Showing papers on "Job design published in 1985"

Measurement of human service staff satisfaction: Development of the Job Satisfaction Survey

Abstract: The development of the Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS), a nine-subscale measure of employee job satisfaction applicable specifically to human service, public, and nonprofit sector organizations, is described. The item selection, item analysis, and determination of the final 36-item scale are also described, and data on reliability and validity and the instrument's norms are summarized. Included are a multitrait-multimethod analysis of the JSS and the Job Descriptive Index (JDI), factor analysis of the JSS, and scale intercorrelations. Correlation of JSS scores with criteria of employee perceptions and behaviors for multiple samples were consistent with findings involving other satisfaction scales and with findings from the private sector. The strongest correlations were with perceptions of the job and supervisor, intention of quitting, and organizational commitment. More modest correlations were found with salary, age, level, absenteeism, and turnover.

Stability in the Midst of Change: A Dispositional Approach to Job Attitudes

Abstract: Most recent debates on the determinants of job attitudes have concentrated on situational theories, stressing external influences such as job design and social information processing. In contrast, this research examines the dispositional argument that job attitudes are rather consistent within individuals, showing stability both over time and across situations. To test this notion, longitudinal data on job satisfaction were analyzed from a national sample of over 5,000 middle-aged men. Results showed significant stability of attitudes over a 5-year time period and significant cross-situational consistency when individuals changed employers and/or occupations. Prior attitudes were also a stronger predictor of subsequent job satisfaction than either changes in pay or the social status of one's job. The implications of these results for developing dispositional theories of work behavior are discussed, along with possible implications for popular situational theories such as job design and social information processing.

The Measurement of Work Autonomy

Abstract: The importance of autonomy has been asserted by numerous writers in a variety of research domains, e.g., leadership, organizational climate, professionalism, and job design. In this paper, it is argued that research on job autonomy has been hindered by the way it has been conceptualized and operationalized by recent researchers. More specifically, it is suggested that the most commonly used measures of job autonomy operationally confound job autonomy with a conceptually distinct job characteristic (job interdependence/independence). Furthermore, it is suggested that for both theory development and improved organizational interventions it is important to distinguish separate areas (facets) of autonomy. This paper presents the development of a new instrument capable of tapping three distinct types, i.e., “Method A utonoly,” “Scheduling Autonomy,” and “Criteria Autonomy,” of work autonomy. Data relevant to the reliability and the validity of the instrument were gathered in two organizations. The results of s...

Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment.

Abstract: : The literature on job satisfaction and organizational commitment is reviewed. Job satisfaction is defined and current theoretical perspectives identified. Subsequent discussion focuses on the measurement of satisfaction, methods of studying satisfaction, the determinants of satisfaction, and the consequences of satisfaction. A parallel treatment of organizational commitment follows. Finally, agendas for future theory and research are summarized.

New forms of work organization

Abstract: As a concept. “New forms of work organization” is not all that new. But it is still regarded as such. Information technology should be accelerating the process of change. But isn't. The cyclical upsurge in attention to industrial democracy is another opportunity to speed up changes to the design of jobs. But probably won't. What are the barriers to the diffusion of these concepts? How can the application of socio-technical job design principles be more widely applied? The paper will explore these and related questions, using local and overseas examples.

