Organization Development and Change

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

2. Learning Objectivesfor 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 Cummings & Worley, 8e (c)2005 Thomson/South-Western

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 Cummings & Worley, 8e (c)2005 Thomson/South-Western

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 Cummings & Worley, 8e (c)2005 Thomson/South-Western

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

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 Cummings & Worley, 8e (c)2005 Thomson/South-Western

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

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 Cummings & Worley, 8e (c)2005 Thomson/South-Western

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

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? Cummings & Worley, 8e (c)2005 Thomson/South-Western

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 Cummings & Worley, 8e (c)2005 Thomson/South-Western

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

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

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 Cummings & Worley, 8e (c)2005 Thomson/South-Western

15. Designing Work forTechnical 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. Cummings & Worley, 8e (c)2005 Thomson/South-Western

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

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