Diagnosing Groups and Jobs:Design Components, Fits

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Organization Development MGMT 628

Lesson 19

Diagnosing Groups and Jobs

Figure 25: Comprehensive Model for Diagnosing Organizational Systems

Individual-Level Diagnosis:

The lowest level of organizational diagnosis is the individual job or position. An organization consists of

numerous groups; a group, in turn, is composed of several individual jobs. This section discusses the

inputs, design components, and relational fits for diagnosing jobs. The model shown in Figure 25(C) is

similar to other popular job diagnostic frameworks, such as Hackrnan and Oldhamn's job diagnostic survey

and Herzberg's job enrichment model.

Inputs:

Three major inputs affect job design: organization design, group design, and the personal characteristics of

job holders.

Organization design is concerned with the larger organization within which the individual job is the

smallest unit. Organization design is a key part of the larger context surrounding jobs. Technology,

structure, measurement systems, human resources systems, and culture can have a powerful impact on the

way jobs are designed and on people's experiences in jobs. For example, company reward systems can

Organization Development MGMT 628

orient employees to particular job behaviors and influence whether people see job performance as fairly

rewarded. In general, technology characterized by relatively uncertain tasks and low interdependency is

likely to support job designs allowing employees flexibility and discretion in performing tasks. Conversely,

low-uncertainty work systems are likely to promote standardized job designs requiring routinized task

behaviors.

Group design concerns the larger group or department containing the individual job. Like organization

design, group design is an essential part of the job context. Group task structure, goal clarity, composition,

performance norms, and group functioning serve as inputs to job design. They typically have a more

immediate impact on jobs than do the larger, organization-design components. For example, group task

structure can determine how individual jobs are grouped together -- as in groups requiring coordination

among jobs or in ones comprising collections of independent jobs. Group composition can influence the

kinds of people who are available to fill jobs. Group performance norms can affect the kinds of job designs

that are considered acceptable, including the level of job holders' performances. Goal clarity helps members

to prioritize work, and group functioning can affect how powerfully the group influences job behaviors.

When members maintain close relationships and the group is cohesive, group norms are more likely to be

enforced and followed.

Personal characteristics of individuals occupying jobs include their age, education, experience, and skills and

abilities. All of these can affect job performance as well as how people react to job designs. Individual

needs and expectations can also affect employee job responses. For example, individual differences in

growth need -- the need for self-direction, learning, and personal accomplishment -- can determine how

much people are motivated and satisfied by jobs with high levels of skill variety, autonomy, and feedback

about results. Similarly, work motivation can be influenced by people's expectations that they can perform

a job well and that good job performance will result in valued outcomes.

Design Components:

Figure 25(C) shows that individual jobs have five key dimensions: skill variety, task identity, task

significance, autonomy, and feedback about results.

Skill variety identifies the degree to which a job requires a range of activities and abilities to perform the

work. Assembly-line jobs, for example, generally have limited skill variety because employees perform a

small number of repetitive activities. Most professional jobs, on the other hand, include a great deal of skill

variety because people engage in diverse activities and employ several different skills in performing their

work.

Task identity measures the degree to which a job requires the completion of a relatively whole, identifiable

piece of work. Skilled craftspeople, such as tool-and-die makers and carpenters, generally have jobs with

high levels of task identity. They are able to see a job through from beginning to end. Assembly-line jobs

involve

only

limited

piece

work

and

score

low

task

identity.

Task significance identifies the degree to which a job has a significant impact on other people's lives.

Custodial jobs in a hospital are likely to have more task significance than similar jobs in a toy factory

because hospital custodians are likely to see their jobs as affecting someone else's health and welfare.

Autonomy indicates the degree to which a job provides freedom and discretion in scheduling the work and

determining work methods. Assembly-line jobs generally have little autonomy: the work pace is scheduled,

and people perform programmed tasks. College teaching positions have more autonomy: professors usually

can determine how a course is taught, even though they may have limited say over class scheduling.

Feedback about results involves the degree to which a job provides employees with direct and clear

information about the effectiveness of task performance. Assembly-line jobs often provide high levels of

feedback about results, whereas college professors must often contend with indirect and ambiguous

feedback about how they are performing in the classroom.

Those five job dimensions can be combined into an overall measure of job enrichment. Enriched jobs have

high levels of skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback about results. They

provide opportunities for self direction, learning, and personal accomplishment at work. Many people find

enriched jobs internally motivating and satisfying.

Fits:

The diagnostic model in Figure 25(C) suggests that job design must fit job inputs to produce effective job

outputs, such as high quality and quantity of individual performance, low absenteeism, and high job

satisfaction. Research reveals the following fits between job inputs and job design:

Job design should be congruent with the larger organization and group designs within which the

job is embedded. Both the organization and the group serve as a powerful context for individual jobs or

positions. They tend to support and reinforce particular job

designs. Highly differentiated and

Organization Development MGMT 628

integrated organizations and groups that permit members to self-regulate their behavior fit enriched jobs.

These larger organizations and groups promote autonomy, flexibility, and innovation at the individual

job level. Conversely, bureaucratic organizations and groups relying on external controls are congruent with

job designs scoring low on the five key dimensions. Both organizations and groups reinforce standardized,

routine jobs. As suggested earlier, congruence across different levels of organization design promotes

integration of the organization, group, and job levels. Whenever the levels do not fit each other, conflict is

likely to emerge.

Job design should fit the personal characteristics of the jobholders if they are to perform

effectively and derive satisfaction from work. Generally, enriched jobs fit people with

strong growth needs. These people derive satisfaction and accomplishment from

performing

jobs involving skill variety, autonomy, and feedback about results. Enriched jobs also fit

people possessing moderate to high levels of task-relevant skills, abilities, and knowledge.

Enriched jobs generally require complex information processing and decision making;

people must have comparable skills and abilities to perform effectively. Jobs scoring low on the

five job dimensions generally fit people with rudimentary skills and abilities and with low growth

needs. Simpler, more routinized jobs requiring limited skills and experience fit better with people

who place a low value on opportunities for self- direction and learning. In addition, because

people can grow through education, training, and experience, job design must he monitored and

adjusted from time to time.

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