Job Designing

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Peshala Anuradhi
Bachelor of Management Honors in Human Resource (KIU)
Lesson Outcomes

1. Identifying the function and job designing.

2. Understanding the importance of job designing.
3. Identifying the job designing techniques.
4. Identifying the elements of job designing.
5. Identifying employee job fit concept.

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 Outline
1. Definition of job designing
2. Importance of job designing
3. Job designing techniques
4. Elements of job designing
5. Employee job fit concept
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01. Defining Job designing

There are primary jobs to be done when achieving the primary

goal of an organization.

Ex: Organization Primary goal

KIU, Sri Lanka Creating local and foreign Graduates

Jobs are basic building blocks of the organization that need to be

performed for achieving the primary goal of the organization.
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Fulfilling the primary goal may not be possible from a single job due
to some reasons.
– Lack of time
– Lack of competency
– Lack of energy

Ex: Primary goal Degree programs Jobs

Creating local and BM (Hons) in Accounting Accounts lecturing
International graduates BM (Hons) in Marketing Marketing lecturing
BM (Hons) in Human Resources Human resource lecturing
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As a result, there is a need to create suitable jobs to achieve the
primary goal of the Organization.
Jobs can be defined as an organizational unit of work.
A job includes 3 components,
• Tasks - series of motion and distinctly identifiable small work
activities
• Duties - A series of tasks is a large work segment
• Responsibilities - It is the obligation to perform the entrusted
task duties successfully
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Task, Duties & Responsibilities
Job Tasks Duty Responsibility

University Talking, Writing, Delivering Ensure student

senior Observation, lectures learning
lecturer Asking questions from
the students
HR Checking certificates Interviewing Ensure
Manager Asking questions job organizational
Observation applicants performance
Evaluating
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“Job designing is the personnel or engineering activity of specifying the contents of the
job, the tools and techniques to be used, the surroundings of the work, and the
relationship of one job to other jobs.”
(Glueck,1978)
“Job designing can be defined as the function of arranging tasks, duties, and
responsibilities into an organizational unit of work for the purpose of accomplishing the
primary goal and objectives of the organization.”
(Opatha, 2009)
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02. Importance of Job Designing

• Increase efficiency
• Increase effectiveness
• Enhance job satisfaction
• Training and Development
• Decrease Health and safety issues

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03. Job Designing Techniques

Techniques of
Job Design

Scientific Job Job Group Professional

Job Rotation
Technique Enlargement Enrichment Technique Technique

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 Scientific Technique
• This has derived from scientific management. The basic concept is
maximizing organizational productivity by maximizing employee
efficiency. Acquiring the maximum output by reducing the time,
effort, and expenditure required to finish the task as much as possible.
• Design jobs that have a smaller number of duties.
Ex: Jobs which include 3 duties - Sewing operator
• As a result, more specialization occurs, and the employee gets the
advantages from the specialization
• Specialized jobs have short job cycles (Required time to complete
every duty in the job for 1 time)
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 Advantages
• Speed of doing the work increases
• Time in learning the job reduce
• Cost of training the job reduce
• Wastage goes down
• Cost per unit is declined
• Quantity and quality can be
increased
• Employees can be replaced easily
• Economizing the equipment
Disadvantages
• Monotony (Negative feeling
about the repetition)
• Fatigue
• Job dissatisfaction
• Do not have an overall idea about
the production
• Boredom (Negative feeling due
to lack of interest)
• Other jobs feel uncomfortable
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 Job Enlargement

• Increasing the number of duties, enlarging the scope

of the job by including the new related duties in
addition to current duties (expansion of the job cycle).
• Alternatively called as “ Horizontal Expansion.

Ex: Before enlargement After enlargement

Teaching principles of management Teaching principles of management
Teaching Organizational behavior Teaching Organizational behavior
Teaching strategic management Teaching strategic management
Teaching environmental management
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 Job Enrichment
• Increase the depth of the job by expanding authority and
responsibility for planning, doing, and controlling the job called
as job enrichment.
• It is regarded as “ Vertical Expansion.”

