Showing papers on "Job design published in 1996"

What works at work : overview and assessment

Abstract: This article discusses why it is difficult to measure the effects of management practices on organizational performance. In spite of these difficulties, a collage of evidence suggests that innovative workplace practices can increase performance, primarily through the use of systems of related practices that enhance worker participation, make work design less rigid, and decentralize managerial tasks. A majority of U.S. businesses have adopted some innovative work practices. However, only a small percentage of businesses have adopted a full system of innovative practices. We outline several constraints on the diffusion of new work practices, and suggest directions for future research

Relations between work team characteristics and effectiveness: a replication and extension

Abstract: Previous research has demonstrated that work team characteristics can be related to effectiveness (Campion, Medsker, & Higgs, 1993). This study provides a replication with professional knowledge worker jobs, different measures of effectiveness, and work units that varied in the degree to which members identified as a team. Data were collected from 357 employees, 93 managers, and archival records for 60 teams in a financial services organization. Team characteristics were measured with questionnaires completed by employees and managers. Effectiveness measures included immediate manager judgments at two points in time, senior and peer manager judgments, employee judgments, and archival records of employee satisfaction and performance appraisals. Results were similar to previous findings in that most team characteristics were related to most effectiveness criteria. Relationships were strongest for process characteristics, followed by job design, context, interdependence, and other characteristics. Further, work units higher on single-team identity were higher on many team characteristics and effectiveness measures.

A Predictive Model of Self-Managing Work Team Effectiveness:

Abstract: This paper tests a theoretically-driven model of self-managing work team effectiveness. Self-managing work team effectiveness is defined as both high performance and employee quality of work life. Drawing on different theoretical perspectives including work design, self-leadership, sociotechnical, and participative management, four categories of variables are theorized to predict self-managing work team effectiveness: group task design, encouraging supervisor behaviors, group characteristics, and employee involvement context. Data is collected from both a set of self-managing and traditionally managed teams from a large telephone company, and the model is tested with structural equations modeling. Support is found for hypotheses concerning group task design, group characteristics, and employee involvement context, but not encouraging supervisory behaviors.

Job Insecurity and Its Outcomes: Moderating Effects of Work-Based and Nonwork-Based Social Support

Abstract: The moderating effects of work-based support on the relationship between job insecurity and several work-related outcomes, namely (i) job dissatisfaction, (ii) proactive job search, (iii) noncompliant job behaviors; and nonwork based support on the relationship between job insecurity and a nonwork-related outcome, (iv) life dissatisfaction, were examined. Data were gathered through a mail survey to MBA graduates of a large northeastern university in the U.S. The findings of this study suggested that support derived from others at the workplace can contribute significantly in buffering individuals against job dissatisfaction, proactive job search, and noncompliant job behaviors when their job security is at stake. Equally important is support provided by family and friends which may buffer individuals against negative outcomes such as life dissatisfaction associated with job insecurity. Implications of the study are discussed.

A test of a multidimensional model of job insecurity: The case of Israeli teachers.

Abstract: Summary The research reported here adopted a multidimensional approach to studying job insecurity, using Israeli teachers as a case in point. Based on two determinants of job insecurity-unionization and kibbutz affiliation-four distinct employment types were identified: unionized city teachers, unionized kibbutz members, unionized kibbutz hirees, and non-unionized personal contract teachers. The a priori job insecurity status of the four employment types matched the subjective reports of these teachers, supporting the external validity of the job insecurity scale used. The study explored the effect of job insecurity on work attitudes. Results indicated that job insecurity had an adverse effect on organizational commitment, perceived performance, perceived organizational support, intention to quit and resistance to change, supporting predictions in related literature. The results of this study have implications on the management of job insecurity in changing environments.

The impact of ethical climate types on facets of job satisfaction: An empirical investigation

Abstract: This study examines the impact of ethical climate types (professionalism, caring, rules, instrumental, efficiency, and independence) on various facets of job satisfaction (pay, promotions, co-workers, supervisors, and work itself) in a large non-profit organization. Professionalism was the most reported and efficiency was the least reported ethical climate type in the organization. Among various facets of job satisfaction, respondents were most satisfied with their work and least satisfied with their pay. None of the climate types significantly influenced satisfaction with pay. A professional climate significantly influenced satisfaction with promotions, supervisors, and work. It also significantly influenced overall job satisfaction. Those respondents who believed that their organization had caring climate were more satisfied with their supervisors. An instrumental climate had a significant negative influence on overall job satisfaction and satisfaction with promotions, co-workers, and supervisors. Rules, efficiency, and independence climate types did not significantly affect any facets of job satisfaction.

