- Code
L.15791
- Amount of hours required
84
- Language
en-GB
- Quartile of execution
3, 3
In Organisational Theory 1, the individual level will be addressed. Problems in organisations will be related to the concept of ‘Quality of Working Life' (QWL). This term is used to describe the broader job-related experience that an individual has (Wikipedia, 2013). Organisations may encounter problems with employees who are not motivated or involved at work and are increasingly dissatisfied with the quality of their working life. If this is the case, it is important to investigate the primary process: How the work is organised, how tasks are designed and divided and what the working conditions are. This course will give students an overview of the different perspectives in the history of management science that have contributed to the design of work, based on industrial/ organisational psychology & sociology. What are the essential elements of a job that give satisfaction and a feeling of general well-being, a minimal amount of work-related stress and a balanced home-work interface?
As John Budd (2011) states: ‘It is hard work to make work fulfilling’
Based on the foundations for motivation laid by Frederick Herzberg and the Job Characteristics Model (JCM) by Hackman and Oldham, we will also look at more recent ideas about job design and the revisions made to this model. Factors that contribute to a well–designed job on individual level will be investigated. Furthermore, we will investigate contrasting ways of work design in organisations. We will use the car manufacturing sector as a continuous example in various cases to illustrate and contrast human-centred and 'lean' approaches.
Recent analyses of the nature of jobs revealed that more factors are important to Quality of Working Life than to Work Design. Students will get acquainted with the Work-Related Quality of Life scale (WRQoL). This scale assumes that QoWL consists of a number of factors related to job and career satisfaction, general well being, life-work interface, stress at work, control at work and working conditions. As Easton & Van Laar (2012) state: 'there is increasing evidence to support the proposition that attention to the psychosocial needs of staff can have benefits for both employees and employers. Attention to QoWL is important for employers who have a legal duty of care for the health and safety of their employees.
Competences
- AMA-IHRM 1 Credible Activist
- AMA-IHRM 3 Capability Builder
- AMA-IHRM 5 HR Innovator and Integrator
Learning goals
Skills:
- The student is capable of applying the theory to cases of an increasingly complex level
- The student understands how work flexibility may be increased in the interest of both the employer and employee
- The student is able to apply the theory to his ‘job’
- The student is able to diagnose factors that may lead to dissatisfaction
- The student is able to advise an organisation to prevent dissatisfaction
- The student is aware that diversity of work organisation exists and that there is no ‘one best way’.
Attitude
- The student approaches the subject from the perspective of an HRM advisor, being a credible activist, which means delivering results with integrity, sharing information, building relationships with trust, providing candid observations and influencing others.
Tests
| Code | Name |
|---|---|
| T.37253 | Organization Theory 1.1: Work Design |
| WC | Werkcollege |