Ex: Before enrichment After enrichment

Had no power to plan the way of sewing Planning the job
Doing the job Doing the job
Had no power to change the sewing technique Controlling the job

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Job Rotation
• Shifting the employee from one job to another job
within a certain period of time. Without limiting the
employee doing a particular job.

• Leads to increase the competency of the employee.

• Employees will get an overall understanding of the

organization.

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 Clerk Storekeeper

Accounts Computer
assistant assistant

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 Professional Techniques
• Designing the jobs according to the certain accepted profession.
A profession is a type of job that requires special competencies
which should be achieved through long-term, systematic
learning.
Professions: Accountant, Engineer, Doctor, Nurses, HR
Executives

Ex: Needed professional techniques for HR Executives

Staffing techniques
Recruitment techniques
Selection techniques
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 Group techniques (Team contemporary approach/
Team working method)

• Under this method jobs are made as a group.

Jobs are recognized as collectively.
• This technique is alternatively called as Team
Working method.
Ex: Audit team with 4 members

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04. Elements of Job Designing
Elements of job designing refers to qualities or features to be
considered and included in designing a particular job.

There are two categories of elements

• Efficiency elements (division of labor, standardization,
specialization)
• Behavioral elements (skill variety, task identity, task
significance, autonomy, and feedback)
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Efficiency • Division of labor: - breaking work into
Elements : smaller parts and employing different
persons to do each part separately.
Elements which
focuses on • Each person will have to perform a
increasing certain work that is very small requiring
less time, and less effort,..
productivity
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Efficiency • Standardization:- discovering one best
way to do a particular job with more
Elements : simplicity and lower cost through studies,
Elements which informing that best way to every
employee to accept and having each
focuses on employee to follow it. (Studies: Motion
increasing study, time study, methods improvement
study)
productivity
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Efficiency
• Specialization: employee’s concentration on
Elements: one particular type of work so that he/ she
Elements that secures an expertise in that type of work.

focuses on • Specialization results from division of labor.

increasing
productivity
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Behavioral
• Skill variety:- the extent to which the job
Elements: requires use of different skills.
Elements which
• If the job does not allow the job holder to
improve employee use different abilities, the element of skill
satisfaction (Job variety lacks.
characteristics model by Hakman
and Oldham)
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Behavioral • Task identity:- the extent to which the
job involves doing some complete piece
Elements: of work.
Elements that
improve employee Eg:- the job of producing a pair of shoes
completely has a high degree of task identity
satisfaction (Job while the job of finishing the heels of the shoes
characteristics model by Hakman has a low degree of task identity.
and Oldham)
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Behavioral • Task Significance:- the extent to which
the job has an impact on other
Elements: employees’ work.
Elements that
improve employee • Due to high task significance the
employee knows that his or her job is
satisfaction (Job very important to others inside or outside
characteristics model by Hakman the organization.
and Oldham)
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Behavioral
• Autonomy:- the degree of independence
Elements: and freedom the job holder has.
Elements that
• It is the degree to which the job gives the
improve employee job holder with authority for planning
satisfaction (Job and controlling the duties of the job.
characteristics model by Hakman
and Oldham)
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Behavioral
Elements: Feedback:- the extent to which clear
Elements that information of results of the employee’s
improve employee efficiency and effectiveness is provided.
satisfaction (Job
characteristics model by Hakman
and Oldham)
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 05. Employee Job Fit Concept
• If only behavioral elements are considered in designing
jobs, jobs designed are satisfying but not productive.

• If only efficiency elements are considered in designing

jobs, jobs designed are productive but not satisfying.

• There should be a trade-off between efficiency and

behavioral elements.

