Job Designing (JD)

[Source : Opatha, H. H.D.N.P. (2016), Human Resource Management: Personnel. Department of

HRM, Faculty of Management studies and Commerce, University of Sri Jayewardenepura.]

Tharindu Dananjaya Weerasinghe

Senior Lecturer, Department of Human Resource Management
University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka
 Lecture Outline

 Introduction

 What is a Job?

 What is Job Designing?

 Significance of Job Designing

 Techniques of Job Designing

 Elements of Job Designing

 Trade off between two types of elements

Job Design
 Introduction

The principal function that has to be performed by the

organization in order to achieve its primary goal cannot be
done by one individual. Reasons are:

 Lack of time

 Lack of energy

 Lack of competency

Job Design
 Jobs as the basic building block

Consequently the principal function has to be divided

into individual level assignments. It is the reason for

creating jobs.

Jobs are the basic building blocks of the

Organization.

Job Design
 What is a Job?

Job can be defined as an organizational unit of work. It

composed of three main components. They are

1. Tasks

2. Duties

3. Responsibilities

Job Design
 Task

A task is as series of motions and is a distinct identifiable

small work activity.

Duty

A duty is a series of task and is a larger work segment.

Job Design
 Responsibility

Responsibility is the obligation of perform assign tasks and

duties successfully.

Job Design
 What is Job Designing?

Job designing can be defined as the function of

arranging tasks, duties and responsibilities into an

organizational unit of work for the purpose of

accomplishing a certain goal. Job design is a conscious

effort as well as a continuous activity.

Job Design
 Significance of Job Designing

Job designing affects overall individual job performance.

It has direct impact on,

i. Efficiency

ii. Effectiveness

iii. Productivity,

iv. Employee Job Satisfaction

v. Employee Health

vi. Development of the employee

Job Design
 Unfavorable effects of inappropriate JD

a. Lower productivity

b. Higher employee turnover

c. Higher absenteeism

d. Many Grievances

e. Many Industrial conflicts

f. Damages to organizational properties

Job Design
 Techniques of Job Designing

Scientific Technique

Job Enlargement

Job Enrichment
Techniques of JD
Job Rotation

Group Technique

Professional Technique
Job Design
 Scientific Technique

This technique derived from Scientific Management by F.W.

Taylor. Basic objective of this technique is to maximize the

organizational productivity by maximizing employee

efficiency. In other words this is about, acquiring maximum

output by reducing time, effort and cost required to finish

the task / duty.

Job Design
 Shorter Job Cycle

Scientific technique of Job Design results in a more

specialized job that has a shorter job cycle.

Job Cycle means, the required time to complete every duty

in the job for once.

Job Design
 Job Enlargement

Increasing the scope of the job by including a new related

duty/duties in addition to the current duties refers as Job
Enlargement.

Alternatively it is regarded as “Horizontal Expansion”

Before Expansion
Job Design
 Job Enrichment

Increasing the depth of the job by expanding authority

and responsibility for planning, doing and controlling the

job is named as Job Enrichment.

It is regarded as “Vertical Expansion” or “Vertical Loading”

Job Design
 Job Enrichment

Before the Enrichment After the Enrichment

Planning the Job

Doing the Job Doing the Job

Controlling the Job

Job Design
 Job Rotation

Job Rotation is shifting an employee from one particular

job to another without limiting the employee to do a

specific job only. It is like a training for the employee.

Finally employee will get an overall understanding about

the organization.

Job Design
 Job Rotation

Executive

Cash

Executive Executive

Pawning Loans

Executive
Executive
Savings and
Loan Recovery
FDs
Job Design
 Group Technique

Job is designed so that a group of individuals can perform

it. Result is a collective job rather than an individual job.

Eg – Cricket team

Debating Team

Job Design
 Professional Technique

Designing job according to a certain accepted profession

refers as professional technique.

Eg – Charted Accountant

Engineer

Job Design
 Elements of Job Design

Efficiency

Elements of
Job Design

Behavioral

Job Design
 Efficiency Elements

This includes division of labor, specialization and

standardization. Mainly efficiency elements focus to

improve the productivity of the employee.

Job Design
 Behavioral Elements

This is the opposite of the above mentioned efficiency

elements. This focuses to increase job satisfaction and

morale of the employee. This may motivate employees.

Behavioral elements include skill variety, task identity,

task significance, autonomy and feedback

Job Design
 Efficiency Elements

Division of Labor

Efficiency Elements Specialization

Standardization

Job Design
 Division of Labor

Breaking jobs in to their smaller component parts and

employing separate person or separate set of employees
to do each part of the production process separately.

Eg – Production process in a Garment Factory

Cutting Sewing Ironing Packaging Labeling

Section Section Section Section Section

Job Design
 Specialization

An employee’s concentration on one particular type of

work so that the employee acquires an expertise in that

type of work.

Productivity of specialized employees is higher that non -

specialized employees.

Job Design
 Standardization

The “one best way” to do a certain job/task/duty with

more simplicity and at a lower cost and then, having

accepted that “one best method” by every person and

follow it.

Job Design
 Behavioral Elements

Skill Variety

Task Identity

Behavioral Elements Task Significance

Autonomy

Feedback

Job Design
 Skill Variety

The extent to which the job requires use of different

skills.

Eg - Usage of Communicational skills, Interpersonal

Skills and Conceptual Skills

Job Design
 Task Identity

The extent to which the job involves doing some

complete piece of work.

Eg: - Finishing the whole commodity.

Job Design
 Task Significance

The extent to which the job has an impact on other

people’s work.

If the job is highly link with others’ jobs then it has a

high level of significance.

Job Design
 Autonomy

The degree of independence and freedom the job holder

has.

It means decision making power that the hob holder has

regarding own job.

Job Design
 Feedback

The extent to which clear information of results in

respect of individual contribution is provided.

If employees know about their results they will work

better and it is a one way of developing future

performance as well.

Job Design
 Trade off

Efficiency
Elements

Behavioral
Elements

Job Design
 Trade off

There must be a trade off between efficiency elements

and behavioral elements in job design. The proper balance

is the most important factor

Job Design
 Specialization and Productivity

Level of
Productivity

0 Level of
Specialization

Job Design
Thank You!