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    Tasks vs. Jobs

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    This document discusses job design and how tasks are organized into jobs. It describes how Frederick Taylor broke jobs down into individual tasks to increase efficiency, but this led to workers disliking their jobs due to a lack of autonomy and variety. Later, the Japanese auto industry found greater success by giving workers more control over engineering decisions in their jobs, leading to higher quality and productivity. Overall, the document examines different approaches to job design and how managing people can be a strategic driver when practices are aligned to give workers more autonomy and control over their work.

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    Tasks vs. Jobs

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    klkl
    12 views16 pages
    This document discusses job design and how tasks are organized into jobs. It describes how Frederick Taylor broke jobs down into individual tasks to increase efficiency, but this led to workers disliking their jobs due to a lack of autonomy and variety. Later, the Japanese auto industry found greater success by giving workers more control over engineering decisions in their jobs, leading to higher quality and productivity. Overall, the document examines different approaches to job design and how managing people can be a strategic driver when practices are aligned to give workers more autonomy and control over their work.

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    TASKS VS. JOBS

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    This document discusses job design and how tasks are organized into jobs. It describes how Frederick Taylor broke jobs down into individual tasks to increase efficiency, but this led to workers disliking their jobs due to a lack of autonomy and variety. Later, the Japanese auto industry found greater success by giving workers more control over engineering decisions in their jobs, leading to higher quality and productivity. Overall, the document examines different approaches to job design and how managing people can be a strategic driver when practices are aligned to give workers more autonomy and control over their work.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    Download as pdf or txt
    12 views16 pages

    Tasks vs. Jobs

    Uploaded by

    klkl
    This document discusses job design and how tasks are organized into jobs. It describes how Frederick Taylor broke jobs down into individual tasks to increase efficiency, but this led to workers disliking their jobs due to a lack of autonomy and variety. Later, the Japanese auto industry found greater success by giving workers more control over engineering decisions in their jobs, leading to higher quality and productivity. Overall, the document examines different approaches to job design and how managing people can be a strategic driver when practices are aligned to give workers more autonomy and control over their work.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    of 16

    TASKS VS.

    JOBS

    Professor Peter Cappelli

    WHARTON ONLINE
    First – some terms
    • What is a task?
    • What is a job? (series of tasks)
    • How do we determine what is in a job?
    • Jobs are arranged into organization charts
    – Identify reporting relationships and decision rights

    WHARTON ONLINE
    HOW TO DESIGN JOBS

    Professor Peter Cappelli

    WHARTON ONLINE
    How jobs are designed becomes complicated when people have
    to work together….

    WHARTON ONLINE
    Frederick Winslow Taylor

    Tries to Impose Order


    • Design jobs in ways that are easiest to do – early ergonomics
    • Take complicated jobs like machinist and break them down into
    individual tasks
    • Assign simple tasks to low-skill workers
    • Tell everyone exactly how their tasks should be performed
    • Piece-rate payments – share the gains with workers

    WHARTON ONLINE
    DRAWBACKS AND
    RETHINKING JOB DESIGN
    Professor Peter Cappelli

    WHARTON ONLINE
    What’s the drawback?

    People soon hated those jobs

    WHARTON ONLINE
    Rethinking job design from a human rather than an engineer’s perspective

    • What is it that people like about work?


    – Social interactions
    • What is it that they like about jobs per se (beyond the paycheck)?
    – Autonomy (control)
    – Variety
    – Appreciating the significance of their effort
    – Getting feedback on specific tasks

    WHARTON ONLINE
    ENGINEERS AND
    PSYCHOLOGISTS: A BATTLE FOR
    DESIGNING JOBS
    Professor Peter Cappelli

    WHARTON ONLINE
    Generation-long battle between engineers and psychologists

    WHARTON ONLINE
    LESSONS FROM THE JAPANESE
    AND US AUTO INDUSTRIES
    Professor Peter Cappelli

    WHARTON ONLINE
    The Rise of the Japanese Auto Industry
    • Powerful lessons from the Toyota production system
    • What’s different about it?
    – Workers control the engineering decisions about their job
    – Much greater autonomy and control
    – The individual tasks are just as boring BUT quality and
    productivity are far better
    • What’s the downside? Workers are in control – unlike Mother’s
    Restaurant

    WHARTON ONLINE
    SYSTEMS OF WORK

    Professor Peter Cappelli

    WHARTON ONLINE
    Thinking about systems of work where practices fit together
    • The managing people practices reinforce each other
    – Profit sharing and participation, e.g.
    • Those practices collectively drive competitiveness
    – Holt Chemical company
    – Nordstrom

    WHARTON ONLINE
    Management of people can drive strategy

    …it’s not just about execution

    WHARTON ONLINE
    WHARTON ONLINE

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