees can earn additional compensation in return for certain types of performance

Piecework programs

which tie a worker's earnings to the number of units

produced

Gain-sharing programs

which grant additional earnings to employees or workgroups for cost-reduction ideas

Bonus systems

which provide managers with lump-sum payments from a special fund based on the financial performance of the organization or a unit

Long-term compensation

which gives managers additional income based on stock price performance, earnings per share, or return on equity

Merit pay plans

which base pay raises on the employee's performance

Profit-sharing plans

which distribute a portion of the firm's profits to all employees at a predetermined rate

Employee stock option plans

which set aside stock in the company for employees to purchase at a reduced rate

Indirect compensation

Employee benefits provided as a form of compensation

Payment for time not worked, both on and off the job

On-the-job free time includes lunch, rest, coffee brakes, and wash-up or get-ready time. Off-the-job time not worked includes vacation, sick leave, holidays, and personal days.

Social Security contributions

The employer contributes half the money paid into the system established under the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (PICA). The employee pays the other half.

Unemployment compensation

People who have lost their jobs or are temporarily laid off get a percentage of their wages from an insurance-like program.

Disability and workers' compensation benefits

Employers contribute funds

to help workers who cannot work due to occupational injury or ailment.

Life and health insurance programs

Most organizations offer insurance at a

cost far below what individuals would pay to buy insurance on their own.

Pension or retirement plans

Most organizations offer plans to provide supplementary income to employees after they retire.

Perquisites

Special privileges awarded to selected members of an

organization, usually top managers

Flexible Reward System

Allows employees to choose the combination of benefits that best suits their needs