The efforts to change the scope of jobs
in trying to motivate people create an interest in the quality of work
life. Job scope has two dimensions- breadth and depth. Job breadth
refers the number of different tasks an individual is directly
responsible for ranging from one task performed repetitively to several
tasks.
Employees with narrow job breadth are given a wider variety of duties in order to reduce their boredom the process is known as job enlargement. These additional tasks require less time to perform. Another way to enlarge job breadth is job rotation which involves periodic assignment of an employee to diverse sorts of job activities. Job rotation is an effective approach to develop multiple skills in employees which benefits the organization while creating greater job interest for the employee. The approach to increase additional motivators to a job to make it more rewarding is known as job enrichment. This approach thinks that the most effective way to motivate workers is by concentrating on higher-order needs. Job enrichment looks for increasing depth of a job by providing workers more control, larger obligation, and judgment over how their job is performed. The difference between job enlargement and job enrichment is obvious. While job enrichment focuses on satisfying higher-order needs, job enlargement focuses on adding additional tasks to the worker’s job for greater variety. We can blend the two approaches together by expanding the number of tasks and adding more motivators for a two-pronged attempt to improve quality of work life.
DIMENSIONS OF JOB ENRICHMENT
Job enrichment has the following core dimensions. These dimensions are shown in a diagram.
1. Skill Variety,
2. Task Identity,
3. Task Significance,
4. Autonomy,
5. Feedback
A job might have all five dimensions to be fully enriched. If one of the dimensions is absent, workers are psychologically deprived and motivation gets reduced. These core dimensions influence an employee’s psychological state that improves performance, job satisfaction and quality of work and reduces turnover and absence from work. Their effect on quality of work is not so trustworthy. Several managerial and non-managerial jobs, often do not possess in some core dimensions. Employees react to these core dimensions differently, the typical employee finds them to be basic for internal motivation.
1. Skill Variety: Skill variety permits employees to perform different operations that often require different skills. Jobs perceived high in variety are seen by employees as more challenging because of the range of skills involved and relieve monotony that develops from any repetitive activity. Variety provides employees a greater sense of competence, as they can perform different kinds of work in different ways.
2. Task Identity: Task identity allows employees to perform a complete piece of the work. When tasks are broadened to produce a whole product, then task identity has been established.
3. Task Significance:Task significance refers to the amount of impact, as the worker perceives, that the work has on other people. The impact can be on others in the work organization, as when the worker performs a key step in the work process, or on those outside the firm. Task significance denotes that workers should believe they are doing something important in their organization and/or society.
4. Autonomy: Job autonomy gives employees some discretion and control over job-related decisions. Job autonomy seems to be essential in creating a sense of responsibility in workers. Although workers are ready to work within the broad limitations of an organization, they also demand a certain degree of freedom. Management By Objectives is one way of establishing more autonomy because it provides a greater role for workers in establishing their own goals and pursuing plans to achieve them.
5. Feedback: Feedback refers to information that tells workers how well they are performing. Feedback can directly come from the job itself or management and other employees can give it. The concept of feedback is of much significance to people at work. Since they are spending a substantial part of their lives in their work, they wish to know how well they are performing. The feedback also enables employees to adjust their performance, if there are any deviations. Workers must receive complete job feedback, both positive and negative. If they received only negative feedback, it may be de-motivating.
The job enrichment has the number of advantages
1. The job enrichment enriches the role of an individual that encourages growth and self-actualization.
2. The job is designed in such a way that encourages intrinsic motivation.
3. Increased motivation improves performance by providing both a more human and a more productive job.
4. Reduces negative effects such as labor turnover, absenteeism, grievances and reduces idle time.
5. Society benefits from the more effectively functioning person as well as from better job performance.
6. Thus job enrichment occurs when the work adds more challenge, achievement, opportunity for growth, responsibility and provides feedback, and recognition.
However, employees themselves are the best judge to decide the factors that enrich their jobs. Management can just collect the information about the factors that tend to enrich job, bring about those factors in the job system, and then find out whether employees feel that their jobs are enriched. Management, therefore, must give equal attention to the motivational factors as well as maintenance factors. While increasing the motivational factors, maintenance factors need either to be kept constant or higher. In case maintenance factors are not paid adequate attention and there is a decline in them, the employees will not response positively to the enrichment program because inadequate maintenance factors cause distraction.
