The_Essential_Manager_s_Handbook

34 / MANAGING A TEAM

Designing work

Job design refers to the way tasks are combined to form complete jobs.

It involves trying to shape the right jobs to conform to the right people,

taking into account both the organization’s goals and the employees’

satisfaction. Well-designed jobs lead to high motivation, high-quality

performance, high satisfaction, and low absenteeism and turnover.

CREATE NATURAL

WORK UNITS

Design tasks to form an

identifiable whole to

increase employee

“ownership” and to

encourage workers

to view their jobs

as important.

Ways to

design work

by enhancing

the five

dimensions

Defining jobs

Jobs vary considerably: a lifeguard,

for example, will have very different

day-to-day responsibilities than an

accountant or a construction worker.

However, any job can be described

in terms of five core job dimensions:

• Skill variety: the degree to which^
  a job requires a variety of different
  activities so that the worker can
  employ a number of different skills
  and talents.
  -^ Task identity: the degree to which^
  a job requires completion of a whole
  and identifiable piece of work.
  -^ Task significance: the degree to which
  a job has an impact on the lives of
  other people.


• Autonomy: the degree to which a job
  provides freedom and discretion to
  the worker in scheduling tasks and
  in determining how the work will
  be carried out.
  -^ Feedback: the degree to which^
  the worker gets direct and clear
  information about the effectiveness
  of his or her performance.
  As a manager, you can maximize
  your team’s performance by enhancing
  these five dimensions. Skill variety, task
  identity, and task significance combine
  to create meaningful work. Jobs with
  these characteristics will be perceived

as important, valuable, and worthwhile.

Jobs that possess autonomy give

workers a sense of responsibility for

their results. Jobs that provide feedback

indicate to the employee how effectively

he or she is performing.

Skill variety, task identity,

and task significance

combine to create jobs

that are seen as important,

valuable, and worthwhile

US_034-035_Designing_Work.indd 34 30/05/16 3:00 pm