Designing A Job Design Exercise

Refer to definition of team, Larson& LaFasto (1989) concludes that a team is a unit of two or more people who interact and coordinate their work to accomplish a specific goal. There are three important components in the definition. Firstly, it should be more than two people. Teams can be large groups and mostly teams have fewer than 15 team member. Secondly, people should have regular interaction and communication with each other. Third, people have a same direction and share a common goal. That means team members collectively desire to achieve a goal. It is important that teams appear characteristics in organisations to internal processes and team performance. Team characteristics can be divided into three parts: team size, diversity and member roles. In terms of team size, psychologist Ivan Steiner found that when there are five people in a team and it still add additional members will caused a decline in motivation, an increase in coordination problems, even general performance will decline (Yang, 2006). Refer to diversity, Robinson & Dechant (1997) points out research supports the idea that diverse teams can produce more innovative and creative idea to solute different problem. In a successful team, in order to maintain its member communicated healthily and to finish its task, it is necessary to have two types of roles: task specialist and socio-emotional. As a manager, managing a team should choice right type of team to accomplish task and balance the size and diversity

"A company can start out by using one of several organization structures. However, companies can sometimes increase their effectiveness using multiple organization structures. The decision for

“Personal computers and the Internet came of age, bringing a revolution in the efficiency of processing information and making workers more productive. Manufacturing companies embraced more efficient production methods” (Jackson, 2007).

The structure of the company also has an influence on the organization. Organizing the company by department allows the employees to build strong teams. It also allows the teams to support each other’s daily functions. The structure of the organization also effects number of personnel hired into the company. The structure also effects departmental and organizational hierarchy. The departmental organization within the company is also important as it helps to determine departmental collaboration as well as the role of each person in the department (www.smallbusiness.chron.com 2013).

There is an optimal amount of control for each team, some desire more structure while some desire less. For example, team’s that require more creativity need less control and structure. Contrary to this, a team that is purely driven by completing tasks may need more of a structured, mechanical approach. Achieving this perfect balance will allow for the team to perform at an optimally. Some cons on relying on organizational structure are that a team is hard to be categorized as a single type. Elaborating on this, a team that may need less structure may have a member that requires a lot of structure, therefor the approach is bad for the individual but good for the team. Additionally, an organic structure may not provide enough discipline for the team while a mechanical structure could provide too much discipline and not allow for team member creativity. Finally, I believe that it is essential to analyze an organization and realize which controls facilitate that teams best performance. Without developing an understanding of how a team responds to incentives, it is impossible to improve a team or fix a

Tammie, designing jobs is a continuous process. Job design determines the tasks that employees are expected to perform. The role of job design generates engagement. An efficiency approach to job design enables companies to maximize contributions toward a competitive advantage. A challenge involved in job design is “choosing which job design feature to alter to achieve the design goal” (Shantz, Alfes, Truss, & Soane, 2013).

The purpose of technology in business is increased productivity and profit. The idea is use less resources and produce a considerable quantity of products. Companies with latest technological equipment can save money and time. The use of technology contribute to an effective and quick communication between members of the company and with the clients. Also the travel cost is reduce, videoconferences, virtual meetings, and instant chat allows the business people communicate without traveling. In addition, thanks to the technology owners can develop their business through the internet, for example selling the products in websites. The main disadvantage of technology in the business field is the unemployment. The tasks that were performed by humans are now carried out by computerized machines. For example, the telephone answering machines have replaced the receptionists at many companies. Consequently, the firms would have a high dependence on the technology use, if something bad happens to the system would affect the entire process of

Technology has contributed to many of the largest changes in recent history. One field impacted by the revolutionary power of technology is work. The workplace continues to incorporate technology at an exponential rate that has in no doubt contributed to an increase in both the quantity and quality of goods and services available. The benefits of technology are widely known; however, the negative implications of technology in the workforce are a little more unfamiliar. The progression of technology in the workplace is harmful to society because of its degenerative effects on the working class. The widespread use of technology foremost threatens the stability of work and the character of the common worker.

The impact of computer technology in the workplace has been enormous within the past decade, both positive and negative. Distant communication through the use of computers and mobile devices have overhauled the office setting completely. Email, social networking sites and the world of the Internet have opened a whole new avenue of communication. Technology has changed the entire workplace environment, the relationships, and how things get done.

Technology has many impacts on employees and their skills because it could depend on whether they retain their jobs by learning new skills or be substituted with machines and robots. As technology changes over time, employees need to gain new skills to make better and more efficient use of the updated technology and equipment.

Utilizing team-based structures in the workplace can provide many advantages to an organization. The main advantages of team-based structures are flexibility, less overhead management, and a more diverse set of skills, knowledge, and opinions. Teams are easy to create, deploy, and disband. Depending on the situation, companies can assemble teams with members that will best fit the problem at hand. For instance, if a company wants to introduce a new product to the market, they can bring together people from different areas within the organization to create a more effective team. Once they accomplish that task, team members can go back to their respective departments. The second advantage of team-based structures is less overhead management. By creating a team-based structure in the workplace, organizations achieve a reduction in the overhead management involvement. Teams can make decisions at a faster rate without the approval of

Furthermore another researcher says that computerization of the workplace replaces labour with machines, thereby reducing the unit cost of production while increasing both productivity and efficiency (Ellwood, 1998). For instance instead of hiring twenty workers to accomplish one task, an employer can simply buy one machine to do the same task faster and more efficiently; less resources are invested while much more output is generated.

To have a team that works well and is effective you need to have strong individuals who will work well together, a mix of different people with different strengths would be a good choice, but all would need to have some basic team working skills these include the ability to support each other, have the same goals, communicate effectively, be reliable, enthusiastic and have consistency. Each individual team member should be completely clear on their own roles and responsibilities included in their job description and confident in their role within the setting, if a staff member is not confident or is unsure they should be fully

One of the most challenging and rewarding tasks for managers and leaders is creating a team that can operate smoothly and efficiently without the need for constant supervision and direction. This is considered the gold standard of management and managers who can consistently achieve this goal will always be in high demand. The need for successful team building crosses all lines of industry and discipline (Francis, Young, 1979). Whether it is a team of scientists doing lab research, a virtual team creating a database, a sales force out in the field, or a group of high level managers planning a new department or merger, without properly structured and maintained group dynamics, it will prove difficult for them to perform well and yield an excellent result.

Although the information technology is simplifying our lives it is causing problems in areas such as Title structure, Recruitment, testing and selection, performance appraisal, rewards and compensation, training and professional development, which will be discussed in the following paragraphs ("Human Resource Implications").