Organizational Behavior 2024 Past Paper PDF

Topic 4 Job Design Weeks 9.1-10.1 Organizational Behavior 2024 Session 9.1 Job design  Announcements of week 9 Topic 4 (Job design) starts today We may need to adjust the calendar because Topic 4 will probably extend beyond...

Topic 4 Job Design Weeks 9.1-10.1 Organizational Behavior 2024 Session 9.1 Job design  Announcements of week 9 Topic 4 (Job design) starts today We may need to adjust the calendar because Topic 4 will probably extend beyond week 9. Second and last midterm test will be during Session 14.2 (Wednesday 18/12/23 -last day of class) 10-20-30 rule applies; Additional facts to be communicated in due course Recitation will be on Tuesday 17/12/24 (session 14.1) Date of the final exam is posted on the university website – The event will be held in the “Aula Magna” – Note that you will need your computer also for the final exam – Let us know!  Agenda of session 9.1 Midterm 1: Recap Topic 4: Job Design (Part I) – A change in perspective – What is Job Design? – Why the interest? – How do jobs differ? – Comparing jobs – The job characteristics model (Hackman and Oldham) – Getting ready for session 9.2  Question Expectancy theory of motivation 5  Question Expectancy theory of motivation 6  Managing Expectancy, Instrumentality, and Valence Expectancy Instrumentality Valence Make sure employees Reward employee Find rewards that are have proper skills, performance desirable to abilities, and knowledge Inform people in employees Ensure that the advance about the Make sure that environment facilitates rewards rewards are viewed as performance Try to eliminate non- fair Encourage employees performance influence Give employees choice so they believe their over rewards over rewards effort makes a difference Effort Performance Rewards Improve the ability of individuals to perform Make sure that rewards are (and their self-efficacy) personally meaningful Increase the individual belief that individual performance will lead to reward Table 5.3 overview textbook (p.167) From overview textbook (page 167) 8  OB_24 : Where we stand now (from week 1) T1 Introduction Individual Team Multiple teams T2 T4 Individual Job design differences T6 T5 Social identities in T3 Teams and organizations Motivation units  T 4 - Job Design: A change in perspective In our discussion about motivation so far, we have asked: – What motivates you (and how) to accept (or keep) a job? Now we ask: – How does your job (or – as the case may well be – fail to) motivate you? – But how can your job possibly affect your motivation? This is the question that job design and analysis are trying to address  Job design A “job” is a process through which tasks, duties, responsibilities are grouped, connected and coordinated within organizations ; – Example: University of Cambridge (UK) P&P Job design is the process of determining the specific tasks, duties and responsibilities to be carried out by each member of the organization Jobs that are functionally equivalent in terms of input-output components, may be “designed” very differently and hence have very different motivational properties. Job analysis is the process through which job design is evaluated and used for: – Integration and coordination of the workforce in organizational planning – Recruitment, selection and placement – Transfer and promotions – Training programs – Wage determination and administration – Settlement of grievances – Measuring productivity improvements  Job design: Why the interest? (From our textbook) Many assume the most important motivator at work is pay. Yet, studies point to job design as the primary influence over worker motivation How a job is designed has a major impact on employee motivation, job satisfaction, well-being, commitment to an organization, absenteeism, and turnover. This suggests that the way jobs are designed may have a huge impact on individual motivation The job characteristics models was derived to provide a principled framework to identify how elements of jobs affect motivation  Jobs differ Serra Pelada Gold Mine, Brazil (Sebastião Salgado) Japan,Tokyo Stock Exchange 13  What are the main dimensions (job characteristics) along which jobs differ? Jobs differ (but how?) Jobs that are nominally similar (because they Medical doctor in a public university polyclinic require similar skills) may differ widely in and a private specialist clinic; their basic organizational characteristics Inventory manager in a large supermarket and small specially food shop; Even functionally similar (or even identical) Pilot in an international budget airline and in a jobs may be substantively different in terms company providing private intercontinental of how they are organized, designed and travel services; executed (and rewarded and controlled) For example.. Professional accountant working for an auditing company, and corporate accountant working in This variation has implications for how a manufacturing company. individuals “understand” and “interpret” Cook in fast food joint and chef in fine dining their job restaurants; Indiustrial researcher in a pharmaceutical Ultimately differences in job characteristics company and academic researcher working in a have implications for the relation that chemistry department of a university individuals establish with their jobs – and hence for their individual and social identities  The need for a closer look How do jobs differ and what do these differences do? Consider, for example....  How do these two jobs differ? 