Showing papers on "Job design published in 1983"

Job Satisfaction and the Good Soldier: The Relationship Between Affect and Employee “Citizenship”

Abstract: A measure of a wide array of employee activities on the job was completed by employees' supervisors at two points in time; employees reported their own job satisfaction via the Job Descriptive Index. Implications of relationships much higher than typically found in the job satisfaction–performance literature are discussed.

Organizational behavior: Concepts, controversies, and applications

Abstract: Introduction: what is organizational behaviour? The individual: foundations of individual behaviour perception and individual decision-making values, attitudes and job satisfaction basic motivation concepts motivation - from concepts to applications. The group: foundations of group behaviour understanding work teams communication leadership power and politics conflict, negotiation and intergroup behaviour. The organization system: foundation of organization structure work design human resource policies and practices organizational culture. Organizational dynamics: organizational change and stress management. Appendices: the historical evolution of organizational behaviour research in organiazational behaviour scoring keys for "learning about yourself" exercises part ending videocases - the knitting factory.

Job satisfaction: are all the parts there?

Abstract: Empirical data indicate that global measures of job satisfaction are not equivalent to the sum of the facet satisfactions. The purposes of this study were to explore the usefulness of single-item global measures of job satisfaction for job satisfaction research and also to explore whether global assessments of job satisfaction include consideration of variables typically not measured by job satisfaction instruments. Subjects are 185 employees working within two research and development units of two multinational corporations. The short-form Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire was used to obtain the sum of the facet satisfactions. Two single-item global questions of overall satisfaction were also used. One required a yes-no response and the second, a 1–5 rating response. Information about perceived determinants of job satisfaction, overall satisfaction with the job, satisfaction with occupational choice, career progress, and overall satisfaction with non-job related events was obtained through semi-structured interviews. Results indicate that defining overall job satisfaction as the sum of the evaluations of the discrete elements of which the job is composed, may lead to neglect of major determinants of job satisfaction. The “whole” appears to be more complex than the sum of the presently measured parts. Results also suggest that the 1–5 global rating of overall job satisfaction may be a more inclusive measure of overall job satisfaction than summation of many facet responses.

Management & organizational behavior

Abstract: A revised, updated overview of the entire field of management. This highly flexible text treats traditional topics, such as planning, organizing, and controlling, as well as production/operations management and organizational behavior. Offers timely coverage of such issues as international management, human resource development, and quality of work life. Also provides new material on motivation to manage, use of power and authority, ERG theory, and the psychological basis for effective job design. Learning aids include margin notes, chapter exercises and cases, and chapter outlines.

Recruiter and Job Influences on Candidates for Employment

Abstract: Employment interview research has been so largely focused on employer hmng decisions that little is known about job applicant decisions regarding employment. Two experiments were conducted to study the influences of recruiter behavior and job attributes on job applicant employment decisions Videotapes of mock interviews were constructed that varied recruiter affect and recruiter knowledge of the job (Experiment 1) and recruiter affect and job attractiveness (Experiment 2). These interviews were shown to student subjects (Ns =133 and 178) who were likely to apply for jobs similar to the sales position portrayed. Reliable effects of recruiter behavior and job attributes on subjects' propensities to pursue the job were obtained. Results indicated that recruiter behavior was consistently interpreted by subjects as a signal regarding their chances of getting a job offer, whereas job attributes exerted clear influence on perceived desirability of the job. Experiment 1 results (but not Experiment 2) indicated that recruiters may also influence the perceived desirability of the job

Job attitude and motivation differences between volunteers and employees from comparable organizations.

Abstract: Author(s): Pearce, JL | Abstract: Data were collected from members of 8 organizations: volunteer- and employee-staffed newspapers, poverty relief agencies, family planning clinics, and fire departments. It was expected that volunteers would report greater intrinsic, social, and service motivation; greater job satisfaction; less intent to leave; it was also expected that their activities would be more praiseworthy than that of employees. ANOVAs confirmed the expectation for all variables except intrinsic motivation. Results are consistent with "sufficiency-of-justification" effects. Limitations of the present study and implications of the intrinsic-motivation exception for generalizations of laboratory findings to the workplace are discussed. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).

Realistic Job Previews: A Critical Appraisal and Future Research Directions

Abstract: The considerable research on realistic job previews (RJPs) leaves no firm conclusions as to their effectiveness. Research results are inconsistent. A critical appraisal of past RJP research addresses specific issues: (a) the psychological processes that have been hypothesized to mediate the effectiveness of RJPs; (b) RJP boundary conditions; and (c) methodological weaknesses of previous RJP studies. Future directions for research are suggested.

