Design of Work Systems

Learning Objectives

• Explain the importance of work design and the relationship between Job design and production planning.

• Explain the purpose of methods analysis and describe how methods studies are performed.

• describe how to use motion study for job design.

• Discuss the impact of working conditions on job design.

What is the relationship between Job design and production planning?

• Job design involves specifying the content and methods of job– What will be done– Who will do the job– How the job will be done– Where the job will be done– Ergonomics: Incorporation of human

factors in the design of the workplace

Job Design

Ergonomics

Ergonomics is the science of designing the job, equipment, and workplace to fit the worker. Proper ergonomic design is necessary to prevent repetitive strain injuries, which can develop over time and can lead to long-term disability.

Design of Work Systems

• Specialization

• Behavioral Approaches to Job Design (Job expansion)

• Teams

• Psychological components (Motivation-Trust-Incentive system)

• Methods Analysis– Motions Study

• Working conditions

Specialization

Specialization:The main reason for specialization is the ability to concentrate one’s efforts and thereby become proficient at that type of work.e.g. College professors often specialize in teaching certain courses, some auto mechanics specialize in transmission repair.

Specialization in Business: Advantages

For Management:

1. Simplifies training

2. High productivity

3. Low wage costs

For Labor:

1. Low education andskill requirements

2. Minimumresponsibilities

3. Little mental effortneeded

Disadvantages

For Management:

1. Difficult to motivatequality

2. Worker dissatisfaction,possibly resulting inabsenteeism, highturnover, disruptivetactics, poor attentionto quality

For Labor:1. Monotonous work

2. Limited opportunitiesfor advancement

3. Little control over work

4. Little opportunity forself-fulfillment

Behavioral Approaches to Job Design

• Job Enlargement– Giving a worker a larger portion of the

total task by horizontal loading

• Job Rotation– Workers periodically exchange jobs

• Job Enrichment– Increasing responsibility for planning and

coordination tasks, by vertical loading

Job Enlargement/Enrichment

Task #3(Lock printed circuit board into fixture for

next operation)

Present job(Manually insert and solder six resistors)

Task #2(Adhere labels

to printed circuit board)

Enlarged job

Enriched jobPlanning

(Participate in a cross-function quality

improvement team)

Control(Test circuits after

assembly)

Teams• Benefits of teams

– Higher quality– Higher productivity– Greater worker satisfaction

• Self-directed teams– Groups of empowered to make certain

changes in their work process

Self-Directed Teams

Group of empowered individuals Group of empowered individuals working together to reach a working together to reach a common goalcommon goal

May be organized for long-term or May be organized for long-term or short-term objectives short-term objectives

Effective becauseEffective because Provide employee empowermentProvide employee empowerment Ensure core job characteristicsEnsure core job characteristics Meet individual psychological needsMeet individual psychological needs

Self-Directed Teams

Ensure those who have legitimate Ensure those who have legitimate contributions are on the teamcontributions are on the team

Provide management supportProvide management support

Ensure the necessary trainingEnsure the necessary training

Endorse clear objectives and goalsEndorse clear objectives and goals

Financial and non-financial rewardsFinancial and non-financial rewards

Supervisors must release controlSupervisors must release control

To maximize effectiveness, managers shouldTo maximize effectiveness, managers should

Benefits of Teams and Expanded Job Designs

Improved quality of work lifeImproved quality of work life

Improved job satisfactionImproved job satisfaction

Increased motivationIncreased motivation

Allows employees to accept more Allows employees to accept more responsibilityresponsibility

Improved productivity and qualityImproved productivity and quality

Reduced turnover and absenteeismReduced turnover and absenteeism

1.1. Higher capital cost Higher capital cost

2.2. Individuals may prefer simple jobsIndividuals may prefer simple jobs

3.3. Higher wages rates for greater skillsHigher wages rates for greater skills

4.4. Smaller labor pool Smaller labor pool

5.5. Higher training costsHigher training costs

Limitations of Job Expansion

Average Annual

Training Hours/

Employee

U.S. 7

Sweden 170

Japan 200

Job Design Continuum

Specialization

Enlargement

Self-directed teams

Empowerment

Enrichment

Job expansionJob expansion

Increasing Increasing reliance on reliance on employee’s employee’s contribution contribution and and increasing increasing responsibility responsibility accepted by accepted by employeeemployee

Motivation and Incentive Systems

Bonuses - cash or stock optionsBonuses - cash or stock options

Profit-sharing - profits for distribution to Profit-sharing - profits for distribution to employeesemployees

Gain sharing - rewards for improvementsGain sharing - rewards for improvements

Incentive plans - typically based on Incentive plans - typically based on production ratesproduction rates

Knowledge-based systems - reward for Knowledge-based systems - reward for knowledge or skillsknowledge or skills

1000

1000

Motivation and Trust• Motivation

– Influences quality and productivity– Contributes to work environment

• Trust– Influences productivity and employee-

management relations

Methods Analysis

Rusty Wallace’s NASCAR Racing Team

NASCAR racing became very NASCAR racing became very popular in the 1990s with huge popular in the 1990s with huge sponsorship and prize moneysponsorship and prize money

High performance pit crews are a High performance pit crews are a key element of a successful race key element of a successful race teamteam

Pit crew members can earn Pit crew members can earn $100,000 per year – for changing $100,000 per year – for changing tires!tires!