3’;10’’ 3’;06’’ BBC Reel 3’;14’’ The future of food The long story 15’;30’’  Job characteristics: similarities and differences How do the jobs of a chef in 3-star Michelin restaurant chef and the job of a short order cook differ? https://www.menti.com/alio31tkpzdb OB_24 OB_24 Job characteristics: skills, tasks, meaning and performance These jobs are the same – at a surface level We need to take a closer look at specific characteristics of these jobs to understand their differences More specifically, we need to examine, the kind of skills that they require, the different tasks that these jobs involve – and the meaning they assume for the people performing them In other words, we need to understand how these jobs are (could be) designed to understand how they are performed. The job characteristics model (Hackman and Oldham) Job characteristics Psychological states Mediators Mediators Outcomes Outcomes Designing motivating jobs: Key elements and moderators Core job characteristics – Skill variety. Degree to which a job requires a variety of different activities and involves the use of a number of different skills and talents of the individual. – Task identity. Degree to which the job requires the completion of a “whole” and identifiable piece of work; one that involves doing a job from beginning to end with a visible outcome – Task significance. Degree to which the job is important and involves a meaningful contribution to the organization or society in general. – Autonomy. Degree to which the job gives the employee substantial freedom, independence, and discretion in scheduling the work and in determining the procedures used in carrying it out. – Job feedback. Degree to which carrying out the work activities provides direct and clear information to the employee regarding how well the job has been done. Psychological states Meaningfulness of the work refers to the extent to which an individual perceives works tasks to be valuable and worth performing. Skill variety, task identity, and task significance directly contribute to the job’s meaningfulness. Responsibility for work outcomes results when the employee perceives personal accountability associated with work performance. Autonomy directly contributes to the feeling of responsibility. Knowledge of the results of work performance is important so that individuals can determine the effectiveness of their actions, and learn from the outcomes produced by their efforts Individual work outcomes Higher intrinsic motivation produced by increased meaningfulness of the job and broader responsibility Higher quality work performance stimulated by increased responsibility Higher work satisfaction derived from knowledge of the actual results Lower absenteeism and turnover produced by increased responsibility felt toward the job itself Moderators Oldham and Hackman define growth need is “the degree to which an individual values opportunities for personal growth and development at work” (p. 464). They also suggest that without job-relevant knowledge and skills, an employee experiences more failure than success. The required skills and knowledge are necessary to master more challenging work. Without the necessary skill and knowledge, the level of stress the employee experiences will increase and job performance will decrease. If the work climate is unsatisfactory, then employees will not respond favorably to job rotation, job enrichment, or job enlargements because they are preoccupied with the unsatisfactory organizational circumstances (Oldham, Hackman, & Pearce, 1976).  The job characteristics model: Recap Job characteristics Psychological states Moderators Moderators Outcomes Hackman, J. R.& Oldham, G. R. (1976). Motivation through the design of work: Test of a theory. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 16, 250-279  Getting ready for session 9.2 Active link Active link Articles available in folder Week_9 Readings 27 Organizational Behavior 2024 Session 9.2 Job design Announcements of 9.2 Reading material of week 9 posted Slides 9.1 (updated) and 9.2 available Material for self-directed learning available Job design (Topic 4) will carry over to week 10 Slide deck T4 will be available by the end of next week. Slides 9.1 and 9.1 will remain available until then 29  Agenda of 9.2 (…..and Week 10) The job characteristics model recap Key learning points From principles to measures: The motivating potential score (MPS) of a job – The job diagnostic survey (JDS) exercise Now what? Introduction to job redesign The principles of scientific management: Job simplification and job specialization – They changed the world – They made technological innovation practically possible – They are adopted by the most successful companies of our world What is left for us?: Designing jobs for human workers Job redesign – Rotation – Enrichment – Enlargement – Crafting Goal setting Meaningful work in practice: The REI coop video-supported case study The future of work 30 Topic 4: Opportunities for self-directed learning (weeks 9 and 10) Harvard Ideacast: Business ideas that Listen change the world: Scientific Management Dan Ariely: meaning and work (TED Talk) Scientific management in action: Watch Amazon fulfillment Centers (video case and related material) What skills will be valuable in the future Read (The NYT article) 31  The job characteristics model: Recap Job characteristics Psychological states Moderators Moderators Outcomes  Motivation and job design: Key learning points  Job characteristics affect individual motivation;  Job characteristics vary considerably across tasks that may be apparently similar;  Job characteristics may affect task performance through motivation;  The joint effect of job characteristics and individual motivation on task performance is moderated by perceived individual needs, human capital , and organizational context.  