Job design involves three steps:

Step 1: Specification of individual tasks

Step 2 : Method of performing each task.
STEP 3 : Combination of tasks into specific jobs to be assigned to
individuals.

Step 1 and 3 determined the content of the job while step 2 indicates
precisely how the job shall be performed.
The design of jobs has a critical impact on
organizations and employee objectives.
From the organizations perspective

• The way tasks and responsibilities are grouped can

affect productivity and costs.
• Jobs that are not satisfying or are too demanding a
difficult to field.
• Boring jobs may lead to a higher turnover.
For an employee perspective

• Motivation and job satisfaction are affected by the match

between job factor (content, qualifications and rewards)
and personal needs therefore, thoughtful design of jobs can
help both the organization and its employees achieve their
objectives.
• Poorly design jobs may lead to lower productivity,
employee turnover, complaints, sabotage, resignations and
other problems.
1.ORGANISATIONAL FACTORS
• Organizational factors include characteristics of task, work
flow, ergonomics and work practices.

• CHARACTERISTICS OF TASK – Job design requires

assembly of a number of tasks into a job or a group of jobs.
An individual may carry out one main task which consists
of a number of interrelated elements or function.
The internal structure of each task consists of three
elements
(i) Planning (deciding the course of action, timing, and the
resources required)
(ii) Executing (carrying out the plan)
(iii) Controlling (monitoring performance and taking
corrective action when required). The worker (or the group
of workers) having been given objectives in terms of output,
quality and cost targets, decides on how the work is to be
done, assembles the resources, performs the work, and
monitors output, quality and cost standards.
• WORK FLOW- The flow of work in an organization is strongly influenced
by the nature of the product or service. The product or service usually
suggests the sequence and balance between jobs if the work is to be
done efficiently.

• ERGONOMICS- Ergonomics is concerned with designing and shaping

jobs to fit the physical abilities and characteristics of individuals so that
they can perform their job effectively. Ergonomics help employers to
design jobs in such a way that worker’s physical abilities and job
demands are balanced.

• WORK PRACTICES- Work practices are set ways of performing work.

These methods may arise from tradition or the collective wishes of
employees. Either ways, the HR department’s flexibility to design jobs is
limited, especially when such practices are part of a union-management
relationship. Failure to consider work practices can have undesirable
outcomes.
2.ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
The external factors that have a bearing on job design are
employee abilities and availability, and social and cultural
expectations.

• EMPLOYEE ABILITIES AND AVAILABILITY- Efficiency

consideration must be balanced against the abilities and
availability of the people who are to do the work.
Considerable though must be given as to who will actually do
the work.

• SOCIAL AND CULTURAL EXPECTATION- Jobs are

nowadays becoming more employee centered rather than
process centered. They are therefore designed keeping the
employees into consideration. In addition the literacy level
among the employees is also on the rise. They now demand
jobs that are to their liking and competency and which they
can perform the best.
3.BEHAVIOURAL ELEMENTS
Behavioral factors have to do with human needs and the necessity to
satisfy them.

• FEEDBACK-Individuals must receive meaningful feedback about

their performance, preferably by evaluating their own
performance and defining the feedback. This implies that they
should ideally work on a complete product or on a significant part
of it.
• AUTONOMY- Autonomy is being responsible for what one does. It
is the freedom to control ones responses to the environment. Jobs
that give workers authority to make decisions will provide added
responsibilities, which tend to increase the employee’s sense of
recognition and self-esteem.

• USE OF ABLILTIES- The job must be perceived by individuals as

requiring them to use abilities they value in order to perform the
job effectively.
Work simplification, job rotation, job enlargement, job enrichment, autonomous
group working and high-performance work design are the popular techniques of
designing the jobs.
WORK SIMPLIFICATION
In this technique, the job is simplified or specialized. A given job is broken
down into small sub-parts and each part is assigned to one individual. To be
more specific, work simplification involves
(i) mechanical pacing of work,
(ii) repetitive work processes, such as those on an assembly line
(iii) working on one part of a product
(iv) predetermining tools and techniques
(v) restricted interaction among employees
(vi) few skill requirements.
Work simplification is done so that the less-trained and the less-paid
employees can do these jobs. But over simplification results in boredom with
attendant risks of errors and resignations.
JOB ROTATION
• With job rotation, a given employee performs different jobs, but,
more or less, jobs of the same nature. On the positive side, job
rotation is likely to increase intrinsic reward potential of a job
because of different skills and abilities needed to perform it. The
organization stands to benefit because workers become competent
in several jobs rather than only one. On the negative side, it may be
stated that job rotation may not have much impact on employee
enthusiasm and efficiency. The employee may feel alienated when
he/she is rotated from job to job.
Job enrichment is a common motivational technique used by organizations to give an
employee greater satisfaction in his work. It means giving an employee additional
responsibilities previously reserved for his manager or other higher-ranking
positions. In essence, an enriched job gives the employee more self-management in
his duties.
AUTONOMOUS OR SELF-DIRECTED TEAMS
• Empowerment results in self-directed work teams. A self-
directed work team is an intact group of employees who are
responsible for a ‘whole’ work process or segment that
delivers a product or service to an internal or external
customer.
• For successful self directed teams, an organization must select
skilled, self-driven people and make them aware of company’s
goals.
HIGH PERFORMANCE WORK DESIGN
It is a means of improving performance in an environment
where positive and demanding goals are set. It starts from the
principle of autonomous group working and develops an
approach which enables groups to work effectively together in
situations where the rate of innovation is high. Operational
flexibility is important and there is, therefore, the need for
employees to gain and apply new skills quickly with minimum
supervision. In most organization which are caught up in the
rigmarole of bureaucracy, such high-performance work design
doesn’t work.
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