Chapter 4: Work Design

Question 1

What does scientific management emphasise?

Answer 1

Emphasizes task specialization and simplification as well as breaking work into discrete jobs in order to achieve ultimate efficiency.

Question 2

What do job enrichment approaches focus on?

Answer 2

On aligning work with higher order needs of employees for motivation and satisfaction.
For example, Motivator-Hygiene Theory by Herzberg that assumes that people starve for self-actualization.
A) motivators - reward the needs of the individuals to reach their aspirations
B) hygiene factors - help the individual avoid unpleasant situations

Question 3

What does the sociotechnical systems theory advocate?

Answer 3

Aligning social and technical systems for optimal results, emphasising autonomy and control.
1. Tasks must be designed such that they are performed autonomously while forming a large whole
2. Employees must have sufficient autonomy to perform their tasks
3. Employees must have control over their immediate task environment

Question 4

What do Job Demands-Control-Support and Job Demands-Resources Models focus on?

Answer 4

The job demands-control (support) model explains that if the job demands are high and stress arises, having high control (or support) can act as a buffer. Similarly, by the job demands-resources model, having high resources can buffer up the effects of stress by the high job demand.

Question 5

What does the interdisciplinary model of job design do?

Answer 5

Campion’s model categorises work design theories into:
1. mechanistic model - increases simplification, specialization and repetition
2. motivational model - enrichment leads to motivation
3. perceptual model - reduced demands for information processing decreases the chance of error
4. biological model - reduced physical demands reduce the physical strain and discomfort

Question 6

What are the models of work design?

Answer 6

1. Job characteristics model
2. Job Demand-Control Model and Job Demand-Control-Support Model
3. SMART Work design model
4. Job crafting

Question 7

What are the SMART design model factors?

Answer 7

Stimulating
Mastery
Agency
Relational
Tolerable demands to promote health and productivity.

Question 8

Explain job crafting.

Answer 8

Employees actively shape their work environments, utilizing strategies like task crafting, relational crafting, and cognitive crafting to enhance job fit and engagement.
1. Increase structural resources
2. Increase social resources
3. Increase challenging requirements
4. Decrease obstructive demands

Question 9

What is the social information processing perspective?

Answer 9

It assumes that meaning is socially constructed and individuals adapt their attitudes, behaviors and beliefs to social context.