Comparing Job Satisfaction among Public- and Private-Sector Employees:

Abstract: Over the past several decades a number of empirical studies have demonstrated that job-satisfaction levels vary widely in the American labor force. The effect of age, tenure, salary, job type, job ...

Karasek's Model in the People's Republic of China: Effects of Job Demands, Control, and Individual Differences

Abstract: A study of 1,200 employees from five Chinese cities found support for the cross-cultural applicability of Karasek's job demands-decision latitude model. The highest anxiety and depression were related to high job demands and low control, and the highest job satisfaction and life satisfaction were related to high job demands and high control. However, there were individual differences in the interactive effects of job demands and control and group differences in the applicability of the model, suggesting that Karasek's model needs to be amended and extended to take individual and socioeconomic differences into account. During the last two decades, job stress has been of particular interest to both academic researchers and practicing managers. Among the studies of the antecedents of stress, Karasek's (1979) job demands-decision latitude model has captured much attention. "Job demands are defined as psychological stressors, such as requirements for working fast and hard, having a great deal to do, not having enough time, and having conflicting demands. ... Job decision latitude comprises two components: the worker's authority to make decisions on the job (decision authority), and the variety of skills used by the worker on the job (skill discretion). Operationally these

Intelligence and job performance: Economic and social implications.

Abstract: General mental ability (intelligence) is the dominant determinant of the large individual differences in work output on the job revealed by research, but highly visible individual differences in citizenship behavior on the job make the intelligenceperformance relationship harder to observe in everyday life. Over time, the validity of job experience for predicting performance declines, while that of ability remains constant or increases. Path analyses indicate that the major reason ability predicts performance so well is that higher ability individuals learn relevant job knowledge more quickly and learn more of it. The current social policy that strongly discourages use of mental ability in hiring is counterproduc tive and has produced severe performance decrements. This policy should be changed to encourage the use of ability measures. However, it should also encourage the use of personality measures that increase overall predictive validity while simultaneously reducing differences in minority-majority hiring rates. General mental ability (intelligence) plays a dominant role in the determination of individual differences in job performance. This statement is no longer controversial among researchers who study job performance. However, both laypeople and psychologists from other areas often find this statement controversial. Many people believe that this statement cannot be true even though it has been confirmed by thousands of empirical studies. There are two reasons why many people find it hard to believe that intelligence is the main determinant of variation in job performance. First, most people greatly underestimate the extent of differences in performance. Thus, they underestimate the importance of job performance in the evaluation of workers. Second, most people confuse two different dimensions of personnel evaluation: (a) performance (i.e., productivity) and (b) citizenship behavior (i.e., social behavior at work). These background problems are so strong that they interfere with the ability of readers to follow discussions of findings on performance. Therefore, we will first discuss citizenship behavior and the word performance. We will then discuss the extent of individual differences in performance. After discussing these two preliminary issues we will return to our main topic: the strong relationship between intelligence and job performance.

Supporting social awareness @ work design and experience

Abstract: During the last year we have been designing and studying a computer based tool intended to strengthen social group awareness within a research laboratory. While awareness has been a subject of previous research it is still unclear how it should be conceptualized and how it can be provided for a CSCW system. In order to investigate this, and hence to attempt to create a system that would gain acceptance in the user community, we have been using a mixture of user-centered and participatory design methods. This paper presents the design process, the resulting system as well as users’ comments on it. Based on all this, issues related to awareness are discussed and ideas for further studies are suggested.

Longitudinal analysis of ability-job complexity fit and job change

Abstract: The study examines job mobility as a function of congruence between individuals' abilities and their job's complexity. The gravitational hypothesis (McCormick, DeNisi, & Staw, 1979; McCormick, Jeanneret, & Mecham, 1972), a keystone of this objective, posits that individuals will sort into jobs that are commensurate with their ability level. This study used various analytical techniques to examine the relationship between ability, person-job fit, and occupational mobility. First, the gravitational hypothesis was tested. Second, the direction of mismatch between ability and job complexity was hypothesized to predict direction of change in job complexity over time. Two national, longitudinal databases, the National Longitudinal Study of the Class of 1972 (NLS-72) and the National Longitudinal Survey of Labor Market Experience-Youth Cohort (NLSY), were used to test these relationships. Results were supportive in both the NLS-72 and the NLSY. Additional analyses examined the difference between measures of objective job complexity and subjective job complexity (Gerhart, 1988) for the gravitational process and the difference in employer- and employee-initiated job changes. These results have implications for employers, vocational counselors and job applicants. Suggestions for improving the ability-job complexity match are provided.

