Production

Operations management

Chapter 13
Job Design &
Ergonomics
 Objectives of Job Design
A job design is along term assignments of tasks by means of
which a person is able to contribute to the effectiveness of a
organization.
The three main objectives that a manger tries to realize in
specifying jobs are
1.Technical Feasibility:A job is a set of tasks or duties
assigned to be performed.proper selection of process &
training people is very essential
2.Economic Feasibility:The cost of performing job should
not be too high
3.Behavioral Feasibility:Some characteristics of a job may
affect the job holders perception of themselves
 Objectives of Job Design

Economically Behavioral
The most desirable
Feasible Task Desirable task
Objectives of
job design

Technical
Feasibility Task

Behavioral
Acceptable task
 Factors affecting Job design

Job design is affected by organizational,Environmental &

Behavioral factor

Feedback
Organizational Factor

Environmental Job design Productive &

Factor satisfying job
Behavioral factor
 Job Enlightenment &its
Outcome
Job characteristics Psychological Outcomes
Needs

Knowledge of results Motivation

Feedback Performance
Satisfaction
Sense of Job
responsibility involvement
Autonomy

Meaningfulness
Significance Achievement
Identity.skill
 Machine Worker Interaction
™Jobs are designed to use human being and machine
in perfect combination so that the features of both can
complement each other in performing task
™The task of the job designer is to determine the ways
of making worker machine interaction more effective.
™The objective of using automatic machine is to
reduce the amount of labor required so that a person
can perform tasks more suited to human beings while
machines perform work that can be programmed..
™Worker –machine charts are graphic representation
for modeling the simulated activities of worker &
machine ,giving details of set up,Idle,loading & useful
time
 Positive & negative outcome of
Job design approach
1 Work Simplification
Positive outcome of work simplification is:
1) Less trained employee can perform job
2) Less paid employee can perform job
Negative outcome of work simplification is:
Over simplification results in boredomwith attendant risk of
errors and resignations.
2. Positive outcome of Job rotation is
Jobs intrinsic reward potential is likely to increase
.Organizations too stands to gain because of vasrsatility of
employees
 Positive & negative outcome of
Job design approach
1 Work Simplification
Positive outcome of work simplification is:
1) Less trained employee can perform job
2) Less paid employee can perform job
Negative outcome of work simplification is:
Over simplification results in boredom with attendant risk of
errors and resignations.
2. Job rotation
Positive outcome of Job rotation is
Jobs intrinsic reward potential is likely to increase
Organizations too stands to gain because of vasrsatility of
employees
 Positive & negative outcome of
Job design approach
Negative outcome of Job rotation is
Job rotation, jobs do not improve, workers may get
frustrated and rootless
3.Job enlargement
Positive outcome of Job enlargement is
Claims to have motivational impact
Negative outcome of Job enlargement is
Likely to be resisted by worker
4.Job enrichment
Positive outcome of Job enrichment is
Increased motivation and reduced absenteeism
 Positive & negative outcome of
Job design approach
.Job enrichment
Negative outcome of Job enrichment is People may not like
to accept new responsibilities
5. Autonomous work team
Positive outcome of Autonomous work team.
Greater involvement of employment
Negative outcome of Autonomous work team.
There is resistance from employees,managers,union.
6. High performance work Design
Positive outcome of High performance work Design
Work in an environment of high rate of innovation&
operational freedom
 Job Design &
Ergonomics
What is ergonomics?
™More and more work today is being done by
machines. This increase in mechanization and
automation often speeds up the pace of work and at
times can make work less interesting. On the other
hand, there are still many jobs that must be done
manually, involving heavy physical strain.
™ One of the results of manual work, as well as the
increase in mechanization, is that more and more
workers are suffering from backaches, neck aches,
sore wrists, arms and legs, and eyestrain.
™Ergonomics is the study of work in relation to the
environment in which it is performed (the workplace)
and those who perform it (workers)
 Job Design &
Ergonomics
™It is used to determine how the workplace can be
designed or adapted to the worker in order to prevent
a variety of health problems and to increase efficiency;
in other words, to make the job fit the worker, instead
of forcing the worker to conform to the job.
™One simple example is raising the height of a work
table so that the worker does not have to bend down
unnecessarily to reach his or her work. A specialist in
ergonomics, called an ergonomics, studies the relation
between the worker, the workplace and the job design.
™There are many obvious benefits of applying
ergonomics in the workplace. For the worker, the
benefits are healthier and safer working conditions.
 Job Design &
Ergonomics
™For the employer, the most obvious benefit is
increased productivity.
™Ergonomics is a broad science encompassing the
wide variety of working conditions that can affect
worker comfort and health, including factors such as
lighting, noise, temperature, vibration, workstation
design, tool design, machine design, chair design and
footwear, and job design, including factors such as
shift work, breaks, and meal schedules.
™The information in this Module will be limited to basic
ergonomic principles for sitting and standing work,
tools, heavy physical work and job design.
 Job Design &
Ergonomics
™For many workers in developing countries,
ergonomic problems may not be high on the list of
priority health and safety problems they face.
™However, the large and increasing numbers of
workers affected by poor work design make ergonomic
issues important.
™ As a result of the importance and prevalence of
health problems related to a lack of ergonomics at
work, these issues have become points of negotiation
for many unions.
™Ergonomics applies principles of biology,
psychology, anatomy and physiology to remove from
the work environment the conditions that may cause
workers to experience discomfort fatigue or poor
 Job Design &
Ergonomics
™Ergonomics can be used to prevent bad design from
being built into a job if applied when a job, tools or
workstations are being set up.
™For example, a worker's risk of developing
musculoskeletal injuries can be greatly reduced, or
even eliminated completely, if he or she is provided
with properly designed hand tools from the time he or
she begins a job requiring the use of hand tools.
™It is only in recent years that some workers, trade
unions, employers, manufacturers, and researchers
have begun to give attention to how workplace design
can affect the health of workers.
 Job Design &
Ergonomics
™Without the application of ergonomic principles,
tools, machines, equipment and workstations are often
designed without much consideration of the fact that
people are of all different heights, shapes and sizes,
and have different levels of strength.
™ It is important to consider these differences in order
to protect worker health and comfort.
™ Without the application of ergonomic principles,
workers are often forced to adapt themselves to poor
working conditions.

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 Job Design &
Ergonomics
JOB

MAN
Structure Experience

Social
Physical
Job Design &
Ergonomics
 Plant Location

End Of

Chapter 13