Software Ergonomics: Effects of Computer Application Design Parameters on Operator Task Performance and Health

Abstract: Evidence is reviewed that the operating characteristics ofcomputer application systems, in addition to physical characteristicsof display units (CRTs), are the cause of many observed effects onoperator health and task effectiveness. These effects arehypothesized to occur through changes in task structure, and theman-machine redivision of labor that results when computer applicationsystems are introduced into work settings. First, the associationbetween task dimensions and models of operator performanceeffectiveness and well-being are reviewed. Second, application systemdesign parameters that affect task structure are identified. Then,empirical evidence supporting this three part causal linkage -application system parameters to task characteristics to operatoreffectiveness and health - is presented.The findings suggest that by improving dialogue quality, takingadvantage of two way communication to reduce uncertainty, usingsmaller and less integrated systems and matching system performance tooperator needs a job can be created that is likely to improve bothoperator well-being and effectiveness.

Job satisfaction and the fit between individual needs and organizational rewards

Abstract: Many conceptualizations of job satisfaction view job satisfaction as a function of the match between the rewards offered by the work environment and the individual's pattern of needs for those rewards. However, the correlation between the need/reward match and job satisfaction typically is not very high, resulting in a considerable number of ‘ off-quadrant ’ cases (i.e. dissatisfied people whose expressed needs are met by the work situation and vice versa). The purpose of this study was to determine if people who have higher or lower job satisfaction than their need/reward match would predict view their careers differently from those whose job satisfaction can be predicted. Subjects were 185 volunteers employed by research and development units of two multinational corporations. They were classified into quadrants using measures of job satisfaction, need importance, and reward availability developed as part of the Minnesota Work Adjustment Project. Information about vocational and career issues was collected by a half-hour open-ended interview. Results indicate that individual differences in aspiration level and different views of career progression help explain current job satisfaction over and above the match of needs and rewards.

Toward a Dynamic Model of Job-Person Relationships: Findings, Research Questions, and Implications for Work System Design

Abstract: Research findings concerning factors that shape job-person relationships over time are reviewed. Based on these findings, the basic components of a dynamic job-person model are identified, and critical research questions about job-person dynamics are discussed. Implications of the model for the design of developmental work systems are examined.

Job Satisfaction and Nonwork Satisfaction as Components of Life Satisfaction1

Abstract: The relationship between job satisfaction and life satisfaction is examined, using regression analyses which control the effects of satisfaction with domains other than the job and conditions associated with the workplace and with life away from work Results from data analyses of two independent sets of survey data are used to elaborate and refine a multivariate framework for relating overall life satisfaction and job satisfaction

Autonomous work groups in a greenfield site: A comparative study

Abstract: This paper describes an investigation of the attitudinal and motivational effects of autonomous group working in a greenfield site. Through the use of multiple comparison groups, the study demonstrates that the planned manipulation of work design was successful, leading to greater perceived work role complexity as well as to commensurate differences in perceived leadership style. These manifest and experienced differences in work design are shown to result in significantly higher levels of job satisfaction. However, no effect was found for employee motivation, organizational commitment, trust or mental health.

"Objective" and perceived task characteristics as a determinant of reactions by task performers.

Abstract: This article presents results of an empirical study on the relationship between task design and worker responses. In much research on task design incumbents' job perceptions are assumed to reflect the objective character of the job and to influence attitudinal and behavioural responses. However, when both jobs and responses are assessed through the incumbent, a within-person or cognitive consistency model is as plausible as a person-situation model of job characteristics. In this study both independent assessments and incumbents' perceptions of jobs are used as predictors. The results show a substantial convergence in the patterns of correlations between job characteristics and responses in the two forms of measurement.

Job satisfaction and turnover among social work administrators: a national survey.

Abstract: This study is based on a group of respondents who identified themselves as "administrators" in a national survey of social workers. The present analysis includes two dependent variables (job satisfaction and intent to turnover), and seven job facets as predictor variables (challenge, comfort, financial rewards, promotions, role ambiguity, role conflict, and workload). Overall, the administrators reported a high level of job satisfaction and perceived success at their work. But, more than a third of the respondents intend to turnover. Regression analyses revealed that the only significant predictor of job satisfaction was challenge, whereas, financial rewards and promotional opportunities emerged predictors of turnover. Gender differences are also discussed.

Job Satisfaction in Libraries: Relationships of the Work Itself, Age, Sex, Occupational Group, Tenure, Supervisory Level, Career Commitment, and Library Department.

