Quality of working life

1. Quality of working life Chapter 15

2. Objectives After reading this chapter you should know • The concepts of quality of working life in industrialised as well as developing countries ion the world • Worker’s participation in management in general and particularly in India and its effectiveness • The concept of Organisation Development (OD) and its components

3. Objectives cont.. • Job design, job redesign in India and its effect • The concept of workers welfare and its kinds • Concepts of quality circles (QC) in India and its effectiveness

4. Quality of Working Life (QWL) • A process of work organisations which enables its members at all levels to actively participate in shaping the organization, environment, methods and outcomes.

5. What makes QWL Walton (1975) gave eight conceptual categories that make up QWL • Adequate and fair compensation • Safe and healthy working conditions • Immediate opportunity to use and develop human capacities • Opportunity for continues growth and securty

6. What makes QWL cont.. • Social integration in the work organization • Constitutionalisation in the work organization • Work and total life space • The social relevance of work life

7. Basic Principles of QWL Herrick and Maccoby (1975) gave four basic principles of humanisation of work: • The principle of Security • The Principle of Equity • The Principle of Individualisation • The Principle of Democracy

8. Reasons for starting of QWL in India • Profile of Indian worker has changed • Growing emphasis on significance of human resources in India • Growing workforce in organised sector in India • Growing body of knowledge in human behaviour

9. Workers’ Participation • It is a way of reducing power differences between workers and the management

10. Workers’ Participation cont.. Golembiewski (1965) suggests that participation involves the following : • The amount of verbal interaction between supervisor and subordinate • The degree to which a supervisor performs his role in a group centred way • The degree to which a supervisor is active in making decisions and setting goals for his work units

11. Workers’ Participation cont.. Mhetras (1966) has suggested the following five levels of Participation • Informative Participation • Consultative Participation • Associative Participation • Administrative Participation • Decisive Participation

12. Interest of management in WP Interest in workers’ participation in management stems fro three basic problems: • Power sharing between manager and those that they manage • Reduction in conflict by encouraging effective cooperation between workers and managers • The personal involvement of workers in their tasks and work situations

13. Worker’s Participation in India • Dates back to 1920s • Ahmedabad textile industry • Article 43A of constitution of India directs the states: • “To take steps to ensure suitable legislation or in any other way, to secure participation of worker in the management of undertakings establishments or any other organisations engaged in any industry” • Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 article 3(i)

14. WP in Public Sector The following functions are covered under the participation arrangement (Gazette of India, 1985) • Shop Floor • Plant Level • Operational areas • Economic and financial areas • Personnel matters • Welfare areas • Environmental areas • Board Level

15. Joint Consultation at TISCO The following objectives have been worked out: • To provide channels for regular exchange of ideas between management and employees • To enable employees to appreciate their role in their work life • To demonstrate more clearly to all those engaged in the organization the areas in which management and workers have common interest • To satisfy the urge for self expression and develop the personality of the workers

16. Effectiveness of Workers’ Participation Saiyadain (1977) has indicated the following reasons for failure of Workers’ participation in India • Lack of interest shown by employers • Role conflict experienced by the representatives • Role boundaries of many of the committees simultaneously working in the organization are not clearly delineated

17. Effectiveness of Workers’ Participation Saiyadain (1977) highlights some of the parameters of effective participation The degree of effectiveness in participation depends on : • the degree to which it meets the motives of the representatives • Clarity of objectives • Previous settlement on relatively complex issues

18. Effectiveness of Workers’ Participation • the visibility of participation • the urgency of decision • Number of levels involved in decision making • Availability of useful information to the committee

19. Organization Development A long range efforts to improve an organization’s problem solving and renewal process, particularly though a more effective and collaborative management of organization culture- with special emphasis on the culture of formal work teams- with the assistance of a change agent or catalyst, and the use of the theory and technology of applied behavioural science, including action research French and Bell (1978)

20. Organization Development OD as a process involves the following: • Problem solving • Renewal process • Culture • Collaborative management • A change agent or catalyst • Action research

21. Components of OD Programme • Diagnosis • Examination and appreciation of the state of affairs in the system • Intervention • Activities of change agents and members of the system which are initiated to bring about change • Process Maintenance • All activities which are designed to maintain and see that the OD intervention achieves their task/goals • Job Redesign

22. Job Redesign A number of exercises broadly can be introduced depending on the diagnosis of the system like: • Job enlargement • horizontal • vertical • Job Rotation • Systematically moving employees from one job to another • Job Enrichment • Process of making job more interesting

23. OD effectiveness in India Lytle (1975) lists the following gains from job redesign: • Employee’s commitment to high production and high quality, lowered costs • Increased opportunities for employee to gain satisfaction, growth and enjoyment • Reduced absenteeism and turnover • Open flow of ideas on methods, equipment, processes, etc. • Effective handling of plant discipline, increased self discipline • Greater openness to change on the part of employees • Increased opportunity supervisors to manage rather than provide detailed direction

24. Workers’ Welfare • Statutory Welfare • The Factories Act, 1948 • The Employee State Insurance Act, 1948 • The Workmen’s Compensation Act, 1923 • Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 • The Induatrial Disputes Act, 1947 • Employee Provident Fund Act, 1952 • Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972 • Voluntary Welfare

25. Quality Circles • Japanese concept • Small group of five to ten workers voluntarily performing quality activities within the workshop to which they belong Ishikawa (1984)

26. Quality Circles • QC are a group of volunteers from the same work areas who meet regularly to identify, analyse, and solve quality and related problems in their area of responsibility Munchus (1983)

27. Elements in Quality Circles • Group effort • Volunteer participation • Efforts directed at improving quality • Frequent meetings • Represent a cross section of age, sex and positions • Concern is to find ways and means to improve quality

28. Objectives of QC • Contribution to the improvement and development of the organization • Develop respect for human relation and induce job satisfaction • Deploy human capabilities to the fullest extent and draw out their infinite potential

29. Effectiveness of Quality Circles The success of QC’s depends on the following factors: • Participation must be voluntary • The members must be thoroughly trained • Members should have full freedom to choose any problem • Opportunities to meet frequently should be allowed • Management must be willing to go through the slow task of changing