Design of Work Systems

Learning Objectives
• Explain the importance of work design and the
relationship between Job design and
production planning.
• Explain the purpose of methods analysis and
describe how methods studies are performed.
• describe how to use motion study for job
design.
• Discuss the impact of working conditions on
job design.
What is the relationship between Job
design and production planning?
 Job Design

• Job design involves specifying the

content and methods of job
– What will be done
– Who will do the job
– How the job will be done
– Where the job will be done
– Ergonomics: Incorporation of human
factors in the design of the workplace
 Ergonomics

Ergonomics is the science of designing the job, equipment, and workplace to

fit the worker. Proper ergonomic design is necessary to prevent repetitive strain
injuries, which can develop over time and can lead to long-term disability.
 Design of Work Systems
• Specialization
• Behavioral Approaches to Job Design (Job
expansion)
• Teams
• Psychological components (Motivation-
Trust-Incentive system)
• Methods Analysis
– Motions Study
• Working conditions
 Specialization
Specialization:
The main reason for specialization is the
ability to concentrate one’s efforts and
thereby become proficient at that type of
work.
e.g. College professors often specialize in
teaching certain courses, some auto
mechanics specialize in transmission
repair.
Specialization in Business: Advantages

For Management: For Labor:

1. Simplifies training 1. Low education and
skill requirements
2. High productivity
2. Minimum
3. Low wage costs
responsibilities
3. Little mental effort
needed
 Disadvantages
ForManagement: ForLabor:
1. Difficult to motivate 1. Monotonous work
quality 2. Limited opportunities
2. Worker dissatisfaction, for advancement
possibly resulting in 3. Little control over work
absenteeism, high
4. Little opportunity for
turnover, disruptive
self-fulfillment
tactics, poor attention
to quality
Behavioral Approaches to Job
Design

• Job Enlargement
– Giving a worker a larger portion of the
total task by horizontal loading
• Job Rotation
– Workers periodically exchange jobs
• Job Enrichment
– Increasing responsibility for planning and
coordination tasks, by vertical loading
 Job Enlargement/Enrichment

Enriched job
Planning
(Participate in a cross-
function quality
improvement team)

Enlarged job
Task #3 Present job Task #2
(Lock printed circuit (Manually insert and (Adhere labels
board into fixture for solder six resistors) to printed
next operation) circuit board)

Control
(Test circuits after
assembly)
 Teams
• Benefits of teams
– Higher quality
– Higher productivity
– Greater worker satisfaction
• Self-directed teams
– Groups of empowered to make certain
changes in their work process
 Self-Directed Teams
 Group of empowered individuals
working together to reach a
common goal
 May be organized for long-term or
short-term objectives
 Effective because
 Provide employee empowerment
 Ensure core job characteristics
 Meet individual psychological needs
 Self-Directed Teams

To maximize effectiveness, managers should

 Ensure those who have legitimate
contributions are on the team
 Provide management support
 Ensure the necessary training
 Endorse clear objectives and goals
 Financial and non-financial rewards
 Supervisors must release control
 Benefits of Teams and
Expanded Job Designs
 Improved quality of work life
 Improved job satisfaction
 Increased motivation
 Allows employees to accept more
responsibility
 Improved productivity and quality
 Reduced turnover and absenteeism
Limitations of Job Expansion

1. Higher capital cost

2. Individuals may prefer simple jobs
3. Higher wages rates for greater skills
4. Smaller labor pool
5. Higher training costs
 Job Design Continuum

Self-directed
teams
Increasing
Empowerment reliance on
employee’s
Enrichment contribution
and
Enlargement
increasing
responsibility
Specialization accepted by
employee

