HPAVC/HPAVC CD-ROM.iso/HOMEWORK.ZIP/ECOMJJ.TXT

Text File | 1998-07-25 | 8KB | 91 lines

mportant points to note are that not all of these factors are logical and the grouping is
rarely made with the motivation of workers in mind. It follows that some jobs are therefore
unnecessarily demotivating. As a consequence, the quality of working life is degraded and
production is diminished. It should be possible to regroup and rearrange the tasks to make
jobs better. Researchers on industrial motivation  suggest that motivating jobs require the
exercise of a variety of skills, producing a meaningful  es. The job characteristics
approach was pioneered by Hackman and Oldham who suggests that the job characteristics which
motivate are: 1. variety of work 2. working on an identifiable product( task identity) 3.
working on a task that has impact on others ( task significance ) 4. autonomy 5. feedback on
how the work is progressing The links between the characteristics of jobs and motivation are
important, and an understanding of these links provides a basis for designing jobs that are
both satisfying and motivating.. Because the limiting factors impose different constraints,
different types of job enrichment are needed. The three main types are job rotation, job
enlargement and autonomous working groups. Job rotation is probable the most rudimentary
type of job redesign. At its simplest it involves bringing together four or monotonous, and
usually unskilled jobs.A working schedule is drawn up in which each employee spends a
limited period on each job before moving onto another. The simplicity of job rotation is its
main advantage, little retooling or restructuring is necessary. The main disadvantages are
the very limited amount of change which is achieved and that job rotation schemes may
produce bickeringJob enlargement involves widening the job to bring in additional skills and
allows employees to complete a whole job, or a much larger part of a job, so that work no
longer consists of short-cycle operations whose contribution to the final product seems
indistinct and remote. In this way, a sense of achievement and the pride of the craftsman
can be used as motivational forces. The main disadvantages of job enlargement are the likely
abandonment of traditional equipment such as the conveyor belt system. JobAutonomous working
groups carry job enrichment to its logical conclusion. Not only is the job enlarged to
include a wider range of operative skills but it is also enlarged by giving employees
responsibility for basic management activities, such as deciding upon the methods of work
and the scheduling and planning of work. In many situations this can be achieved by
individuals. The realities of commercial and manufacturing life mean that the unit of work
becomes a small  work group of about six employees whoBy designing jܥe2

Motivation plays an important part in both an individual's and a company's performance. Even
a very well trained and very able employee will not perform well unless motivated.We can
look motivation as the set of process that arouse, direct and maintain human behaviour,
toward attaining a goal. Normally there are three key elements in motivation: effort,
organisational goals and needs. There are a number of theory of motivation applied in our
workplace.  Hierarchy of needs theory is the most well known theo1. physiological- include
hanger, thirst, shelter, sex and bodily needs. 2. safety- include security and protection
from physical and emotional harm. 3. social- include affection, belongingness, acceptance
and friendship. 4. esteem- include internal esteem and ego factors, external esteem factors.
5. self-actualisation+- include growth, achieving one's potential and self-fulfillment.  As
each of these needs becomes substantially satisfied, the next becomes dominant. Another
widely accepted explanation of motivation is expectancy theory. The expectancy theory argues
that the strength of a tendency to act in a certain way depends on the strength of an
expectation that the act will be followed by a given outcome and on the attractiveness of
that outcome to the employee. It includes variable or relationships: 1. attractiveness 2.
performance-reward linkage 3. effort- performance linkage  _
 The relationship between motivation and  performance can be expressed by the formula:
                                  Performance = ability ┤ motivation ┤ training

The formula is not mathematically correct but it demonstrates two major points. First if
motivation is zero, performance will be zero. Secondly, motivation on its own is not enough,
it must be accompanied by ability and training. Higher motivation does not always result in
a direct increase in productivity because. in many jobs, productivity is limited by other
people or the pace of machines. For example, higher motivation amongst production line
workers will not result in higher productivity because the s ore, motivation is important
even in those jobs paced by external events. Psychologists have established quite strong
relationships between job satisfaction and lateness, absenteeism and  quitting a job. It
would seem that if jobs do not satisfy people's motives employees will tend to withdraw from
their jobs whenever the slightest excuse arises. In most organizations, the consequences of
such withdrawal of work, such as lateness, absenteeism and labour turnover, has a direct
impact on profitability. Most managers are concerned with increasing the motivation of
employees but often wonder what actions they can undertake to achieve their aims. In
practice, managers may influence motivation in five main ways: ensuring that the environment
is motivating; selecting highly motivated employees; training; appraisal;and remuneration.
A major aspect of designing a motivating organisation is job design and job redisign so that
jobs are likely to interest and inspire employees.. In essence, job design arises from the
fact that people do not perform the same set of tasks in any organisation. The tasobs in
those ways an organisation can encourage their employees to become motivated by their job
Does job redesign really make a difference in an organisation's performance? The evidence
strongly suggests that such programs can improve the quality of working life and ultimately
contribute to the company's bottom line. It can also  improve productivity by as much as 16
per cent and can also bring about increases in job satisfaction According to a recent survey
of Fortune 500 firms, those that use innovative human resource practices and programs such
as work redesign consistently outperformed less progrseveral additional benefits may accrue
from well conceived job redesign efforts. First, increasing job variety allows the
organisation to develop a more widely skilled and flexible work force. Second, the use of
vertical loading can provide managers with more time to engage in planning and organising
for the future. Third, the cost of coordination may be lowered through a reduced need for
supervisors and inspectors. We would point out, however, that even though job redesign is
often a useful strategy for improving employee satisfaction and productivity, it is not
applicable for all jobs or situations. Some jobs do not easily lend themselves to meaningful
job redesign and not all workers want their jobs enlarged or enriched. Many individuals
would prefer to become proficient doing what someone else might consider a boring, routine
task. They may not react well to job redesign. Finally, job redesign is not a one-shot
program. It is an ongoing effort. Whenever a job is changed, it will be new and interesting
for a while. Over time, however, the newness wears off and employees may again become bored
with the routine. At that point more changes may have to be made. You cannot assume that one
job redesign effort will improve employee behavour indefinitely.