Abstract: The study is guided by an interest in job satisfaction within the work setting. The chief hypothesis is that differences in job satisfaction will be found among library units and among occupational groups within libraries. The relationships of sex, age, and tenure to the job satisfaction of library employees also were explored. The results suggest that further library studies of job satisfaction will be more useful to the profession if placed within the context of the work environments in which librarians find themselves.

Job Longevity and Growth Need Strength as Joint Moderators of the Task Design-Job Satisfaction Relationship

Abstract: This paper examines job longevity and growth need strength as moderators of the job complexity-job satisfaction relationship. Data from two studies of blue-collar employees (n = 390 and n = 406) were examined using moderated regression analysis and subgroup correlation analytic techniques. The findings show, contrary to previously reported results, that job longevity is not a significant moderator of the job complexity-job satisfaction relationship. Similarly, the direct moderator effect of growth need strength did not replicate across studies. A consistent finding was obtained, however, suggesting that growth need strength moderates the job complexity-job satisfaction relationship only for employees with short job tenure. It is concluded that specifying the conditions within which moderators are important, rather than expecting consistent individual differences across all circumstances, may yet have important implications for both organizational theory and practice.

A Meta-Model of the Effects of Goal Characteristics, Feedback, and Role Characteristics in Human Organizations:

Abstract: Recent literature reviews have attempted to link goal-setting processes with other traditional human relations topics, possibly in a search for explanations of the inconsistent results among some empirical studies. The present reformulation builds upon the models developed in these literature reviews by offering more specific propositions regarding the variables in these models and by integrating these variables with three other organizational themes: participative management, job design and role theory. The model offered here is a meta-model because it is an integration of variables and concepts from several other models. Eleven propositions regarding the direct effects of goal characteristics, feedback, and role characteristics and eleven corollaries regarding the moderating effects of personal and job characteristics are presented.

Multivariate Relationships Between Job Characteristics And Job Satisfaction In The Public Sector: A Triple Cross-Validation Study.

Abstract: This study investigated multivariate relationships between task characteristics, measured by the Job Diagnostic Survey, and satisfaction with work outcomes, measured by the Triple Audit Opinion Survey, for 1,972 workers in the public sector. The obtained canonical correlations were high and stable across independent samples of public employees as indicated by a triple cross-validation design. The results support the predictions derived from the Hackman and Oldham model that job characteristics are more important for feelings of intrinsic job satisfaction than feelings of extrinsic job satisfaction, and that job characteristic - job satisfaction relationships are higher for high self-actualization need strength employees than for low self-actualization need strength employees. It was concluded that previous job characteristic - job satisfaction relationships established for private sector employees can be generalized to public sector employees.

Review and reappraisal of human aspects in planning robotic systems

Abstract: The social issues of worker displacement and worker retraining due to introduction of robotics are discussed and the impact of industrial robots on organization design and job design are reviewed and safety issues mentioned. The impact of human industrial work performance on designing robotics systems is reviewed with special reference to the range of human performance abilities; human information-processing, memory and decision making capabilities; paced-work; supervisory control of robotics systems; and, social and management impacts of robot diffusion.

The Influence of Leadership on Perceptions of Job Autonomy

Abstract: Summary Recent conceptual work has noted the behavior of leaders as one of the influences in the work context that directs employee attention to specific aspects of the job and thus influences job perceptions. The present study tested the hypothesis that structuring and considerate leader behaviors would focus the attention of subjects on job autonomy and thus would influence their perceptions of it only and would not demonstrate effects on other job characteristics. Forty-eight persons responding to a “help wanted” advertisement in the school newspaper of a large university in the U.S.A. served as subjects. The hypothesis was supported. Subjects working under conditions of high consideration and low structure exhibited high autonomy perceptions but not as high as those in the low consideration and high structure.

The job components inventory and the analysis of jobs requiring limited skill

Abstract: The Job Components Inventory, a new job analysis technique examining the use of tools and equipment, physical and perceptual requirements, mathematical requirements, communication requirements, and decision-making and responsibility requirements, is introduced. Results of a study of 100 job holders demonstrate a high reliability of the technique in terms of supervisor-job holder agreement, and the method is shown by analysis of variance and cluster analysis successfully to discriminate between and within job titles. The technique is proving to be a practical instrument for use in curriculum development, careers guidance and broad-based training, and recommendations for its further use and evaluations are made.

Job Characteristics and Employee Responses.

Abstract: Critics of the job characteristics model argue that job characteristics-job outcome relationships are largely attributable to common method variance. To examine this criticism, observation and inte...