TECHNOLOGY AND WORK DESIGN

SATYA PRAKASH JOSHI

CONCEPT

• Technology is the process of transferring inputs into outputs. • It consist of knowledge, skills, equipment, process, methods,

and systems. • It substitutes machines for human labor. • It can be routine or non-routine, simple or sophisticated and

high-tech or low-tech depending on work design.

Hierarchy

HIERARCHY OF TECHNOLOGY

Hi-tech

Medium-tech

Low-tech

No technology

Hi-tech electronics and computers

Special purpose casting

Toy makers

Human Labour

TWD

WORK DESIGN

• Work design is defining and structuring jobs. It specifics content of job and methods of doing the job.

• Job specialization: It is specializing employees in specific • Job simplification: It is breaking down the job in smaller parts or simplification. • Job rotation: It is systematic movement of employees from one job to another. • Job enlargement: It is giving employees more similar tasks to perform. • Job enrichment: It is giving employees more control for task performance. • Autonomous teams: They are self-directed teams of employees to achieve

specific goals.

THEORIES OF WORK DESIGN

• Job character theory• Social information processing theory

JOB CHARACTERISTICS THEORY

• Developed by Hackman and Oldam. • It states critical psychological states determine the impact of

job characteristics on employees response to the task. • Experienced Meaningfulness of the work: The degree to

which employee experience the job as meaningful, valuable and worthwhile.

• Experienced Responsibility for work outcomes: The degree to which employee personally feels accountable and responsible for the result.

• Knowledge of results: The degree to which employees understand how effectively they are performing the job.

CRITICAL PSYCHOLOGICAL STATES

• Skill variety: User of different skills• Task identity: Doing the whole piece of work• Task significance: Work should be meaningful and worthwhile

doing. It should affect the lives or work of other people.• Autonomy: Freedom and independence to schedule the work. • Feedback: Information about effectiveness of performance.

OPERATION OF JOB CHARACTERISTICS

• Job characteristics, operating through high level critical psychological states, positively affect work outcomes through.

• High motivation• High quality performance• High job satisfaction• Low absenteeism and turnover

SOCIAL INFORMATION PROCESSING THEORY

• This theory states that social information in the workplace influences how employees perceive and react to job characteristics.

• Employees adopt attitudes and behaviors in response to the social cues provided by others with whole they have contact.

• They can be co-workers, supervisors, friends, family members. • Social information and job characteristics reinforce each other.• Positive social information and well-designed job produce

positive reactions. • Negative information and poorly designed job produce

negative reactions.

TECHNOLOGY AND WORK DESIGN

• Technology affects work design. • It is changing the workplace and the work lives of employees. • Recent advances in technology that affect work design are: • Team and continuous improvement process• Reengineering work processes• Flexible manufacturing system• Worker obsolescence

Technology

TEAM AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT PROCESS

• Technology is used for continuous improvement of all organizational process.

• Variations in quality are eliminated. The philosophy of TQL is adopted.

• Total Quality Management (TQM) is a comprehensive and structured approach to organizational management that seeks to improve the quality of products and services through ongoing refinements in response to continuous feedback.

• It advocates continuous improvement of product quality through everyone’s commitment and involvement to satisfy customer needs.

• This results in lower costs and higher quality.

CONT…

• Continuous improvement process uses PDCA cycle for incremental improvements.

ACT PLAN

CHECK DO

TQM – CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT PROCESS REQUIREMENT

• New Technology : based on digitalization. • Commitment: Top management commitment. • Employee involvement: For quality improvement it is must. • Team effort: Empowered teams are used for improvement. • Production methods: Flexible production processes and

methods are used. • Customer-orientation: Customer satisfaction is emphasized. • Control: Statistical quality control tools are used.

TOOLS FOR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT PROCESS

• Zero-defect: Right first time concept is used. Quality is designed into production process.

• Quality circle: They are formal work groups meeting periodically to find ways to improve quality and solve performance problems.

• Just-in-time: Inventories are received just in time to be used by production.

• Quality control: Statistical tools are used for quality control • Quality assurance: Consistency in conforming of standards is

assured. • Training: Employees are continuously trained in quality matter.

REENGINEERING WORK PROCESSES

• Reengineering refers to a radical redesign of work processes to achieve major gains in cost, service and time.

• It is a procedure in which work activities are radically changed and redefined.

• It asks the question- How things would be done if start is made from the scratch.

• It is maintained by top management.

KEY ELEMENTS

• Identify distinctive competencies: They are well-performed activities compared to competitors. Competitive advantages are,

• Higher quality products, Superior technical support, Knowledgeable employees, Efficient distributing system.

• Assess core processes: Processes transforms resources inputs into products that customers value. It determines the degree of value added by each process to distinctive competencies.

• Horizontal reorganization: Reorganization is done around horizontal process. Cross function and self managed teams are used to focus processes. Levels of management are reduced.

FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING SYSTEM

• Flexible manufacturing system is based on flexible technology. • Integrates (CAD), engineering and manufacturing. • Produces low volume products at low costs. • Flexible manufacturing system relies on computer programs,

they facilitate customized products. • Mass production products only standardized products.

REQUIREMENTS FOR FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS

• CAD: computer are changed to produce customized products. Machine remain the same.

• Employees: new breed of employees are needed. They have more training and higher skills.

• Organic structure: Employees are organized into work teams. They have decision making authority.

WORKER OBSOLESCENCE

• New technologies require new skills in employees. • Computers, reengineering, TQM and flexible manufacturing systems are

changing the skills need of employees. • i.e Repetitive tasks are being automated. • Jobs are being upgraded. • Jobs are being reengineered for higher productivity. • Jobs require computer literacy, interpersonal skills and team work. • Computer software is changing the job of professionals. • Channing technology makes the skills of employs obsolete. Their skills

become inadequate for new jobs.