Development and Field Evaluation of an Interdisciplinary Measure of Job Design

Abstract: Michael A. Campion International Business Machines Corporation Research Triangle Park, North Carolina Paul W. Thayer North Carolina State University The development of an interdisciplinary job design questionnaire and a study of its interrelationships with a variety of outcomes is described. A taxonomy of job design approaches was developed from literature of different disciplines: (a) a motivational approach from organizational psychology; (b) a mechanistic approach from classic industrial engineering; (c) a biological approach from work physiology and biomechanics; and (d) a perceptual/motor approach from experimental psychology. The Multimethod Job Design Questionnaire (MJDQ) was developed reflecting these approaches. A corresponding taxonomy of job outcomes was developed, and hypotheses were generated as to relationships between job design approaches and outcomes. A field study involved 121 jobs, 215 incumbents, and 23 supervisors from five plants. Results indicated the MJDQ was reliable, and most hypotheses were supported. Different job design approaches influence different outcomes and may have some costs as well as benefits; an interdisciplinary perspective is needed to integrate major theories of job design. Even a cursory examination of the job design literature reveals many different schools of thought: industrial engineering approaches of scientific management and time and mo- tion study, the psychological approaches of job enrichment and motivating job charac- teristics, the human factors or ergonomics approaches, and sociotechnical approaches to job design. Although there is some overlap in the recommendations made for proper job design, there is considerable divergence in focus and even some direct conflict in advice. Proponents, however, claim that their job designs positively influence most of the out- come spectrum for both the individual and the organization. This study won the 1983 S. Rains Wallace Dissertation Award sponsored by the Society of Industrial/Organiza- tional Psychology, Division 14 of the American Psycho- logical Association. It was conducted while the first author was a doctoral student at North Carolina State University. Special thanks to Kitty Klein, Richard Pearson, and Michael Joost for their comments and suggestions on this research. Thanks also to the many managers and employees of Weyerhaeuser Company who contributed time and data to this study. Requests for reprints should be sent to Michael A. Campion, IBM Corporation, D673/B205, P.O. Box 12195, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709. The present study addresses this confusion by pulling together the diverse literature on job design, delineating major approaches, and demonstrating that each approach is geared toward a particular subset of outcomes. More specifically, this study (a) develops a job design taxonomy, (b) develops a corre- sponding job outcome taxonomy, (c) develops measures that reflect the design taxonomy, (d) develops measures which reflect the out- come taxonomy, and (e) evaluates differential predictions of job design-outcome relation- ships in a field setting. Taxonomy of Job Design Approaches The first step was to consult the literature and extract specific job design rules. Nearly 700 job design rules resulted, suggesting ad- equate coverage of the content domain. Rules were then sorted into fairly homogeneous groups based on underlying theoretical per- spectives. Similar rules were combined into a principle that summarized their main con- tent. Principles were written to represent the consensus from the literature, each reflecting common content from a large number of specific rules. They were also broad enough to be applicable across diverse jobs, yet spe- cific enough to allow objective and quantifi- 29

Social information and employee anxiety about organizational change

Abstract: Studies of job attitudes have traditionally been conducted on the correspondence between individual needs and objective job characteristics. A recently developed theory, however, suggests that job attitudes may be a function of social information received (Salancik & Pfeffer, 1978). This investigation used social information processing theory as the basis for a study of antecedents to employee anxiety about a move to an open office environment. The structural equation model developed from social information processing theory proved to be a good fit to the data, and a revised version of the model provided an even belter accounting for the variance in the data. Anxiety about organizational change was determined by social information, individual needs, and job characteristics, with need for privacy having the largest impact on anxiety. The model is discussed in terms of its support for information processing theory, its individual significant linkages, and the implications for need satisfaction models of job attitudes and other research on outcomes in organizations.

Job Dissatisfaction: What are the Consequences?

Abstract: Although job dissatisfaction has been of central importance to industrial psychology for many years, there exists no general theory of the behavioral and psychological consequences of job dissatisfaction. This paper reviews the concept of job dissatisfaction, and argues that no particular consequence of job dissatisfaction is inevitable or necessary. The various psychological and behavioral consequences of job dissatisfaction are considered, and a heuristic guide for further research is suggested.

The clinical impact of job design.

Abstract: This paper summarizes some of the evidence that particular features of jobs are associated with particular types of neurotic symptoms, in a way consistent with broader views both of cognitive psychology and biological studies of stress. Particular emphasis is placed on interactive effects of certain characteristics of individuals, making them more or less vulnerable to stress.

Government Programs, Job Search Requirements, and the Duration of Unemployment

Abstract: This paper presents an empirical analysis of how job search requirements under various government programs influence job search behavior The analysis indicates that job search requirements exert a significant impact on certain aspects of the job search process, but not those that generally lead to a higher probability of employment It is also found that persons who utilize intensively search activities that result in direct employer contact have much shorter durations of unemployment than persons who do not utilize such activities intensively It is speculated that altering job search requirements to include more direct employer contact could lead to a significant reduction in unemployment

Valence of and Satisfaction with Job Outcomes

Abstract: Approximately 2,800 unionized construction workers were surveyed and responses were received from 703, representing all crafts except Boilermakers. The workers were asked about the importance they attach to various job related factors and their satisfaction with each factor. The 28 individual factors were reduced to seven using a factor analysis technique. The most important set of factors were those relating to the intrinsic nature of the work: working like a craftsman, performing challenging work, etc. The set of factors with which the workers was most satisfied was that of Performance Level: high productivity; quantity; and doing your work in a craftsmanlike manner. Individual factors that require attention on the part of contractors to improve worker motivation and satisfaction were identified using a 2×2 matrix that allowed the combination of importance and satisfaction scores. Overall satisfaction with the job was measured and a multiple regression analysis revealed that satisfaction with intrinsic factors makes the greatest contribution to general job satisfaction.