Employees with narrow job breadth are given a wider variety of duties in order to reduce their boredom the process is known as job enlargement. These additional tasks require less time to perform. Another way to enlarge job breadth is job rotation which involves periodic assignment of an employee to diverse sorts of job activities. Job rotation is an effective approach to develop multiple skills in employees which benefits the organization while creating greater job interest for the employee. The approach to increase additional motivators to a job to make it more rewarding is known as job enrichment. This approach thinks that the most effective way to motivate workers is by concentrating on higher-order needs. Job enrichment looks for increasing depth of a job by providing workers more control, larger obligation, and judgment over how their job is performed. The difference between job enlargement and job enrichment is obvious. While job enrichment focuses on satisfying higher-order needs, job enlargement focuses on adding additional tasks to the worker’s job for greater variety. We can blend the two approaches together by expanding the number of tasks and adding more motivators for a two-pronged attempt to improve quality of work life.
DIMENSIONS OF JOB ENRICHMENT
Job enrichment has the following core dimensions. These dimensions are shown in a diagram.
1. Skill Variety,
2. Task Identity,
3. Task Significance,
4. Autonomy,
5. Feedback
A job might have all five dimensions to be fully enriched. If one of the dimensions is absent, workers are psychologically deprived and motivation gets reduced. These core dimensions influence an employee’s psychological state that improves performance, job satisfaction and quality of work and reduces turnover and absence from work. Their effect on quality of work is not so trustworthy. Several managerial and non-managerial jobs, often do not possess in some core dimensions. Employees react to these core dimensions differently, the typical employee finds them to be basic for internal motivation.
1. Skill Variety: Skill variety permits employees to perform different operations that often require different skills. Jobs perceived high in variety are seen by employees as more challenging because of the range of skills involved and relieve monotony that develops from any repetitive activity. Variety provides employees a greater sense of competence, as they can perform different kinds of work in different ways.
2. Task Identity: Task identity allows employees to perform a complete piece of the work. When tasks are broadened to produce a whole product, then task identity has been established.
3. Task Significance:Task significance refers to the amount of impact, as the worker perceives, that the work has on other people. The impact can be on others in the work organization, as when the worker performs a key step in the work process, or on those outside the firm. Task significance denotes that workers should believe they are doing something important in their organization and/or society.
4. Autonomy: Job autonomy gives employees some discretion and control over job-related decisions. Job autonomy seems to be essential in creating a sense of responsibility in workers. Although workers are ready to work within the broad limitations of an organization, they also demand a certain degree of freedom. Management By Objectives is one way of establishing more autonomy because it provides a greater role for workers in establishing their own goals and pursuing plans to achieve them.
5. Feedback: Feedback refers to information that tells workers how well they are performing. Feedback can directly come from the job itself or management and other employees can give it. The concept of feedback is of much significance to people at work. Since they are spending a substantial part of their lives in their work, they wish to know how well they are performing. The feedback also enables employees to adjust their performance, if there are any deviations. Workers must receive complete job feedback, both positive and negative. If they received only negative feedback, it may be de-motivating.
The job enrichment has the number of advantages
1. The job enrichment enriches the role of an individual that encourages growth and self-actualization.
2. The job is designed in such a way that encourages intrinsic motivation.
3. Increased motivation improves performance by providing both a more human and a more productive job.
4. Reduces negative effects such as labor turnover, absenteeism, grievances and reduces idle time.
5. Society benefits from the more effectively functioning person as well as from better job performance.
6. Thus job enrichment occurs when the work adds more challenge, achievement, opportunity for growth, responsibility and provides feedback, and recognition.
However, employees themselves are the best judge to decide the factors that enrich their jobs. Management can just collect the information about the factors that tend to enrich job, bring about those factors in the job system, and then find out whether employees feel that their jobs are enriched. Management, therefore, must give equal attention to the motivational factors as well as maintenance factors. While increasing the motivational factors, maintenance factors need either to be kept constant or higher. In case maintenance factors are not paid adequate attention and there is a decline in them, the employees will not response positively to the enrichment program because inadequate maintenance factors cause distraction.
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