Design of Work Systems

Chapter 7

DESIGN OF WORK SYSTEMS

Aizell A. BernalMGNT 102BSBA 3 Mr. R. Navarro

Specialization Behavioral Approaches to Job Design

Teams Methods Analysis Motions Study Working conditions

Design of Work Systems

Job DesignJob design involves specifying the content and methods of job

• What will be done?• Who will do the job?• How the job will be done?• Where the job will be done?

Successful Job Design must be:

Carried out by experienced personnel with the necessary training and background

Consistent with the goals of the organization

In written formUnderstood and agreed to by both management and employees

Job Design Success

Specialization in Business: Advantages

For Management:1. Simplifies training2. High productivity3. Low wage costs

For Labor:

1. Low education andskill requirements

2. Minimumresponsibilities

3. Little mental effortneeded

Disadvantages

For Management:1. Difficult to motivatequality 2. Worker dissatisfaction,

possibly resulting inabsenteeism, highturnover, disruptivetactics, poor attention

to quality

For Labor:1. Monotonous work

2. Limited opportunitiesfor advancement

3. Little control over work4. Little opportunity for

self-fulfillment

Job Enlargement - giving a worker a larger portion of the total task by horizontal loading

Job Rotation - workers periodically exchange jobs

Job Enrichment - increasing responsibility for planning and coordination tasks, by vertical loading

Behavioral Approaches to Job Design

Motivation◦Influences quality and productivity

◦Contributes to work environment Trust◦Influences productivity and employee-management relations

Motivation and Trust

Benefits of teams◦Higher quality◦Higher productivity◦Greater worker satisfaction

Self-directed teams◦Groups of empowered to make certain changes in their work process

Teams

Methods Analysis

Analyzing how a job gets done

Begins with overall analysis

Moves to specific details

The need for methods analysis can come from a number of different sources:

Changes in tools and equipmentChanges in product design or new products

Changes in materials or proceduresOther factors (e.g. accidents, quality problems)

Methods Analysis

1. Identify the operation to be studied2.Get employee input3.Study and document current method4.Analyze the job5.Propose new methods6.Install new methods7.Follow-up to ensure improvements have been achieved

Methods Analysis Procedure

Selecting a job to study consider:◦High labor content◦Done frequently◦Unsafe◦Tiring◦Unpleasant◦Noisy◦Designated problem

Selecting an Operation

Flow process chart◦Chart used to examine the overall sequence of an operation by focusing on movements of the operator or flow of materials

Worker-machine chart◦Chart used to determine portions of a work cycle during which an operator and equipment are busy or idle

Analyzing the Job

Motion study- is the systematic study of the human motions used

to perform an operation.

Motion Study

Motion study principles - guidelines for designing motion-efficient work procedures

Analysis of therbligs - basic elemental motions into which a job can be broken down

Micromotion study - use of motion pictures and slow motion to study motions that otherwise would be too rapid to analyze

Charts Therbligs

Motion Study Techniques

1. Eliminate unnecessary motions2. Combine activities3. Reduce fatigue4. Improve the arrangement of

the workplace5. Improve the design of tools

and equipment

Developing Work Methods

Therbligs - basic elemental motions that make up a job.◦Search◦Select◦Grasp◦Hold◦Transport load◦Release load

Therbligs

Working ConditionsT e m p e r a t u r e &H u m i d i t y

V e n t i l a t i o n

I l l u m i n a t i o n C o l o r

Working Conditions

Noise & Vibration

Causes of AccidentsSafety

Work Breaks

Work measurement - determining how long it should take to do a job.

◦Standard time

◦Stopwatch time study

◦Historical times

◦Predetermined data

◦Work Sampling

Work Measurement

The amount of time it should take a qualified worker to complete a specific task,

working at a sustainable rate, using given methods, tools

and equipment, raw materials, and workplace arrangement.

Standard time

Stopwatch Time Study - development of a time standard based on observations of one worker taken over a number of cycles.

The basic steps in a time study1. Define the task to be studied2. Determine the number of cycles to

observe3. Time the job4. Compute the standard time

Stopwatch Time Study

Standard elemental times - time standards derived from a firm’s historical data.

Steps for standard elemental times1. Analyze the job2. Check file for historical times3. Modify file times if necessary4. Sum elemental times to get normal time

Standard Elemental Times

Predetermined time standards - published data based on extensive research to determine standard elemental times.

Advantages1. Based on large number of workers under

controlled conditions2. Analyst not requires to rate performance3. No disruption of the operation4. Standards can be established

Predetermined Time Standards

Work sampling - technique for estimating the proportion of time that a worker or machine spends on various activities and idle time.

- involves making brief observations of a worker or machine at random intervals

Work sampling does not require ◦timing an activity◦continuous observation of an activity

Work Sampling

AccurateEasy to applyConsistentEasy to understand

Fair

Form of Incentive Plan

Time-based system◦Compensation based on time an employee has worked during a pay period

Output-based (incentive) system◦Compensation based on the amount of output an employee produces during a pay period

Compensation

Individual Incentive Plans

Group Incentive Plans

Knowledge-Based Pay System

Management Compensation

Compensation