Job Importance as a Moderator of the Relationship Between Job Satisfaction and Life Satisfaction

Abstract: Moderated regression analyses are used to assess the degree to which indirect indicators of job importance moderate the relationship between job satisfaction and life satisfaction. The 1971 Quality of American Life Survey (N = 2,164) and the 1972-1973 Quality of Employment Survey (N = 1,496) provide two large nationwide probability sample data sets for these secondary analyses. It is hypothesized that the strength of the job satisfaction-life satisfaction relationship is positively related to job importance. Contrary to this hypothesis, respondents whose jobs were expected to be more important do not have substantially stronger job satisfaction-life satisfaction relationships than respondents whose jobs were expected to be less important. The zero-order job satisfaction–life satisfaction correlations in both samples are stronger than expected (r = .48 and r = .49). Discussion focuses on the conceptual implications of the failure to find substantial moderator effects. Locke's (1969) theory of the implicit ...

Prospective work design of a human-centred CNC lathe

Abstract: In the operation of many automated systems, the control functions are performed concurrently by human operator and computer. This paper discusses the importance of man-machine interface design for overall system efficiency and described how interface software enables operator and machine to help each other to achieve an effect of which each is separately incapable. Guidelines for the design of a computer numerically controlled (CNC) lathe interface are outlined and the implications for interface design methodology are discussed.

Socio-Technical Design

Abstract: This chapter focuses on socio-technical design. Socio-technical design includes job design, specification of the way the system will be used, and decisions about staffing and training requirements. It also includes consideration of the hardware configuration and the way work is progressed through the computer, because this is the most critical factor in determining how the work is organized. The process starts by agreeing social objectives and technical objectives. Technical objectives for the system are the functions it must perform. There will be technical alternatives, that is, different types of computer and/or manual systems that could achieve these objectives. Various combinations of social and technical alternatives can be tried out to see which would warrant further investigation prior to a final selection of system type.

Predicting Job Satisfaction from Life Satisfaction: Is There a General Satisfaction Factor?

Abstract: Job satisfaction has been shown to be related to a number of individual and organizational effectiveness variables. Consequently, it is suggested that attempts to select individuals with inclinations towards satisfaction would be of theoretical and practical importance. For five samples of individuals representing a wide variety of occupations, regression analyses were used to assess the usefulness of life satisfaction in the prediction of subsequent job satisfaction, while statistically controlling various demographic variables, pay, tenure, and perceptions of task characteristics. In a sixth sample of workers eligible for retirement, the hypothesis that life satisfaction can be predicted from job satisfaction was also examined. The results showed that in three of the first five samples, life satisfaction was a significant predictor of job satisfaction. In the sample of retirees, significant results were also obtained using job satisfaction to predict subsequent life satisfaction. It is suggeste...

Job Attitudes and Work Values

Abstract: Information about the job satisfaction and work attitudes of older people is limited. The few studies that have been conducted suggest that job satisfaction increases slightly with age (Davidson and Kunze 1965; Janson and Martin 1982; Quinn and Shepard 1974; Staines et al. 1974). Davidson and Kunze (1965), for example, found that the work morale of workers in their preretirement years was high, while it was low for workers in their middle thirties. They suggested that the low morale in the middle period of employment was due to an increasing awareness of competition, low seniority, feelings of insecurity, and disappointment with progress. High morale of the older workers was attributed to the tendency of dissatisfied workers to remove themselves from the work force or to be discharged by others and to resolution of earlier work problems by those workers who remained in the work force.

Determinants of employee work perceptions and attitudes: Perceived work environment and organizational level.

Abstract: Organizational level and the perceived physical and social work environments were examined as predictors of the job perceptions and attitudes of state government employees (N = 420). Regression analyses indicated that organizational level was a significant predictor of job perceptions and involvement. Perceptions of the social environment explained additional variance in job attitudes and involvement, and made significant contributions in explaining trust in higher-level administration and job satisfaction. Perceptions of the physical environment were consistently related to satisfaction. Level X environment interactions made independent contributions beyond the main effects in explaining job perceptions and involvement, trust, and satisfaction. The physical environment predicted better for higher-level employees, whereas the social environment predicted better for lower-level employees. The results suggest that organizational level and the work environment, particularly its social component, are importan...

The effects of need for achievement and need for independence on the relationship between perceived job attributes and managerial satisfaction and performance.

Abstract: Work-manifest needs for achievement and independence were examined as moderators of relations between perceptions of five job attributes (skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy and feed-back) and job satisfaction and job performance among a sample of 346 middle-managers. Need for achievement and need for independence were unrelated to the perceived job attributor and to both job satisfaction and job performance. However, most of the relations between the perceived job attributes and both job satisfaction and job performance were significantly higher among the managers high in need for achievement and need for independence than among those low in these needs. These results point to the importance of differentiating between managers high and low in these needs when redesigning jobs.

