Oc 6440 work design

1. Organization Development and Change
Thomas G. Cummings
Christopher G. Worley
Work Design

2. Cummings & Worley, 8e
(c)2005 Thomson/South-Western
16-2
Learning Objectives
for Chapter Sixteen
• To explore work design as a central
component of many EI interventions
• To approach work design from three
different perspectives: engineering,
motivational, and socio-technical
• To understand how different approaches
align with different technical and social
conditions

3. Cummings & Worley, 8e
(c)2005 Thomson/South-Western
16-3
Work Design Approaches
• Engineering: Traditional Jobs & Groups
– High specification and routinization
– Low task variety and autonomy
• Motivational: Enriched Jobs
– High task variety and autonomy
– Feedback of results
• Sociotechnical: Self-Managing Teams
– Control over total task
– Multi-skilled, flexible, and self-regulating

4. Cummings & Worley, 8e
(c)2005 Thomson/South-Western
16-4
Traditional Jobs & Workgroups
• Based on Scientific Management
– Highly specified behaviors
– Narrow range of skills
– Low levels of authority and discretion
– Highly repetitive
• Benefits
– Low selection and training costs
– High productivity
– High levels of control

5. Cummings & Worley, 8e
(c)2005 Thomson/South-Western
16-5
Enriched Jobs
Core Job
Characteristics
Critical
Psychological
States
Outcomes
Skill variety
Task identity
Task significance
Autonomy
Feedback from
work
Experienced
Meaningfulness
of the Work
Experienced
Responsibility
Knowledge of
Actual Results
• Hi internal
work motivation
• Hi growth
satisfaction
• Hi job
satisfaction
• Hi work
effectiveness
Moderators

6. Cummings & Worley, 8e
(c)2005 Thomson/South-Western
16-6
Core Job Dimensions
• Skill Variety - extent to which multiple skills
are used
• Task Identity - extent to which an individual
works on a “whole” task
• Task Significance - impact of the work on
others
• Autonomy - amount of discretion in the work
• Feedback from the Work Itself - extent to
which work provides information on
effectiveness

7. Cummings & Worley, 8e
(c)2005 Thomson/South-Western
16-7
Job Enrichment
Application Stages
• Perform a thorough diagnosis
• Form natural work units
• Combine tasks
• Establish client relationships
• Vertical loading
• Opening feedback channels

8. Cummings & Worley, 8e
(c)2005 Thomson/South-Western
16-8
Sociotechnical Systems Approach
• Sociotechnical systems (STS) theory is
based on two basic ideas:
– An organization or work unit is a combined,
social-plus-technical system (sociotechnical)
– The system is open in relation to their
environment and must interact with their
environments to survive and develop
• Self-managed work teams is the most
prevalent application of STS

9. Cummings & Worley, 8e
(c)2005 Thomson/South-Western
16-9
Sociotechnical
Systems Diagnosis
• Define the Work System
• Conduct an Environmental Analysis
• Conduct a Technical Analysis
• Conduct a Social Analysis

10. Cummings & Worley, 8e
(c)2005 Thomson/South-Western
16-10
Sociotechnical
Systems Design
• Can work system be designed to better fit
with the environment?
• Can work system be designed to better
operate conversion process and control
variances?
• Can work system be designed to better
satisfy members’ needs?

11. Cummings & Worley, 8e
(c)2005 Thomson/South-Western
16-11
Team Task Design &
Development
• Whole and interdependent tasks
• Common mission and goals
• Requisite multi-skills
• Task and boundary control
• Feedback of results
• Minimum specification design
• Develop from narrow to broad boundaries for
discretion

12. Cummings & Worley, 8e
(c)2005 Thomson/South-Western
16-12
Team Process Intervention
• Promoting healthy interpersonal
relationships
• Coordinating efforts
• Weighting member inputs and sharing
knowledge
• Making good decisions
• Confronting and resolving conflicts

13. Cummings & Worley, 8e
(c)2005 Thomson/South-Western
16-13
Organization Support Systems
• Performance management systems
• Training systems
• Information systems
• Selection systems
• Management systems

14. Cummings & Worley, 8e
(c)2005 Thomson/South-Western
16-14
Self Managed Teams
Application Stages
• Sanction the design effort
• Diagnose the work system
• Generate appropriate designs
• Specify support systems
• Implement and evaluate the work design
• Continual change and improvement

15. Cummings & Worley, 8e
(c)2005 Thomson/South-Western
16-15
Designing Work for
Technical and Personal
• Technical Factors
– Technical interdependence: the extent to which
cooperation among workers is required
– Technical Uncertainty: the amount of information
processing and decision making among workers
necessary to do the work
• Personal Need Factors
– Social Needs: the desire for significant social
relationships
– Growth Needs: the desire for personal accomplishment,
learning, and development.

16. Cummings & Worley, 8e
(c)2005 Thomson/South-Western
16-16
Work Designs That
Optimize Technology
Low Technical Interdependence High
HighTechnicalUncertaintyLow
Self-Regulating
Work Groups
Traditional
Work Groups
Traditional
Job Design
Enriched Jobs

17. Cummings & Worley, 8e
(c)2005 Thomson/South-Western
16-17
Work Designs that
Optimize Personal Needs
Low Social Needs High
HighGrowthNeedsLow
Self-Regulating
Work Groups
Enriched Jobs
Traditional
Job Design
Traditional
Work Groups