Case for Analysis: Work Redesign in an Insurance Company
1. Explain which core characteristics of the employees’ jobs will be changed if the consultant’s recommendations are accepted.
Answer: The core characteristic that needs to be changed according to the consultant’s recommendation is the job range. Employees only had a job depth but very little job range. The consultant suggested the company to change operation structure to a client basis from functional orientation, in which each employee would handle every aspect of service as issuing policies, collecting premiums, change beneficiaries, processing loan application pertaining to a particular policyholder. This company has a great job depth; the manager of internal operation believes that, this is the key of success of the company. The job depth is considered as the source of knowledge base and expertise in the firm. The consultant has come to an opposite conclusion according to the information provided by the employees. He considered and concluded that if the job nature and dimension can be spread horizontally then monotonous nature of work can be changed and employees can be motivated. He added inclusion if electronic data management system will reduce the amount of manual task offered to individual employee and that will eventually cut off the labor cost to the firm.
2. Which alternative redesign strategies should be considered? For example, job rotation and job enlargement are possible alternatives. What are the relevant considerations for these and other designs in the context of this company?
Answer: Job redesign is actually restructuring the elements of the job by making it more motivating to the performer. It enhances the motivational potential of the job by altering core job dimensions. Job redesign strategies that can be considered are job rotation, job enlargement and job enrichment.
Redesigning a job by altering its job range can be
References: Gibson, Ivancevich, Donnelly, Konopaske, Organizations: behavior – structure – processes, 14th edition