Unit 8: Work Systems Design
It seems reasonable that a worker’s level of job satisfaction would influence his or her job performance. At some point in your life, you have probably performed a job task that you did not enjoy. Perhaps the work was too physically demanding or there was a problem with the location of the work area. Or perhaps the work was so monotonous that you were starved for mental stimulation. One of the ways that operations managers can impact job satisfaction is through work systems design. In this unit, we will explore how operations managers use strategies like skill variety, task significance, or work organization to enhance job performance. We will also consider models for analyzing work to eliminate unnecessary tasks and regulate the duration of each stage in a production line.