Work Design and Supervisory Practice: A Model:

Abstract: In this paper it is argued that contemporary theoretical approaches to work design and redesign neglect the role played by supervision, and that this has been an impediment to both research and practice. From an examination of the literature in the area, relevant aspects of supervisory behavior are identified and a model presented which relates job characteristics to supervisory practices. Finally, the model is discussed in the context of leadership research.

Family Satisfaction and Job Performance: Implications for Career Development:

Abstract: Jerelyn B. Schultz is Professor, Home Economics and Secondary Education, Iowa . State University, Ames, Iowa. Chinella Henderson is Housing, Home Furnishing, and Energy Specialist, Alabama A and M University, Normal, Alabama. More and more individuals are being confronted by both work and family responsibilities. In over one half of all American marriages today, both husband and wife work outside the home. By 1990 it is estimated that only one-fourth of two-parent families will have a nonemployed parent. With over half of all married women, including a high proportion of those with pre-school 1 age children, in the work force and with a growing number of single parents, it is no longer possible to assume that employees have support systems at home to ensure that family problems do not intrude on the workplace (Kanter, 1983).

A Public Choice Approach to Motivating People in Bureaucratic Organizations

Abstract: This paper examines the problem of motivating people in organizations from a public choice viewpoint. A number of propositions are derived deductively from assumptions regarding individual goals, discretion, and preferences. These suggest how managers can improve productivity by changing either incentive systems or work group size, job design, and personnel rotation practices. Public choice is the application of economic analysis to the study of political behavior. Within public administration, public choice has formed a theoretical basis for a critique of government bureaucracy and for an examination of market and quasi-market mechanisms for the delivery of public services, including privatization, voucher schemes, contracting out, and competing bureaucracies. This growing body of research has been reviewed by Straussman (1981) and Weschler (1982). Little attempt, however, has been made to apply public choice methodology to the problems facing those who must manage people in large bureaucratic organizations. This is surprising because a central concern of public choice focuses on how rational individuals cooperate to

AET - a new job-analysis method

Abstract: The stress-relevant scaling of vocational activities by AET ascertains and compares job demands which are characterized by many different human activities. The AET results thus form a data bank which is suitable for various aims of ergonomic work evaluation and work design. The application of the specific supplement of H-AET in addition to AET itself allows detailed strain classification, especially in the field of demands of activity. If, by a stress-oriented taxonomy for work carried out in the range of vertical reach of the arms, anatomic-geometrical differentiations of vertical reach and biomechanical postural forces are coupled to the workplaces, it is possible to differentiate the scaled activities in a strain-relevant bottle-neck analysis. The characteristics of the scaled items allow the immediate determination of biomechanical risks of damage or the derivation of measures for workplace design.

Community college faculty job satisfaction

Abstract: This paper presents the findings of a 1983 survey of 131 faculty in four postsecondary institutions in a state in the southeastern U.S.A. The purpose of the study was to elicit faculty judgments about their self‐concepts and commitment, stresses, and satisfactions in work and family life. This report presents data only about the respondents and their work: their job and its stressors and job satisfactions and dissatisfaction. The study revealed that faculty derive high satisfaction from student achievement, their own intellectual growth in a discipline and the world of ideas, working under flexible and relatively autonomous conditions, and association with stimulating peers. Their chief dissatisfactions dealt with job conditions (equipment and facilities, inflexible teaching schedules), personal conditions (lack of recognition, heavy teaching load), salary, red tape, and student and colleague apathy. A secondary purpose of the study was to test Herzberg's two‐factor theory of job satisfaction. These respo...

Job Complexity as Perceived by Workers and Experts.

Abstract: Following a symbolic interactionist framework, a study of Chicago-area women aged 25 to 54 focused on their constructed reality including definitions of the complexity of their job. Women in even low status and task complexity occupations, as measured by Duncan and DOT scales, found some dimensions of their jobs “above average”—such as independence, responsibility, opportunities to see the product of the work, and opportunities for self-development—and were pleased by this level of perceived job complexity. There are women who feel their jobs are below average along these dimensions and are pleased with this situation, but there are fewer of them than the stereotypes of female workers predict. Women appear to judge their jobs from a social role rather a task perspective, which probably accounts for the relatively low fit between their evaluations of job complexity and the Duncan socioeconomic index or The Dictionary of Occupational Titles' complexity scale.

Occupational stress among word process operators

Abstract: This study assessed the link between work stress and mental health/job satisfaction among a group of 166 word process operators and copy typists. It was found that word process operators perceived more aspects of their job as stressful, and were more job dissatisfied, than copy typist—secretaries. More importantly, ‘lack of role clarity’ was the single most significant predictor of mental ill-health and job dissatisfaction among word process operators, together with ‘limited career prospects’. The implications of these and other findings are discussed.