Independent learning opportunity: taking meaning back to work One of the objectives of job design is to infuse work with meaning by identifying components (“characteristics”) of jobs with desirable incentive properties On the other hand, efficiency is the basic objective of the allocation of tasks imposed by specialization and division of labor Listen to behavioral economist Dan Ariely discussing the results of laboratory experiments and sharing his thoughts on the efficiency/meaning tradeoff in this TED talk 34 JCM is the basis for job design in many contemporary organizations Today the job characteristics model (JCM) is widely adopted by a variety of organizations around the world. The diffusion of the JCM is not limited to business companies. For example, consider https://www.hr.admin.cam.ac.uk/pay- benefits/grading%20-%20faq/grading/principles-job-design But practical importance is not the only reason...  From principles to measures The JCM would be just a nice idea without the possibility of measuring its constructs to the quantify the motivating potential of a job – and compare it across different jobs; The Job Diagnostic survey (JDS) developed by the proponents of the JCM serves exactly this purpose. THE JDS makes the JCM more than a good idea – it makes it a useful management tool; Let’s define the motivating potential score of a job and then fill in a simplified version of the job diagnostic survey to get a sense of how the JCM might work in practice. 36 Motivating Potential Score of a Job MPS_J = [( SV + TI + TS)/3] * Au * Fb Skill variety Task significance Feedback Task identity Autonomy See overview Textbook p. 174 Job diagnostic survey (JDS) exercise 38  Job MPS 125 JDS: results (Job) 60 1 39  Student MPS 125 JDS: results (Student) 60 1 40  Now what? Introduction to job redesign The Job Characteristics model (JCM) provides a broad theoretical framework for designing work environments – and tasks - that individual are more likely to find meaningful and hence motivating; The JCM also provides a coherent framework for Job redesign - an attempt to manipulate job characteristics in the context of managerial interventions aimed at improving the incentive properties of jobs Job rotation, enrichment and enlargement – in particular – have been frequently proposed as ways to increase the perceived meaningfulness of work through specific managerial job re-design interventions Job crafting, a more recent approach to job redesign is also gaining grounds in many production and service businesses. Job crafting is an important precursor of the current “design thinking” movement. Job crafting has been gaining considerable importance due to recent events forcing world-scale experimentation with new approaches to work and life-work balance Where do ideas about the relation between job design and productivity (or task performance) come from? A very short history of management  Scientific management  An approach to the organization of work that sought to improve work efficiency by creating small, repetitive tasks and training workers to do these tasks well.  Scientific management not only proposed the division of physical labor, but also the separation of planning and execution of production activities  Basic Job Design Principles: job specialization and simplification  Standardize work procedures and employ people in clearly defined and highly specialized tasks.  The prime and only goal was to increase efficiency  Why the interest in these outdated ideas? Or are they…..? They made the world what it is today – Listen to Harvard Ideacast (next slide) They are adopted by very successful and exceptionally profitable companies – See the material on the Amazon ‘controversy’ on ‘Digital Taylorism (10.1) They reveal the connection between technological innovation and the nature of human work – an issue that could not be more current - and more urgent – Follow the material on automation (10.1/10.2) Let’s see if Chat GPT agrees with me... 43  Self-directed learning opportunity : Scientific management Harvard IdeaCast: Business ideas that changed the world 44 Organizational Behavior 2024 Session 10.1 Job design  Announcements 10.1 This week we’ll finish topic 4 (job Design) – The material is covered in Chapter 6 of the overview textbook (p. 167- 203) – In class we will be able to cover (roughly) the material between page 167 and 183 – For the second midterm (and hence for the final) you will be responsible for the material in chapters 6.4-6.5 (p.183-194) – You may skim through the material from page 195 to 203. You will not be responsible for this material – You will, however, be responsible for the material in the wrap-up reading from McKinsey and co on redeployment, upskilling, and reskilling) and for the martial related to the REI coop video-supported case study Complete and updated T4 slide deck available by the end of week 10 46  Agenda 10.1 Basic principles of scientific management (from Week 9) – Job simplification (J.Simp) – Job specialization (J.Spec) Self-directed learning : Scientific management The effect of of J.Simp & J. Spec. on technological innovation Self-directed learning: The amazon Controversy Designing jobs for humans Basic principles of job redesign – Rotation; – Enrichment – Enlargement Job crafting Job crafting in practice: The REI coop Goal setting – Creating SMART goals Self-directed learning: Job skills of the future Wrap-up reading from McKinsey and co: Piecing together the talent puzzle. 