Organizing Jobs and Groups

Describe how technology and social forces affect employees' jobs.

     New technologies are rapidly changing how work is accomplished. This is most obvious in the replacement of many human endeavors by computers and  robotics, but it is also apparent in improved processes and engineering innovations that redefine jobs. The transformation is taking place in service organizations as well as in manufacturing, so that electronic banking is as common as robotics assembly lines. Jobs are no longer strictly defined in terms of human endeavor, but rather in terms of the technological environment and  how people use new tools and processes. Social trends such as dual&-career families compelling changes in minority status, better education, and changes in retirement patterns have influenced the nature of jobs and organizations.

Explain how the range and depth of jobs are changing.

     Job range relates to the breadth of tasks accomplished by an employee, and job depth relates to the responsibility an employee has for directing his or her work. Technological advances, together with sociotechnical advances such as grouping technology processes with work teams, have vastly expanded the job range; more can be accomplished by fewer people working with new tools and methods in highly productive teams. Because of the changes in organizational culture and new social forces at work, employees expect more freedom, greater responsibility, and more meaningful tasks As a result group efforts prevail in more than half of America's leading companies, and employees throughout these organizations have greater decision&-making responsibilities.

Describe the job characteristics model and explain how it is used in job design.

     The job characteristics model is a conceptual framework for understanding the activities and relationships that exist in a job situation. It identifies core dimensions of jobs and how those dimensions are likely to change. Managers use the JCM to evaluate core dimensions in terms of how they affect psychological states of employees. Once they understand employees' psychological states, managers are in a better position to understand work&-related outcomes associated with the job being studied. Employee profiles are also evaluated in the JCM to establish people's relative needs for growth, and then job design (or redesign) efforts are undertaken to benefit both employees and their organizations by improving the total job configuration.

Identify and contrast the primary types of organizational groups.

     Groups are either formal or informal. Formal groups exist within the organizational structure, their formal leadership is usually determined by the company, and they have specific work objectives. Informal groups develop apart from the formal organization, often spontaneously, and are not recognized in the organizational hierarchy. Formal groups consist of command groups, such as departments and work groups, and task groups, such as project teams and committees. Informal groups include interest groups, whose members affiliate for a specific purpose such as supporting charities or reviewing grievances. Friendship groups are informal associations that satisfy member's social needs by meeting regularly for lunch, for example, or attending sporting events together.

Explain group norms and cohesiveness and how they affect performance.

     Group norms are informal standards of conduct that all members of a group are expected to follow. These norms usually take the form of sanctions for or against work rules, expressions of personal behavior, and patterns of work. Cohesiveness is the extent to which employees feel attracted to their groups and compelled to stay in them. A highly cohesive group can be very influential in establishing its own work norms, pressuring the company for changes, and controlling individual members behavior.

Describe how work groups develop into mature teams.

     Work teams do not merely come together and instantly achieve high productivity. To the contrary, they often take years to solidify into mature teams with effective leadership, stable internal status relationships, and competence at controlling work and group activities. They often start out as immature groups whose members distrust one another, remain aloof, and only tentatively search for common ground and objectives on which to build stronger relationships, As they develop, communications become open the group starts making collective decisions, and members discover the benefits of group security and interdependence. With further development, they become cohesive work teams with a high degree of cooperation and sharing of problems,  tasks, decisions, and information.

Explain group empowerment in terms of decision making

     Empowerment is the process of entrusting work groups with significant control over their tasks as well as their membership, work methods, and work&-related decisions. It requires managers to relinquish tremendous authority to their groups, then provide the necessary leadership to support group efforts. Part of the empowerment process is training managers to exercise leadership as coaches, counselors, and participating team members.