Expert systems usage: task change and intrinsic motivation

Abstract: What motivates use of an expert system? Recent studies have found that the anticipated performance benefits of using an expert system -- such as increases in decision quality, consistency, and speed of decision making -- can lead to increases in expected usage. But is motivation limited to performance benefits? Findings in job design theory suggest that other factors -- such as increasing a user's sense of control over a task or making a task less routine -- might also have an impact. If so, understanding these factors could be extremely valuable to managers seeking to build expert systems that will be readily accepted by users. This paper synthesizes findings from expert systems, information systems, and job design research to model how the task change experienced by an expert systems user during adoption can affect that user's motivation to continue using the system. Using existing task constructs from the job design literature, a simplified version of the model is operationalized and tested on a data set of expert systems (all constructed in the early and mid-1980s) for which extensive quantitative and qualitative task change data was available, as well as data on systems usage. The findings suggest significant relationships between the nature of the task changes associated with adoption and long-term usage of the systems, all consistent with the predictions of the job design literature. The study, therefore, concludes that a job design perspective of expert systems adoption can be a valuable tool in predicting user acceptance and, ultimately, systems usage.

The relationship between job satisfaction and managerial remuneration in small and medium-sized enterprises: an empirical test of ‘comparison income’ and ‘equity theory’ hypotheses

Abstract: The relationship between job satisfaction levels and the remuneration of non-owner managers employed by a sample of 97 UK small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) is investigated. The main empiric...

Job Satisfaction of UK Academics

Abstract: The topic of job satisfaction is of importance, not only because of its intrinsic humanitarian interest, but also because of its implications for a variety of job-related behaviours such as productivity, absenteeism and turnover. This paper attempts to provide a greater understanding of the overall as well as some of the more important specific determinants of the level of job satisfaction of university teachers. Employing a questionnaire survey to collect information, the study found that while academics appeared to be very satisfied with the core tasks of teaching, and, to a lesser extent, research, they were clearly dissatisfied with other aspects of their job including their salaries and promotion prospects.

Organizational commitment, job satisfaction and job characteristics: an empirical study of expatriates in saudi arabia

Abstract: The authors explore the nature of commitment, job satisfaction and job characteristics, and the nature of the interrelationships among these variables concerning expatriate employees in Saudi Arabia. An examination of a sample of 504 expatriate employees reveals that these employees are, by and large, indifferent with respect to their perceptions of commitment, job satisfaction, and job characteristics. In addition, the results provide strong support for (1) the influence of job satisfaction on commitment, (2) the influence of job variety on commitment, and (3) the influence of job autonomy, identity, and feedback on job satisfaction.

The impact of organizational downsizing on the job satisfaction of nurses.

Abstract: Professional nurses across Canada are being affected by health reform initiatives designed to deinstitutionalize the health care system This panel study examined the impact this restructuring has had on nurses' overall job satisfaction as well as their satisfaction with various aspects of their job and work environment The participants consisted of 345 nurses employed in 3 community hospitals in southwestern Ontario Hospital downsizing had relatively little effect on overall job satisfaction, satisfaction with kind of work, amount of work, and physical work conditions However, compared to before the downsizing, nurses reported a significant deterioration in satisfaction with their career future, hospital identification, supervision, and co-workers following the implementation of restructuring initiatives We discuss the organizational and management implications of these findings and suggest ways that hospital administrators can minimize the negative effects of downsizing on nursing professionals

The congruence between the importance of job satisfaction and the perceived level of achievement

Abstract: Measures hospital pharmacists’ importance levels for different items influencing their job satisfaction and dissatisfaction and their perceived levels of satisfaction achieved by the organizations. Finds that intrinsic motivators are the most important items influencing a person’s job satisfaction and dissatisfaction. When consideration is given to the congruency between importance of job satisfiers and the perceived level to which the job satisfiers are met by the organization, it appears that there are only a few where congruency occurs. In fact, it appears that intrinsic motivators are perceived to be the least satisfied by the organization. Indicates that managers should be aware of those motivators which people rank as important for positively influencing their levels of satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the job. Claims that this knowledge would allow managers to spend their limited resources wisely and achieve the greatest benefit for the organization by having a well‐satisfied workforce.

