W8 - organisational influences

Question 1

Job design

Answer 1

• if jobs were simplified employees would be able to improve on skills and give their attention to few tasks (improve employee efficiency)
• Taylor’s basic idea (scientific management) was to design work systems with standardisation and simplify jobs so employees had little personal discretion at work
• as jobs became more complex job design shifted from scientific management to newer approaches to job design
• through job enrichment rather than simplification
• this is known as the job characteristics model

Question 2

job characteristics model (JCM)

Answer 2

• model for understanding job enrichment - used to assess the motivational potential of particular jobs - done through calculating from a questionnaire
• specifies 5 core job dimensions
  1. skill variety - range of tasks performed
  2. task identity - the ability to complete the whole job from start to finish
  3. task significance - impact of the job on others
  4. autonomy - extent of freedom an employee has over their tasks
  5. feedback - extent to which the job provides the employee with information about effectiveness of their performance
• the first three contribute to the meaningfulness of the work

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Question 3

extended model of job characteristics

Answer 3

• three groups of job characteristics
  1. motivational
  2. contextual
  3. social

Question 4

motivational

Answer 4

• information processing - extent to which a job necessitates an employee to focus on and manage information
• job complexity - the extent to which the job is multifaceted and difficult
• specialisation - the extent to which a job involves the performance of tasks requiring specific knowledge and skill
• problem solving - the extent to which the job requires the productions of unique solutions
• These four additional work characteristics were expected to impact a variety of work outcomes.

Question 5

contextual category

Answer 5

• three dimensions related to the biological approach

1. physical demands - the amount of physical activity or effort necessary for then job
2. work conditions - the extent to which there are temperature or noise issues on the job
3. ergonomics - the extent to which work permits appropriate movement

• if jobs are dissatisfying, it is likely that employees will want to avoid going to work and will instead look for new jobs

Question 6

social category

Answer 6

• four social dimensions

1. interaction outside work - employee to communicate with people external to the organization
2. social support - a job provides opportunities for getting assistance and advice from either supervisors or coworkers
3. interdependence - the extent to which a job is contingent on others’ work
4. feedback from others - he extent to which other organizational members provide performance information

Question 7

job demands resource model (JDR)

Answer 7

• bakker and demerouti (2006)
• alternative to traditional job design
• risk factors can be classified in two general categories
  1. job demands - physical, psychological, social aspects that require sustained physical effort or skills
  2. job resources - physical, psychological, social aspects that are functional in achieving goals / stimulate personal growth
• resources are not only necessary to deal with job demands but important in their own right

Question 8

arguments of the JDR model

Answer 8

• when job demands are high and job positives are low, stress and burnout are common (vice versa)
• interaction between job demands and job resources is important to develop the job strain and motivation
• job resources may buffer the impact of job demands on job strain, including burnout (look at diagram)

Question 9

challenge vs hindrance demands

Answer 9

some job demands in the JDR model are considered to be threatening obstacles that drain employees energy - these are job hindrances

some job demands appeal to employee curiosity they have a problem focused coping style and are likely to contribute to achieving work goals - job challenges

diagram shows associations found between challenges, hindrances, resources and outcomes

challenge demands are positively associated with both burnout and engagement,

whereas hindrance demands are positively associated with burnout and negatively associated with engagement

Question 10

critique of JDR

Answer 10

• The JD-R model is a comprehensive theory of job design that highlights aspects of work that may be motivating or stressful
• JDR is broad and flexible compared to the Job characteristics model
• its broadness can be problematic however as there is no single JDR model
• Put simply, any number of variables could be considered job demands or resources and different researchers focus on different variables, meaning there is no consistency across studies which apparently test the same model.

Question 11

job design

Answer 11

• Job redesign is the means through which job characteristics can be changed to improve job quality
• can have top down or bottom up elements

Question 12

top down job redesign

Answer 12

• job redesign is hard to test effectively as it is difficult to conduct properly
• work can be redesigned to improve employees health and well being

Question 13

job crafting

Answer 13

job crafting = behaviours that employees take to shape, mould and change their jobs

• enhance meaning of work through three types of crafting:

1. task crafting - changing the jobs task. boundaries by changing the number or type of job tasks done at work
2. relational crafting - refers to initiating changes in the relational aspects of the job such as changing the quality or amount of interaction with others at work
3. cognitive crafting - involves altering how one frames or views the job

Question 14

job crafting research

Answer 14

• increasing evidence showing that job crafting can foster positive work outcomes
• may cause dysfunctional effects, employees crafting their jobs means they make changes to what they do and how they do it
• may have to work extra hours - if the chang employees make does not work out they may experience frustration