47  Now what? Introduction to job redesign (from week 9) The Job Characteristics model (JCM) provides a broad theoretical framework for designing work environments – and tasks - that individual are more likely to find meaningful and hence motivating; The JCM also provides a coherent framework for Job redesign - an attempt to manipulate job characteristics in the context of managerial interventions aimed at improving the incentive properties of jobs Job rotation, enrichment and enlargement – in particular – have been frequently proposed as ways to increase the perceived meaningfulness of work through specific managerial job re- design interventions Job crafting, a more recent approach to job redesign is also gaining grounds in many production and service businesses. Job crafting is an important precursor of the current “design thinking” movement. Job crafting has been gaining considerable importance due to recent events forcing world- scale experimentation with new approaches to work and life-work balance Goal setting an approach to job design that encourages individual (and team) participation in the definition of goals and plans that guide their action Where do ideas about the relation between job design and productivity (or task performance) come from? A very short history of management  Scientific management  An approach to the organization of work that sought to improve work efficiency by creating small, repetitive tasks and training workers to do these tasks well.  Scientific management not only proposed the division of physical labor, but also the separation of planning and execution of production activities  Basic Job Design Principles: job specialization and simplification  Standardize work procedures and employ people in clearly defined and highly specialized tasks.  The prime and only goal was to increase efficiency Job specialization and simplification: The basic principles of job design Scientific Job Job Management Specialization Simplification Based on ideas Break down jobs from Frederic into their Taylor’s 1911 simplest book, “Principles components of Scientific Assign tasks so Management” each employee Among the most performs a F. Taylor influential books restricted C. Chaplin of the 20th Modern Times Scientific Management number of tasks century in a repetitive manner  Self directed learning opportunity Scientific management and the historical origins of contemporary organization and management practices and theories F.W Taylor See Folder Readings of W9 Job simplification and specialization Scientific management Active link to online article Active link 6’:16’’ Active link 7’:23’’ (also available in folder) 51 Self-directed learning opportunity : Scientific management Frederick Winslow Taylor Lilien and Frank Gilberth Historical note: Original time & motion films (silent) Harvard University, one of the first American Active link 15’.33’’ universities to offer a graduate degree in business management in 1908 (called MBA) Time and motion studies , based its first-year curriculum on Taylor's principles of scientific management Job design as the basis for technological innovation Basic question: How can we more efficiently utilize our technological and human resources? The “battle against wasted time and wasted effort” Once recognized as fundamental organizational principles, job simplification and specialization paved the way to technological innovation and the progressive substitution of human workers by machines Once complex production As the process of job tasks are disassembled into simplification continues it simple components, becomes possible to build machines become more specialized machines that efficient than human workers manufacture other machines As technological innovation continues to evolve and reach ever higher levels of sophistication , machines become increasingly capable not only of manufacturing complex products, but also of rendering sophisticated human services 55 Self-directed learning opportunity: The Amazon Controversy Scientific management: A thing of the past? Read about the Amazon controversy that erupted Think again! after this article appeared in the New York Time, Amazon fulfillment centers in action August 15, 2015 (full text in readings of week 9 “self_directed_learning_material” folder); Read the reaction of an Amazon’s employee (August 16, 2015) –reported also by abcNews Read Jeff Bezos’ response to the NYT article (August 17, 2015) Read Forbes’ article “Is Amazon's Ruthless Management Culture Hurting Its Stock Price?” (October 2015), available in readings of week 9 “self_directed_learning_material”folder Read NYT “If Workers Slack Off, the Wristband Will Know.” (February 2018), available in readings of week 9 “self_directed_learning_material” folder The Amazon’s controversy continues in Forbes (October, 2022). The Amazon Controversy: Back to “Modern Times”?  Designing jobs (for humans) As fundamental organizational principles, job simplification and specialization are ideal for designing jobs that machines can perform efficiently; This creates the conditions for the competition for jobs between humans and machines ; Simplification and specialization also created the basic conditions for rapid technological progress But how can we design jobs for humans be designed? This question is particularly important now that machines are becoming more capable to emulate behavior has long been considered uniquely human Of course, now technology has now left far behind the principles that inspired early innovation in industrial production systems What might be left for us to do? 59  Alternatives to Job Simplification and Specialization Job Job Rotation Job Enrichment Job Crafting Enlargement Moving Allowing Expanding the Encouraging employees from workers more tasks performed employees job to job at control over by employees contribute to regular how they to add more their own job intervals perform tasks variety description Overview Hackman, J. R.