Tools to incorporate some psychological and organizational issues during the development of computer-based systems

Abstract: The organization, findings and outcomes of a joint industrial/academic project are described. The principal goal of the project was to develop and test some tools through which people involved in system development can incorporate explicit consideration of certain key psychological and organizational issues. Five tools developed for this purpose are outlined. These are concerned with the design of work organization, job design, the allocation of tasks between humans and computers, usability and task analysis. The use of the tools is described in a 'live' system development project in a large company. The authors briefly review the extent to which these tools meet a set of pre-specified requirements, compare their approach with those of Mumford (1986) and Lim et al. (1992), and make explicit what claims they are making of these tools.

Analysis of Job Satisfaction of the Federal White-Collar Work Force: Findings from the Survey of Federal Employees:

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to extend previous work on job satisfaction to identify major job and organizational factors as well as individual characteristics that affect employee job satisfaction...

Older Workers: Myths, Evidence and Implications for Australian Managers

Abstract: This paper addresses the research evidence for a number of negative stereo types about older workers and finds that those relating to avoidable absence, actual performance, memory, intelligence, ability to fit in, and job satisfaction are not supported. The evidence shows that despite the research, decisions based on age continue to be made in employment. To deal with this issue in Australia, legislation on age discrimination has recently been introduced. The consequences for management practice are significant. The impact in key areas such as human resource planning, recruitment, selection, performance appraisals, training, job design and termination are discussed.

Job Satisfaction, Job Reward Characteristics, and Employees' Problem Drinking Behaviors.

Abstract: Studies of job-based influences on employees' drinking have focused on the effects of structural and stress-producing features of jobs on alcohol consumption. Unexplored is the possibility of mediation of job-to-drinking effects via levels of job satisfaction. Using data from a large national probability sample of full-time workers, the current study tests a model that incorporates worker satisfaction as a mediating variable. Our analyses reveal that a complex interplay of stressors, rewards, and work-related affect influence employees' problematic drinking behaviors. Further, satisfied workers are significantly less likely to drink problematically. This lends support to the “spillover” model of work effects, namely, that work has important effects on the adjustment and behavior of workers in nonwork settings.

Limited intertemporal commitment and job design

Abstract: The paper shows that some of the guidelines for job design that emerge from a static analysis of the multitask agency problem can be overturned in a dynamic model with limited commitment. Static analyses have shown that it is optimal to assign workers sole responsibility for tasks, and to allocate them tasks which are as homogeneous as possible with respect to the ease of measuring performance. Our dynamic analysis demonstrates that it can, instead, be optimal to make workers jointly responsible for tasks, and to make their task portfolios as similar to one another, but as internally diverse, as possible.

Expectations and Job Satisfaction of Local-Government Professionals:

Abstract: Based on theories of job satisfaction and the motivating potential of professional work, we would expect public-sector professionals to express a level of satisfaction higher than that of other wor...

Relationship between Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment among Employees in the United Arab Emirates

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to assess 171 employees' job satisfaction and job commitment using two questionnaires, one to evaluate job satisfaction and one to examine commitment of the respondents to their respective jobs. The Job Satisfaction Questionnaire assessed job security, job status, relations with managers, and relations with colleagues. The desire to fulfill the commitments related to job requirements was tested using the scores on the Organizational Commitment Scale which measures discipline, concern, and updating. Scores on job satisfaction and the desire to fulfill job commitments were correlated; however, scores on job security were not correlated with the motivation towards job fulfillment. Positive satisfaction for relations with managers and with colleagues and job status were significantly correlated with positive job commitment. The canonical variant indicated that those who were disciplined about their work tended to have better relations with their managers as well as with colleagues.

The perceived levels of job satisfaction among police officers: A descriptive review

Abstract: Whereas job satisfaction is a popular research topic among industrial and organizational psychologists, police organizational researchers have all but ignored the area of job satisfaction. Considering its link to many organizationally important factors, such as productivity, morale, and personnel turnover, research on job satisfaction in policing should be important. The identification of how satisfied police officers are with various jobrelated factors can be extremely useful to the police executive. This article examines perceived satisfaction of a purposive sample of 2611 police officers, with respect to 23 job-specific and three global job satisfaction items.