Chapter 7 Design of Work Systems Flashcards
Job Design
Improves efficiency through analysis of the job’s work elements
Improves productivity through consideration of
Increases the quality of the final product or service
Increases worker satisfaction
Job Specialization
High degree of specialization means a: Narrow range of tasks, high degree of repetition, and supposedly greater efficiency
Examples: Seats Inc. watching a press cutting metal
Job Design Advantages for Management
Simplifies training
High productivity
Low wage costs
Job Design Advantages for Labor
Low education and skill requirements
Minimum responsibilities
Little mental effort needed
JD Disadvantages for Management
Difficult motivate quality
Worker dissatisfaction, possibly resulting in absenteeism, turnover, etc.
JD Disadvantages for Labor
Monotonous boring work
Limited opportunities for advancement
Little control over work
Little opportunity for self-fulfillment
JD Remedies for Boredom
Job enlargement – increases the number of tasks assigned to each employee
Job Rotation-allows workers to exchange jobs periodically
Job Enrichment-involves an increase in the level of responsibility for planning and coordination of tasks
JD Limitations to the Remedies
Many individuals prefer simple jobs Increased training costs Higher wage rates are required Increased accident rates may occur Savings must be greater than costs
JD Two Basic Causes of Accidents
Worker carelessness – not using protective equipment or improper use of tools
Accident hazards
Safety
JD Working Conditions
Temperature-depends upon humidity and air movement
Ventilation
Lighting
Noise
JD Ergonomics
Is the “study of work”
Studying people’s capabilities and limitations and designing jobs that can be done without injuring worker
Examples:
Gas fireplaces lifts up and down for different employee heights
JD Work Standards
Establishing prices and costs Motivating workers Comparing alternative process designs Scheduling Capacity planning Performance appraisal
What are Work Standards?
Time required for a trained worker, working at a normal rate of speed to perform a specialized task
What is Process Improvement?
Process improvement is the systematic study of the activities and flows of each process to improve it.
What is Process Reengineering?
Fundamental rethinking and radical redesign of business processing dramatically improving performance (The Goal) speed, quality, cost quality, service