& Oldham, textbook G. R. (1980). page Chapter Work redesign. 6: 171 Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley  The promises of job (re)design  Job characteristics model – When the core characteristics are highly enriched, enlarged or re-crafted three critical psychological states are positively influenced. Experienced meaningfulness of work. Experienced responsibility for work outcomes. Knowledge of actual results of work activities. – Positive psychological states create positive work outcomes. Enhanced productivity Improved quality Increased commitment Higher satisfaction  When can the promises be maintained? Enriched and Enlarged core job characteristics will create positive psychological states, which in turn will create positive work outcomes only when: Employee growth-need strength is high. The employee has the requisite knowledge and skill. Employee context satisfaction exists.  Job Rotation Personnel assigned to a task are systematically changed (rotated) so that they experience a variety of tasks The main objective is to increase the range of job experience ito which employees/workers are exposed Job design remains the same Uses as a training device to improve a worker’s flexibility and develop their appreciation for the work that other people do Job rotation may be the only available means to introduce variety in some job settings Example: “A week in line management” program  Job Enrichment AKA vertical job expansion (or “v-loading”) Definition: Broadening of a job by adding responsibilities Objective: Increase the motivational potential of a job by increasing the variety and range of responsibilities, and decision making autonomy and control Focus: increased autonomy and self-regulation Empirical evidence: Job enrichment increases satisfaction, commitment and performance Potential drawback: Some people may not be not motivated by enriched jobs Example: A customer service representative (CSR) is given discretion in the decision on how best to serve customers. In particular, the CSR in question is given discretion over the possibility of offering discounts on post-sale services up to 10% of the value of any sale contract – and 20% for high-value clients without asking prior authorization from headquarters  Job Enlargement AKA horizontal job expansion (or “h-loading”) Definition: Broadening of a job by adding different tasks Objective: Increase the motivational potential of a job by increasing in the variety of an employee’s activities without increasing decision making authority or control Focus: increased variety of skills and diversity of activities Empirical evidence: Job enlargement improves worker satisfaction and the quality of production (not necessarily improves output or other quantitative measures of performance) Potential drawbacks: It does not appear to increase efficiency. It exposes works to the risk of “job creep” (steadily increasing workload as more tasks are added). Its positive effects decrease over time Example: A doctoral student is given the additional responsibility for organizing the institute seminars and managing guest speakers time during their visits  Job Crafting A recent approach to job redesign is job crafting. Job crafting refers to the changes employees themselves make to their own job description This may involve expanding or emphasizing certain elements that are a better fit to their own preferences, propensities and skills – or development needs Or reducing the scope of the job to achieve better work-life balance, all in the service of better meeting First, there is task crafting, which involves altering the employee’s career and life goals. the type, scope, sequence, and number of tasks Job crafting is becoming particularly important under that make up your job. Next, you can relationally conditions of remote work where individuals have to craft your job by altering whom you interact with integrate their on-work and off-work lives in new ways in your work. Finally, there is cognitive crafting, where you modify the way you interpret the tasks and/or work you’re doing. Wrzesniewski, Amy; Dutton, Jane E. (2001). "Crafting a Job: Revisioning Employees as Active Crafters of Their Work". Academy of Management Review. 26 (2): 179–201.  From overview textbook (p. 197) Job crafting in practice: The REI Coop case (video supported case study) 67  Implementing job design strategies at REI Let’s take a look at REI coop as an example of a company that understands the connection between job characteristics and work outcomes determined by critical psychological states of the people who work there How would you describe REI approach to work? How would you describe the work environment at REI? What seem to be the main sources of motivation for REI’s employees? “Best companies to work for” What aspect of their job do they find motivating? What kind of person is likely to do well in REI’s working environment?  