HRM for MBA students
Lecture 3
Designing work: organising jobs
and people
Learning outcomes
• have an appreciation of the concept of division
of labour
• understand the principles of scientific
management
• know about developments in job design
following scientific management
• understand the principles of team formation
• have some appreciation of the organisation of
work beyond the team level
• see why organisations seek flexibility
• understand the role of HRM in change
management.
Definition of job design
‘Deciding on the content and performance
and competency requirements of jobs or
roles in order to provide a basis for
selection, performance management and
reward and to maximise intrinsic job
satisfaction.’
Armstrong (2009)
Division and synthesis
• Division of labour and job specialisation is
necessary to achieve higher productivity
and is essentially for modern work.
• But after the division of labour must come
synthesis of outputs for modern
organisation to function.
Scientific management (Taylorism)
• A clear division of tasks and responsibilities
between management and workers with:
– management studying the work methods for
each job
– establishing the most efficient methods
– dictating these to the workers.
• ‘Scientific’ selection and training of workers:
– matching suitable employees to the
scientifically designed jobs.
• The ‘enthusiastic co-operation’ of management
and workers, secured by the use of economic
incentives.
Criticisms of scientific
management
• led to significantly higher productivity but
at cost of workers’ well-being and poor
industrial relations
• ignorance of non-financial aspects of
individual motivation
• ignorance of group psychology and
motivation.
After Taylorism
• ‘Maslow’s influence is clearly stamped
across the work design theories and
practices of the latter half of the twentieth
century’.
Buchanan (1994)
General principles derived from
motivation theory
• set goals
• involve the employees concerned in
designing and agreeing the goals
• ‘stretch’ goals lead to significant increases
in employee performance
• link rewards to performance when possible
• increase employees’ sense of ‘self-
efficacy’ (confidence that they can
perform the job or task well).
General principles derived from
motivation theory
• let employees know the expected level of
performance and give them accurate and
timely feedback
• giving positive rewards for good
performance is more effective in
motivating people then punishing them for
poor performance
• perceived fairness or equity is vital to the
motivation.
SMART Goals
• Specific
• Measurable
• Assignable
• Realistic
• Time-bound
The autonomous work group
(AWG)
• Work should be organised in teams.
• Individual jobs should provide:
– variety
– a meaningful task
– an ‘optimum’ work cycle
– worker’s control over work standards
– feedback on results
– a perceived contribution to end product.
• The AWG concept is not dependent on any
specific technology so it applicable in virtually all
work situations.
Toyota production system (TPS)
• Features of both AWG and Taylorism?
– just–in-time (JIT) production processes
– team-working
– Jidoka quality principle (error–free
processes)
– standardised work and kaizan
(continuous improvement).
Stages in team development
• Forming
• Storming
• Norming
• Performing
• [Adjourning]
Team roles (Belbin)
• chairperson (or coordinator)
• company worker (or implementer)
• completer-finisher
• monitor-evaluator
• plant
• resource investigator
• shaper
• team-worker
• [specialist]
Belbin website: [Link]
Organising beyond the team level
• by product
• by function
• matrix structure
• divisionalisation.
Flexibility
• Employers pursue flexibility to:
– minimise human resource costs in both
the short and long run
– protect the core from short-term
fluctuations in market demand
– respond to the demands of an
increasingly diverse workforce in terms
of (i) legal compliance and (ii)
discretionary entitlement to
attract/retain core employees.
Lewin’s three-stage model of
change management
1. ‘unfreezing’ the status quo
2. ‘changing’ to the new desired situation
3. ‘refreezing’ or establishing the new
situation.
Role of HR in change
• advising project leaders on the skills
available within the organisation and
identifying any skills gaps
• negotiating and engaging with employee
representatives
• understanding employee concerns and
anticipating problems
• advising on communications with
employee groups
• helping individuals to cope with change
