Chapter 4

• There is no "one best way" to design jobs and structure organizations
• Organizations need to create a fit between

  • Environment
  • Competitive strategy
  • Philosophy and its jobs
  • Organizational design
• Failing to design effective organizations and jobs has important implications for competitiveness
• Work-flow analysis


  1. Understand all tasks required to produce high-quality products

  2. Understand the skills necessary to perform those tasks
• Work-flow analysis


  • Analyzing work outputs
  • Analyzing work processes
  • Analyzing work inputs
• Work outputs


  • Can be a product or service
  • Must specify standards for quantity or quality
• Work processes


  • Determine how output is generated (operating procedures)
  • Team-based job design
  • Efficiency experts can improve work-flow processes
  • Lean production
• Work inputs


  • Raw materials
  • Just-in-time inventory
  • Equipment
  • Technology improves human operators
  • Human skills
• Organization structure


  • Centralization
  • Departmentalization
• Structural configurations


  • Functional structure
  • Divisional structure
• Functional structure


  • High levels of centralization
  • Very efficient with little redundancy
• Divisional structure


  • Low levels of centralization
  • More flexible and innovative
  • Not efficient
• Divisional structures may not make decisions in the best interests of the company
• Functional structures can have a disconnect between perceived needs of front-line workers and management
• Functional structures are most appropriate in stable, predictable environments
• Jobs in functional structures

  Need to be narrow and highly specialized
• Managers of divisional structures


  Often need to be more experienced or high in cognitive ability relative to managers of functional structures
• Job analysis


  The process of determining the tasks, duties, and responsibilities (TDRs) of a job and the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics (KSAOs) required to perform the job
• Importance of job analysis

  • Work redesign
  • Human resource planning
  • Selection
  • Training and development
  • Performance appraisal
  • Career planning
  • Job evaluation
• Job descriptions


  Describe the tasks, duties, and responsibilities (TDRs) of a job
• Job specifications


  Describe the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics (KSAOs) required to perform a job
• Sources of job analysis information

  • Subject-matter experts
  • Job incumbent
  • Supervisors
  • Social networks
  • Customers
  • External job analysts
• Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ)


  Collects information on: information input, mental processes, work output, relationships with other persons, job context, and other characteristics
• Occupational Information Network (O*NET)


  Uses a common language to describe abilities, work styles, work activities, and work context required for various occupations
• Jobs change and evolve over time, so the job analysis process must also detect changes in the nature of jobs
• "Jobs" are being replaced by "gigs" where workers act as private contractors
• Job design


  The process of defining how work will be performed and tasks required in a given job
• Four basic approaches to job design

  • Mechanistic approach
  • Motivational approach
  • Biological approach
  • Perceptual-motor approach
• Mechanistic approach


  • Identify the simplest way to structure work to maximize efficiency
  • Scientific management
  • Monetary incentives
  • Reduces need for high-ability individuals
• Motivational approach


  • Focuses on the psychological and motivational potential of a job
  • Attitudinal variables are most important
  • Job Characteristics Model: skill variety, task identity, autonomy, feedback, task significance
  • Job gentrification
• Biological approach


  • Goal is to minimize physical strain by structuring the physical work environment around how the body works
  • Also called ergonomics
  • Applied to redesigning equipment for physically demanding jobs
  • Has positive psychological effects
• Perceptual-motor approach


  • Design jobs that don't exceed people's mental capabilities and limitations
  • Based on least capable worker
  • Information overload can detract from performance
  • Absence presence results when interacting with multiple media