Rusty Wallace’s NASCAR Racing Team

Each position has very specific Each position has very specific work standardswork standards

Pit crews are highly organized Pit crews are highly organized and go though rigorous physical and go though rigorous physical trainingtraining

Pit stops are videotaped to look Pit stops are videotaped to look for improvementsfor improvements

Methods Analysis Focuses on how task is performedFocuses on how task is performed

Analyzing how a job gets doneAnalyzing how a job gets done

Begins with overall analysisBegins with overall analysis

Moves to specific detailsMoves to specific details

Used to analyzeUsed to analyze

1.1. Movement of individuals or materialMovement of individuals or material Flow diagrams and process chartsFlow diagrams and process charts

2.2. Activities of human and machine and Activities of human and machine and crew activitycrew activity Activity chartsActivity charts

3.3. Body movementBody movement Micro-motion chartsMicro-motion charts

Methods Analysis Procedure1.Identify the operation to be

studied

2.Get employee input

3.Study and document current method

4.Analyze the job

5.Propose new methods

6.Install new methods

7.Follow-up to ensure improvements have been achieved

Selecting an Operation

• Selecting a job to study consider:– High labor content– Done frequently– Unsafe– Tiring– Unpleasant– Noisy– Designated problem (e.g. quality problems,

processing bottleneck)

Analyzing the JobJob analysis requires thought about “what, why, when, where, and who of the job”.

•Flow process chart– Chart used to examine the overall sequence of an

operation by focusing on movements of the operator or flow of materials (it can be used to indentify nonproductive parts; e.g. delays, temporary storages)

•Worker-machine chart– Chart used to determine portions of a work cycle

during which an operator and equipment are busy or idle

FLOW PROCESS CHARTJob Requisition of petty cash

Details of Method

ANALYST D. Kolb

PAGE1 of 2

Op

erat

ion

M

ove

men

t

Insp

ecti

on

Del

ay

Sto

rag

e

Requisition made by department headPut in “pick-up” basketTo accounting departmentAccount and signature verifiedAmount approved by treasurerAmount counted by cashierAmount recorded by bookkeeperPetty cash sealed in envelopePetty cash carried to departmentPetty cash checked against requisitionReceipt signedPetty cash stored in safety box

Flow Diagram

Storage binsStorage bins

Machine 1Machine 1

Mach. 2

Mach. 3 Mach. 4

From

press mach. Paint Paint

shopshop

WeldingWelding

Storage bins

Machine 1

Machine 2

Machine 3

Machine 4

From press mach.

Paint Paint shopshop

WeldingWelding

Flow Diagram

Process Chart

Activity Chart

Operation Chart

Flow Chart

Title:

Dept.:

Analyst:

Current New Diff

Operation

Transportation

Storage

Delay

Inspection

Distance or Time

Distance Time Symbols Activities

Motion Study

Motion study is the systematic

study of the human motions used

to perform an operation.

Motion Study Techniques• Motion study principles - guidelines for

designing motion-efficient work procedures

• Analysis of therbligs (เทอร์�บลิ�ก) - basic elemental motions into which a job can be broken down

• Micromotion study - use of motion pictures and slow motion to study motions that otherwise would be too rapid to analyze

• Charts

• Therbligs

1. Eliminate unnecessary motions

2. Combine activities

3. Reduce fatigue

4. Improve the arrangement of the workplace

5. Improve the design of tools and equipment

Developing Work Methods

Therbligs

• Therbligs: Basic elemental motions that make up a job.– Search– Select– Grasp– Hold– Transport load– Release load

SIMO CHART

Title:

Dept.:

Analyst:

Current New Diff

Operation

Transportation

Storage

Delay

Inspection

Distance or Time

Time left hand Symbols Right hand

Working ConditionsT e m p e r a t u r e &H u m i d i t y

V e n t i l a t i o n

I l l u m i n a t i o n C o l o r

Working Conditions (cont’d)Noise & Vibration

Causes of AccidentsSafety

Work Breaks

Compensation• Time-based system

– Compensation based on time an employee has worked during a pay period

• Output-based (incentive) system– Compensation based on the amount of

output an employee produces during a pay period