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To achieve this balance, the relevant job should be fitted to the employee
for a better job design. (Employee/job fit concept) 29
Ergonomics
• This means arranging and shaping the jobs to fit the
physical abilities and characteristics of individual
employees rather than the other way round
Eg: - some people can work under noise, but some cannot
some employees (specially young) need a lower level of
light to do the same work than others (specially old)
• Alternatively called as Biological Approach.
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Job Analysis
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 Job Analysis
• “The systematic Investigation of the job and job holder characteristics in order
to create a collection of information that can be used to perform various HRM
functions.”

• Job analysis is done for the job not for the position.
• Position is collection of tasks, duties, and responsibilities to be performed by one person,
job is grouping similar
Job positions having common tasks, duties, and responsibilities.
Positions
Human resource manager Manager – Training & development
Ex: Manager - Recruitment

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• Position personal, job impersonal. (ex: Job Production supervisor, having ten positions)
Importance of Job Analysis

PE

Induction Job design

Health and Reward

Safety management
Job Analysis

T&D HRP

Selection Recruitment

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 Process of Job Analysis

Acquire the general Identify jobs to be

Develop Job
Familiarity with the analyzed and select
Analysis Check list
Organization jobs for analysis

Evaluation Apply JA data Collect Data

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1. Acquire A general familiarity with the organization

• As the first step analysis does need to get a sound

understanding about the organization. Such as;
Overall vision
Mission
Objectives
Strategies
Structures
Inputs and outputs
organizational charts, Project charts
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2. Identified jobs to be analyzed and select jobs for
analysis
• Identify the different levels of jobs available in the
organization.
• In order to identify the jobs, the following things can
be used
Payroll Management
Telephone directories
Flow charts
Chat with individuals
Previous JA records 36
3. Develop Job Analysis Check list
• To analysis data the analyst makes different kinds of
forms to collect the data about jobs and job holders.
• The check list usually includes questions relating to
• Job identification data
• Duties and responsibilities
• Human Characteristics
• Working Conditions
• Performance Standards
• Other related feature
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4. Collect Data

• Observation
The Job analysts directly observe the job holder performing his/her
job and take notes to describe the task, duties and responsibilities,
and other aspects.

• Interviews
Job analysts hold the interview with the job holder, the holder’s
supervisor, other knowledgeable persons, and clients directly, check
the holder’s ideas and recheck from the supervisor for greater
accuracy. 38
• Jury of experts
In here data is collected from a panel of experts, the supervisor and
the senior incumbent, and long-time employees who are familiar with
the organization. The panel should represent the considerable
knowledge and experience about the job.

• Questionnaire
The Job analysts developed a questionnaire according to the job
analysis check list and given to all employees and their supervisor to
complete. Most of questions are close ended questions. And for the
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clarifications some are open ended.
• Employee log
An employee log or diary is another method of
collecting the data. The job holder has to mention the
tasks, duties, and responsibilities, and frequency of the
tasks, duties, and other related things as well.

• Participation
The Analysts actually perform the job holder’s tasks,
duties, and responsibilities. And get an understanding of
the job characteristics, time-consuming and some jobs
cannot be.
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 5. Apply job Analysis Data

• After step 4 the information regarding to the jobs is

collected. And make two important documents.
• Job Description
• Job Specification

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 Job Description
• It is the document that describes the duties and responsibilities,
working conditions, and other aspects of a particular job. One job
description prepares for one job.
• No standard form for JD
• There are two types of JDs when writing
- Narrative description with few parts
- Break down the description to sub-parts or component
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 Job Specification
• The specification reflects specific key qualifications an individual
needs to perform the job.
• It described the capabilities needed to perform the job by the job
holder.
• Alternatively, a job specification can be called a person specification
or job holder specification.
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6. Evaluate
Assessing the degree of success of the above steps
performed. Also, it is important to update JD and JS
after a certain period.

• Does prepared JD Sufficiently describe the jobs?

• Does prepared JS sufficiently describe the job
holder?
• Is the data collection method adequate?
• Are there JD and JSs for every job?
• Do they use other HRM functions adequately?
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Thank You
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