Organisational Behaviour For Dummies

Chapter 12

Designing Jobs

In This Chapter

Increasing motivation and performance

Detailing approaches to job design

Fostering empowerment

Most people want jobs that are interesting and varied and that make a real difference. But why are so many jobs boring and monotonous? Does it matter to employees and organisations if jobs are designed to be challenging? And what can work psychologists do to improve things?

The principle of job redesign has been around as long as work itself. A typical approach is to look at a job and see how you can simplify the processes to make better-quality products, quicker and cheaper. However, organisations also look at job design for another reason – jobs that people find satisfying motivate them to work harder and better. Many employers now realise that the design of a job can have a considerable influence on employee behaviour and how they perform. Jobs that offer variety and responsibility and provide an interesting challenge tend to be more satisfying and motivating for most people.

As work psychologists, we look at how a job is designed and focus on how a redesign may improve the quality of people’s lives. Employers, however, are unlikely to accept ...