Discuss and explain your voting choice.
Read the attached lecture and then make a vote to the below question and Discuss and explain your voting choice. Also address: Describe self-managed work groups and the situations for which they are best suited. Why are self-managed work groups more likely to be found in high involvement plants?
When technical interdependence is low and uncertainty is high, and where people have low social needs yet high growth needs, which work design would you recommend?
A. Traditional jobs
B. Traditional work groups
C. Enriched jobs
D. Self-managed work groups
Self-Managed Work Teams
The most prevalent application of STS is self-managed work teams. These
teams are responsible for a complete product or service or a major part of a
production process. The teams control member behavior and make decisions
about task assignments and work methods. Figure 14.3 illustrates a model of
self-managed work teams. Team functioning is affected by team task design,
team process interventions, and organizational support systems.
1. Team Task Design
2. Team Process Interventions
3. Organization Support Systems
Application Stages
STS applications generally proceed in six steps.
• Sanctioning the design effort
• Diagnosing the work system
• Generating appropriate design
• Specifying support systems
• Implementing and evaluating the work designs
• Continuing to change and improvement
Results of Self-Managed Teams
Most research shows favorable results.
Designing Work for Technical and Personal Needs
The focus of these systems on efficient performance tends to downplay the needs of the
employees. A contingency framework is provided that suggests that the three
perspectives can be integrated.
Technical Factors
Two key dimensions can affect change: (1) technical interdependence and (2)
technical uncertainty. Technical interdependence is the extent to which
cooperation among workers is required to produce a product. Technical
uncertainty is the amount of information processing and decision-making
employees must do to complete a task. Figure 14.4 shows the different types of
work designs that are most effective by showing these two characteristics in a
2*2 (high/low) matrix.
Personal-Need Factors
Two types of personal needs can influence the kinds of work designs that are
most effective: social needs and growth needs. Social needs include the desire
for significant social relationships. Growth needs include the desire for personal
accomplishment, learning, and development. Figure 14.5 shows the different
types of work designs that are effective for the combinations of social and growth
needs.
Meeting Both Technical and Personal Needs
Jointly satisfying technical and personal needs to achieve work-design success is
likely to occur only in limited circumstances.