An Integral Part Of Human Resource Development: Job designing.

An Integral Part Of Human Resource Development: Job designing.
                       C:\Users\USER\Desktop\MBA Blogs\HRM AND THE DESIGN OF WORK\Figure - 01.jpg Job design is the process of organizing work as group of tasks, arranging and defining the job process and structure at the workplace depending on the job analysis performed. The job design takes into account the organizational objectives to be achieved along with trying to minimize on–the-job fatigue, stress and human error. 
According to Armstrong (2011),Job design is the process of deciding on the contents of a job in terms of its duties and responsibilities, on the methods to be used in carrying out the job, in terms of techniques, systems and procedures, and on the relationships that should exist between the job holder and his superior subordinates and colleagues.

Job designing sequence is as follows:C:\Users\USER\Desktop\MBA Blogs\HRM AND THE DESIGN OF WORK\Figure - 02.jpg
What tasks are required to be done or what tasks is part of the job?
How are the tasks performed?
What amount are tasks are required to be done?              
What is the sequence of performing these tasks?

Benefits of Job Design
The following are the benefits of a good job design:
Employee Input: A good job design enables a good job feedback. Employees have the option to vary tasks as per their personal and social needs, habits and circumstances in the workplace.
Employee Training: Training is an integral part of job design. Contrary to the philosophy of “leave them alone’ job design lays due emphasis on training people so that are well aware of what their job demands and how it is to be done.
Work / Rest Schedules: Job design offers good work and rest schedule by clearly defining the number of hours an individual has to spend in his/her job.
Adjustments: A good job designs allows for adjustments for physically demanding jobs by minimizing the energy spent doing the job and by aligning the manpower requirements for the same.

Approaches to Job Design

 

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Issues in Job Design

Following diagram will shows main issues in Job designing
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Factors affecting Job Design

A well-defined job will make the job interesting and satisfying for the employee. The result is increased performance and productivity.
  1. Organizational Factors
Organizational factors that affect job design can be work nature or characteristics, work flow, organizational practices and ergonomics.
Work Nature: There are various elements of a job and job design is required to classify various tasks into a job or a coherent set of jobs. The various tasks may be planning, executing, monitoring, controlling etc and all these are to be taken into consideration while designing a job.
Ergonomics: Ergonomics aims at designing jobs in such a way that the physical abilities and individual traits of employees are taken into consideration so as to ensure efficiency and productivity.
Workflow: Product and service type often determines the sequence of work flow. A balance is required between various product or service processes and a job design ensures this.
Culture: Organizational culture determines the way tasks are carried out at the work places. Practices are methods or standards laid out for carrying out a certain task. These practices often affect the job design especially when the practices are not aligned to the interests of the unions.
  1. Environmental Factors
Environmental factors affect the job design to a considerable extent. These factors include both the internal as well as external factors. They include factors like employee skills and abilities, their availability, and their socio economic and cultural prospects.
Employee availability and abilities: Employee skills, abilities and time of availability play a crucial role while designing of the jobs. The above mentioned factors of employees who will actually perform the job are taken into consideration. Designing job that is more demanding and above their skill set will lead to decreased productivity and employee satisfaction.
Socio economic and cultural expectations: 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.
  1. Behavioural Factors
Behavioural factors or human factors are those that pertain to the human need and that need to be satisfied for ensuring productivity at workplace. They include the elements like autonomy, diversity, feedback etc. A brief explanation of some is given below:
Autonomy: Employees should work in an open environment rather than one that contains fear. It promotes creativity, independence and leads to increased efficiency.
Feedback: Feedback should be an integral part of work. Each employee should receive proper feedback about his work performance.
Diversity: Repetitive jobs often make work monotonous which leads to boredom. A job should carry sufficient diversity and variety so that it remains as interesting with every passing day. Job variety / diversity should be given due importance while designing a job.
Use of Skills and abilities: Jobs should be employee rather than process centered. Though due emphasis needs to be given to the latter but jobs should be designed in a manner such that an employee is able to make full use of his abilities and perform the job effectively.

Job Design Methods

 C:\Users\USER\Desktop\MBA Blogs\HRM AND THE DESIGN OF WORK\figure 5.5.5.jpg
 The main job design methods are mentioned as below:
1. Job Rotation: This method of job design, known as job rotation, is where employees of an organization as exposed to several different roles & profiles across the company. Employees are rotated across various job profiles and the best-suited roles are identified.
2. Job Simplification: Job design method based on complexity of work can be understood by job simplification. This involves identifying mechanical processes, repetitive work, one-product development, tools & skills required.
3. Job Enlargement: The job design method of job enlargement adds more tasks & value to an existing job profile. Apart from the basic skills & abilities required to do the basic work, job enlargement offers more tasks to be performed to the employee
4. Job Enrichment: Job enrichment method of job design looks at enriching the work of the employee by adding more responsibility, value and decision-making powers. This enriches an individual not only professionally but also adds to personal development.

 

Advantages of effective Job Design

Job design is made to essentially understand the tasks & duties to be done by an employee and how he/she can grow at a professional as well as a personal level. Some advantages of job design are:
1. Job design helps create a job profile which can motivate the employees at work place and reduce dissatisfaction.
2. This ensures that the job is simplified or broken down to employees, especially for those who have limited skills and are lesser learned.
3. Effective job design can expose the employees to a wider set of roles and help them understand the best role suited to them.
4. Job enrichment method of design ensures more value addition & decision-making power, which ensures personal as well as professional growth.
5. Job design also sees what training and development is required for employees to increase employee productivity.
6. It can help understand the employee output, efficiency, work-load and the number of hours required for work vs rest.

 

Disadvantages of Job Design

There are some issues or drawbacks of job designs as well based on the techniques used:
1. Job simplification method of job design can lead to monotonous work and boredom.
2. Job design by enrichment gives too much control too senior employees which can lead to poor results or conflicts with lower staff.
3. Job design by rotation can affect the flow of work & hamper the quality of output.
4. Enlargement can cause employees to lose focus on core competencies.

References:
https://www.apsc.gov.au/job-analysis-and-design

Image sources:
Figure 02: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com
Figure -03: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com
Figure -04: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com

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