Eric Molleman

Work Design Issues in Lean Production from a Sociotechnical Systems Perspective: Neo-Taylorism or the Next Step in Sociotechnical Design?

The similarities and differences between two paradigms, Lean Production (LP) and Sociotechnical Systems (STS) thinking, which currently compete for the attention of managers and scholars interested in improving the design of work systems, are studied in this article. In order to find the logic behind each approach, the design principles formulated by Cherns have been used to evaluate LP from an STS viewpoint with respect to work design issues. The two concepts differ most with respect to their definition of system boundaries, the control mechanisms they favor and their value bases and assumptions about workers. The way control is exercised in each concept is closely related to the production structure and has far-reaching consequences for the human resource policies practiced. Although each approach has something to offer the other, the question whether the best ideas of both can be synthesized in designing a superior overall system cannot be answered so easily. In the end, it will require more than just choosing features of each approach to apply in combination; the differences in fundamental beliefs about people need to be reconciled in the design of the organization and its system.

The Effects of Diversity Faultlines and Team Task Autonomy on Decision Quality and Social Integration

This study examines the effects of diversity faultlines stemming from educational background and conscientiousness on team decision quality and social integration and the moderating role of team task autonomy. Using a 2 × 2 (Weak/Strong Faultlines × Low/High Team Task Autonomy) factorial design, 52 four-person teams performed a decision-making task. Diverse weak-faultline teams performed better and reported higher levels of social integration than did strong-faultline teams. Team task autonomy moderated these effects, showing that the differences become significant only under high autonomy conditions. Implications for team diversity research and design and management of work teams are discussed.

The significance of the doctor-patient relationship in coping with cancer

The uncertainty and anxiety experienced by cancer patients and their ways of coping with uncertainty and anxiety were studied on the basis of a questionnaire completed by 418 patients. The study shows that 28.2% of the patients had a low and 33.5% had a high uncertainty score, while 50% had a low and 9% had a high anxiety score. Four ways of coping with uncertainty and anxiety can be distinguished, of which the use of self-instruction means was most common. Expert help proved to be important for reduction of uncertainty. For reduction of anxiety the support of the home environment and of fellow-patients was also of importance. The implications of these findings for the doctors performance and for the care of cancer patients are discussed.

Power Asymmetry and Learning in Teams: The Moderating Role of Performance Feedback

Past research suggests that power asymmetry within teams can have a stifling effect on team learning and performance. We argue here that this effect is contingent on whether power advantages within a team are used to advance individual or collective interests. This study considers the moderating role of one factor that can influence the individual or collective orientation of team members---the type of performance feedback that a team receives. We propose that whereas individual feedback reinforces the negative effects of power asymmetry on team learning, group feedback fosters a collective orientation within a team that transforms power differences into a stimulus for team learning. Analysis of multisource, multimethod data obtained from 218 individuals in 46 teams provided support for these hypotheses. Results also suggested that team learning mediated the relationship between power asymmetry and team performance. These findings suggest that power asymmetry can be a resource for and not just an obstacle to team learning in power-asymmetric teams.

The relationships among asymmetry in task dependence, perceived helping behavior, and trust

Social relations analyses involving 132 working relationships among 60 individuals from 29 teams revealed that an increase in a team members task dependence on another team member was associated with higher levels of perceived help from and interpersonal trust in that specific team member, provided the other member was highly task dependent on the focal member. The degree to which an actor perceived a relationship with a partner to be helpful partially mediated the relationship between task dependence and trust. These findings highlight the importance of attending to asymmetries in task dependence and provide valuable insights into mechanisms that can explain the development of trust in organizational work teams.

Characteristics of work organization in lean production and socio-technical systems: a case study

Several human factors in the present and prospective situation of an automotive assembly shop were examined with respect to the concepts of lean production (LP) and sociotechnical systems. The work organization was evaluated by means of four principles: of “minimal critical specification” which refers to the co‐ordination mechanism that is used; the principle of “boundaries”, which refers to the extent to which teams are autonomous; “multifunctionality” which has to do with the division of labour into small or whole tasks; and “human values”, which deals with the way workers are motivated. In the present situation some factors are more in line with lean production, while others fit in with sociotechnical systems, although the actual overall state conforms more with lean production. The future position will be more consistent, but still more in line with LP, mainly because of the characteristics of the work processes.

PERSON-JOB FIT APPLIED TO TEAMWORK A Multilevel Approach

This study examined the moderating role of team task autonomy on the relationship between the mean level of three personality traits in a team—conscientiousness, emotional stability, and openness to experience—and two individual outcomes—job satisfaction and learning. Questionnaire data were collected from 133 task groups of undergraduate business students. Multilevel analyses showed that team task autonomy strengthens the relationship between conscientiousness and learning and the relationship between openness to experience and satisfaction. We conclude that team attributes, characteristics of the individual member, and team task autonomy as a moderator variable explain differences in individual outcomes and help in predicting the effectiveness of teamwork.

Facial disfigurement in patients with head and neck cancer : The role of social self-efficacy

This study investigated the moderating role of social self-efficacy (i.e., the belief that one is capable of exercising control over the reactions and openness of other people) with respect to the link between facial disfigurement and psychological and n = 76) as well as their physicians. In line with the hypotheses, the results revealed that the degree of facial disfigurement, as judged by patients as well as their physicians, was positively related to psychological distress and distress in reaction to unpleasant behavior of others, but only when patients did not feel self-efficacious in social encounters. Furthermore, social self-efficacy mitigated the positive link between facial disfigurement as judged by patients and social isolation.

Cross-training policies and team performance

Labour flexibility is an important issue in the design and development of teams. By means of an analytical study this paper investigates the impact of cross-training on team performance. Four cross-training policies are distinguished and compared according to their effects on important performance measures, such as the load of the bottleneck worker and the number of newly used qualifications seen in various situations. These measures indicate a teams effectiveness and efficiency. Furthermore, they are related to psychological, social and organizational aspects of team functioning. A task assignment heuristic serves as a tool for comparing the cross-training policies. This is applied in an experimental study in which the team situation varies with respect to the cross-training policy, the level of absenteeism, and the variation in the mix of orders. It is shown that a worker-oriented cross-training policy, which attempts to spread multi-functionality evenly among employees, performs well. This policy offers the opportunity to shift work among employees to keep the load of the bottleneck worker low. The required coordination effort for allocating workers to tasks is also relatively low. In line with previous research, this study shows a diminishing positive effect of expanding the level of labour flexibility. The coordination effort required to apply additional flexibility appears to increase linearly with the amount of additional cross-training. The diminishing positive effect and the linearly increasing coordination effort suggest that managers should critically consider the level of labour flexibility in worker teams.

Empowerment and team development

Based on the four principles of self‐organization formulated by Morgan (1986), a four‐stage implementation model for empowering teams was developed. From the first to the last stage, the attention shifts from routine tasks to non‐routine tasks, from the individual to the group, and from inwards oriented to outwards directed activities. This model was used to develop five teams in an industrial glass producing firm. After two years, team progress was measured by means of a questionnaire and the results were discussed with each team. These data were used to evaluate the viability and applicability of the empowerment plan and to find relevant factors which facilitate or hinder the empowerment process. The results indicate that the step‐by‐step plan facilitates the development of empowered teams but that it should not be seen necessarily as the best or the only way of empowering working groups. Moreover, the attitude and style of management, the team cohesion and the nature of the work involved seem to interfere with team empowerment.