Job expansion
 Motivation and Incentive
Systems

 Bonuses - cash or stock options

 Profit-sharing - profits for distribution to
employees
 Gain sharing - rewards for improvements
 Incentive plans - typically based on
production rates
 Knowledge-based systems - reward for
knowledge or skills
 Motivation and Trust
• Motivation
– Influences quality and productivity
– Contributes to work environment
• Trust
– Influences productivity and employee-
management relations
Methods Analysis
 Rusty Wallace’s NASCAR
Racing Team
 NASCAR racing became very
popular in the 1990s with huge
sponsorship and prize money
 High performance pit crews are a
key element of a successful race
team
 Pit crew members can earn
$100,000 per year – for changing
tires!
 Rusty Wallace’s NASCAR
Racing Team

 Each position has very specific

work standards
 Pit crews are highly organized
and go though rigorous physical
training
 Pit stops are videotaped to look
for improvements
 Methods Analysis
 Focuses on how task is performed
 Analyzing how a job gets done
 Begins with overall analysis
 Moves to specific details

 Used to analyze
1. Movement of individuals or material
 Flow diagrams and process charts
2. Activities of human and machine and
crew activity
 Activity charts
3. Body movement
 Micro-motion charts
Methods Analysis Procedure
1.Identify the operation to be
studied
2.Get employee input
3.Study and document current
method
4.Analyze the job
5.Propose new methods
6.Install new methods
7.Follow-up to ensure improvements
have been achieved
 Selecting an Operation
• Selecting a job to study consider:
– High labor content
– Done frequently
– Unsafe
– Tiring
– Unpleasant
– Noisy
– Designated problem (e.g. quality problems,
processing bottleneck)
 Analyzing the Job
Job analysis requires thought about “what, why, when, where,
and who of the job”.

•Flow process chart

– Chart used to examine the overall sequence of an
operation by focusing on movements of the
operator or flow of materials (it can be used to
indentify nonproductive parts; e.g. delays,
temporary storages)
•Worker-machine chart
– Chart used to determine portions of a work cycle
during which an operator and equipment are busy
or idle
FLOW PROCESS CHART ANALYST PAGE
Job Requisition of petty cash D. Kolb 1 of 2

Details of Method
Requisition made by department head
Put in “pick-up” basket
To accounting department
Account and signature verified
Amount approved by treasurer
Amount counted by cashier
Amount recorded by bookkeeper
Petty cash sealed in envelope
Petty cash carried to department
Petty cash checked against requisition
Receipt signed
Petty cash stored in safety box
 Flow Diagram

Welding

From
Storage bins
press
mach. Paint
shop
Mach. 3 Mach. 4
Machine 1

Mach. 2
Flow Diagram

Machine 4 Welding
Machine 3
Paint
Machine 2 shop
Machine 1
From
press Storage
mach. bins
Process
Chart
Activity Chart
Operation Chart
 Current New Diff
Flow Chart Operation
Title:
Transportation
Storage
Dept.:
Delay

Analyst: Inspection
Distance or Time
Distance Time Symbols Activities
 Motion Study

Motion study is the systematic

study of the human motions used
to perform an operation.
 Motion Study Techniques
• Motion study principles - guidelines for
designing motion-efficient work procedures
• Analysis of therbligs (เทอร ์บลิก) - basic
elemental motions into which a job can be
broken down
• Micromotion study - use of motion pictures
and slow motion to study motions that
otherwise would be too rapid to analyze
• Charts
• Therbligs
 Developing Work Methods
1. Eliminate unnecessary motions
2. Combine activities
3. Reduce fatigue
4. Improve the arrangement of the
workplace
5. Improve the design of tools and
equipment
 Therbligs
• Therbligs: Basic elemental motions that
make up a job.
– Search
– Select
– Grasp
– Hold
– Transport load
– Release load
 Current New Diff
SIMO CHART Operation
Title:
Transportation
Storage
Dept.:
Delay

Analyst: Inspection
Distance or Time
Time left hand Symbols Right hand
 Working Conditions
Temperature & Ventilation
Humidity

Illumination Color
 Working Conditions (cont’d)
Noise & Vibration Work Breaks

Safety Causes of Accidents

 Compensation
• Time-based system
– Compensation based on time an
employee has worked during a pay period
• Output-based (incentive) system
– Compensation based on the amount of
output an employee produces during a
pay period