Chapter 4 (Job Analysis and Work Design) Flashcards
Critical incident method
A job analysis method by which important job tasks are identified for job success
Employee empowerment
Granting employees power to initiate change, thereby encouraging them to take charge of what they do
Employee involvement groups
Groups of employees who meet to resolve problems or offer suggestions for organizational improvement
Employee teams
An employee contributions technique whereby work functions are structured for groups rather than for individuals and team members are given discretion in matters traditionally considered management prerogatives, such as process improvements, product or service development, and individual work assignments
Ergonomics
An interdisciplinary approach to designing equipment and systems that can be easily and efficiently used by human beings
Flextime
Flexible working hours that permit employees the option of choosing daily starting and quitting times provided that they work a set number of hours per day or week
Industrial engineering
A field of study concerned with analyzing work methods and establishing time standards
Job
A group of related activities and duties
Job analysis
The process of obtaining information about jobs by determining the duties, tasks, or activities of jobs
Job characteristics model
A job design theory that purports that three psychological states (experiencing meaningfulness of the work performed, responsibility for work outcomes, and knowledge of the results of the work performed) of a jobholder result in improved work performance, internal motivation, and lower absenteeism and turnover
Job description
A statement of the tasks, duties, and responsibilities of a job to be performed
Job design
An outgrowth of job analysis that improves jobs through technological and human considerations to enhance organization efficiency and employee job satisfaction
Job enrichment
Enhancing a job by adding more meaningful tasks and duties to make the work more rewarding or satisfying
Job family
A group of individual jobs with similar characteristics
Job sharing
The arrangement whereby two parttime employees perform a job that otherwise would be held by one fulltime employee
Job specification
A statement of the needed knowledge, skills, and abilities of the person who is to perform the job
Position
The different duties and responsibilities performed by only one employee
Position analysis questionnaire (PAQ)
A questionnaire covering 194 different tasks that, by means of a five-point scale, seeks to determine the degree to which different tasks are involved in performing a particular job
Task inventory analysis
An organization-specific list of tasks and their descriptions used as a basis to identify components of jobs
Telecommuting
Use of personal computers, networks, and other communications technology to do work in the home that is traditionally done in the workplace
Virtual team
A team with widely dispersed members linked together through computer and telecommunications technology