Individual experiences Check these short video- interviews from CNN Business if you are interested in better “Life-work balance” understanding REI’s unique “Is not the 9 to 5 type of job” approach to job design through the voice of some of the people actually working there: “Living the life that we promote” “Work with what you love”  Goal-Setting Theory (Locke and Latham 1990. A theory of goal-setting and task performance) What is a goal? - Cognitive representation of a target for behavior Why do goals increase motivation? - Direct attention - Energize effort - Sustain effort - Promote discovery of task-relevant knowledge, skills, strategies - Recall Dan Pink’s ted talk on incentives Setting own goal increases personal commitments to goals Overview textbook chapter 6.3  Goal Goal: What an individual is trying to accomplish. Directing one’s attention Regulating one’s effort Goals motivate the Task individual performance by... Increasing one’s persistence Encouraging the development of goal- attainment strategies or action plans 72 Setting SMART Goals as a motivational strategy (chapter 6 section 3) S Specific M Measurable A Aggressive (attainable) R Realistic T Time-Bound  The mere presence of goals does not motivate individuals (p. 178) “Do the best you can!” “We need to beat the competition” “Human resources must become our most important asset” “Our prime objective is to satisfy our customers” 74 Creating specific goals A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a generic goal A goal can be considered “specific” to the extent that it provides answers to the six "W" questions Who: Who is involved? What: What do I want to accomplish? Where: Identify a location. When: Establish a time frame. Which: Identify requirements and constraints. Why: Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal. Creating measurable goals Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal you set To determine if a goal is measurable ask questions such as: How much? How many? How will I know when it is accomplished? Creating aggressive (attainable) goals Aggressive (or “stretch”) goals are difficult to reach. Easy goals rarely have motivation or performance-enhancing properties Note that it matters greatly who establishes the goal. Aggressive goals can increase stress and anxiety if imposed. Or they can generate commitment and enthusiasm if self-determined. Creating realistic goals Goals should be hard to reach but based on reality (agreed upon facts or shared assumptions on what is possible). Impossible goals have no motivation-enhancing properties To determine if a goal is realistic, ask questions such as: Do I truly believe that it can be accomplished? Have I accomplished anything similar in the past? Can I identify the conditions that would have to exist to accomplish this goal? Creating time-bound goals A goal should be grounded within a time frame. With no time frame tied to it, there is no sense of urgency. When a goal will be reached influences what goal will actually be reached Time constraints also determine the level of difficulty and realism of the goal From Overview textbook (Page 180) 80 Example: JFK “We choose the moon” speech "We choose to go to the moon in this decade (... ), not because they are easy, but because they are hard," Kennedy told the crowd at Rice University in Houston on September 12, 1962. The president promised to put a man on the moon before the end of the decade, and seven years later, he delivered, with the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969. https://www.npr.org/2022/09/12/1122375097/space-exploration-jfk-we-choose-the-moon-speech Downsides of goal setting (p. 182) Setting goals for specific outcomes may hamper performance if individual skills and abilities are inadequate. – In this case setting goals for behavior rather than outcomes may Learning be preferable; decreases Goal setting may limit the capacity to adapt to changing Adaptability circumstances and the ability to learn from unexpected declines events; Narrow – Refer to Dan Pink’s TED talk for examples thinking may Goals tend to focus attention on measurable outcomes develop possibly sacrificing other important elements. Ethical – Fir example, if quantity is measured but quality is not targets will problems be defined in terms of quantities) increase Ethical behavior may become an issue as reaching goals may override other concerns – For example, health care organizations with revenue targets 82  Self-directed learning : What skills will be valuable in the future? What kinds of skills are needed for jobs that are enlarged, enriched and carefully crafted ? Wrap up reading 85 Bonus slides (not shown in class) 86  Job design: Discussion questions Is job rotation suitable to just lower-level employees, or is it possible to use it at higher levels in the organization? What is the difference between job enlargement and job enrichment? Which of these approaches is more useful in dealing with the boredom and monotony of job specialization? Consider a job you held in the past. Analyze the job using the framework of the job characteristics model. Does a job with a high motivation potential motivate all employees? Under which conditions is the model less successful in motivating employees? How would you increase the empowerment levels of employees?  Motivation and job design: Key learning points Job characteristics vary considerably even across jobs that are nominally the same; Job characteristics may affect individual motivation; Through motivation, job characteristics may affect task performance; The extent to which a job is potentially motivating can be measured and hence become a possible basis for managerial intervention; Job enlargement, enrichment, rotation, and crafting are managerial strategies that may be implemented to redesign core characteristics of jobs that may be linked to task performance; Goal setting may have performance-enhancing properties, provided that goals are defined in such a way to satisfy specific constraints; The effectiveness of job redesign strategies depends on the level of individual needs, skills, and personal attitudes about the organizational context. 88  Looking for a book to put under the Christmas Tree? How about Aldous Huxley's’ “Brave New World” – it is about many of the topics that we discuss in week 10. Learn more about it here