How does job enlargement motivate employees?
|
Job Enlargement: Definitions, Advantages and Disadvantages! Show
Another motivational technique closely related to job enrichment is the job enlargement. “Job enlargement refers to adding a few more task elements horizontally.” “Job enlargement involves performing a variety of jobs or operations at the same time. Thus it involves horizontal job loading as compared to vertical one in job enrichment.” “Job enlargement focuses on enlarging jobs by increasing tasks and responsibilities. It involves expansion of the Scope and width of the job by means of a horizontal loading of certain closely related operations.” For example if a clerk in an office who is doing the typing work is asked to type 20 letters a day instead of 10 letters, his job is enlarged. Another way of job enlargement is that the clerk who is doing the typing work may also be assigned the tasks of drafting letters, sorting of incoming mail and filing the letters. This will reduce his monotony and make him satisfied with the job. This efficiency will also improve. Advantages of Job Enlargement:“Argyris feels that job enlargement avoids monotony which is the result of high degree of specialisation and division of labour. Since a person performs a variety of jobs, he remains interested in this variety.” An enlarged job can motivate the worker in the following ways: 1. Variety of Tasks:In job enlargement, horizontal loading of the tasks is there. Increasing the number of tasks can reduce the level of boredom of the employees. 2. Enlarged and Meaningful Work Modules:Sometimes, the jobs are enlarged so that one worker completes a whole unit of work or a major portion of it. This will increase the satisfaction of the worker as he can see his contribution to the entire project. 3. Optimum Utilisation of Abilities:Enlarged jobs tend to better utilise the physical and mental skills abilities of the workers. Enlarged jobs, with optimal levels of complexity can create tasks, which are challenging but attainable. 4. Worker Paced Control:In job enlargement, workers move from a machine paced production line to a job which is paced by themselves. The workers will enjoy his work more, if he can vary the rhythm and work at his own pace. He will also feel less tired in this way. 5. Meaningful Feed Back:Enlarged jobs allow for more meaningful performance feedback. It will be even more motivating if it is tied to evaluations and organisational rewards. Disadvantages of Job Enlargement:According to Herzberg merely giving a worker different kind of jobs is not enough because the basic nature of the job remains the same, As such it does not work as a motivating factor. Rather, there should be upgradation of authority and responsibility. In view of Herzberg’s opinion, the following disadvantages can be found in job enlargement: (i) Job enlargement tends to be a costly affair. Workers may require additional training for their enlarged jobs. Moreover, if job enlargement involves breaking up of existing production line of work system and redesigning a new system and training employees for it. the costs will be very substantial. (ii) Productivity may fall in the short run, due to the introduction of the new system. (iii) Employee-unions often argue for increased pay because of the increased work load. (iv) Some jobs may still be routine and boring even after enlargement. Job enlargement involves the addition of extra, similar, tasks to a job. In job enlargement, the job itself remains essentially unchanged. However, by widening the range of tasks that need to be performed, hopefully the employee will experience less repetition and monotony that are all too common on production lines which rely upon the division of labour. With job enlargement, the employee rarely needs to acquire new skills to carry out the additional task, and the motivational benefits of job enrichment are not usually experienced. One important negative aspect is that job enlargement is sometimes viewed by employees as a requirement to carry out more work for the same amount of pay! Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Like most entrepreneurs, your early startup days were far from glamorous. Still, you wouldn't trade those long nights and countless strategy sessions for anything. You rely on these experiences to help drive your company toward success. But what's motivating your employees to do the same? To uncover the influencers of employee motivation, satisfaction and dissatisfaction, psychologist Frederick Herzberg conducted a series of studies and stumbled across a fascinating discovery: The contributors to job satisfaction and dissatisfaction aren't related. In other words, fixing problems or establishing a positive work environment won't translate into more satisfied employees; it just means they're no longer dissatisfied. Herzberg concluded that true employee satisfaction rests in a fulfilling job experience – more commonly known as job enrichment or vertical job loading. Employers who deepened their staff's knowledge through programs or benefits promoting achievement, recognition, responsibility and advancement had the happiest, most productive workforces. They also had more cohesive work cultures, increased company loyalty and more motivated teams. Related: 5 Ways to Turn Good Employees Into Great Leaders To enrich the work experience and instill motivation in your employees, implement these five practices into your organization: 1. Find a balance between job enrichment and job enlargement.A growing business will inevitably require you to expand your employees' duties and responsibilities, known as job enlargement or horizontal job loading. While some thrive under a heavier workload of diverse tasks, others prefer more intensive and challenging tasks. It's important to understand where your employees fall on this spectrum so you can balance the duties and enrichment opportunities effectively, keeping everyone satisfied and motivated to go the extra mile. 2. Initiate career development discussions.Establish collaborative, cross-departmental discussions about the types of enrichment opportunities that employees feel would be most beneficial to them and their co-workers. At Underground Elephant, we hold monthly lunches with an employee and an executive who don't normally interact with each other. Because of our flat hierarchy and emphasis on collaboration, employees are encouraged to ask questions about the company, discuss career road bumps and successes and gain new insights into the business. This establishes a level of transparency and accessibility for employees to understand company decisions and gain new perspectives. Related: Give Your Employees an Identity Worthy of Ownership 3. Offer continued education and training opportunities.Offering continued education, training, mentorship and/or tuition reimbursement can be highly beneficial to you and your employees. Employees appreciate the opportunity to broaden their skill sets and improve their standing in the company. And you gain a well-trained and adaptable workforce as a result. Plus, you're offering a highly regarded and desirable job benefit and could potentially qualify for tax breaks on educational assistance costs. Establish guidelines for educational and training opportunities that your company will cover. Collaborate with local colleges or professors to set up informational sessions to give your employees an idea of the opportunities available to them. 4. Implement cross-functional training.Begin a cross-functional training program that enables employees to learn skills and business strategies from other departments. This will give employees a clearer understanding of how their work fits into the company's broad business objectives. Because this approach leverages talent from within your current workforce, you will spend less on outside recruitment to fill vacancies, including temporary positions for employee vacations and leaves of absence. 5. Hand over some responsibility.When employees feel trusted and valued by their employers, they gain an enhanced sense of purpose, motivation and responsibility. Demonstrate trust in your employees by stepping away from the supervisor role, giving individuals more responsibility over projects or departments and training them to take on managerial duties. As you plan your company's next step for financial and physical growth, don't neglect to consider your team's personal and professional growth as well. Strike a balance between increasing job responsibilities and job enrichment opportunities. This is the key to keeping your employees satisfied, motivated and focused on success -- both for themselves and their company. Related: What Bad Managers, Good Managers and Great Managers Do How does job enrichment affect motivation?Job enrichment is a strategy used to motivate employees by giving them increased responsibility and variety in their jobs. The idea is to allow employees to have more control over their work. By doing so, one can tap into their natural desire to do a good job and contribute to the overall goals of the company.
How can job enrichment and job enlargement affect worker satisfaction and productivity?Job enrichment and job enlargement are the steps used to make the employees feeling that the organization is actually owning them and that thing boost their performance on the job. This has a direct impact on their satisfaction level in the organization while performing their duties.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of job enlargement?Some advantages of job enlargement include reduced monotony, optimization of abilities, personal growth of employees, and increased job satisfaction for the employees. The disadvantages of job enlargement include the possibility of lower morale, reduced productivity and additional stress.
|
