John Cordery

Future work design research and practice: Towards an elaborated model of work design

Developments in work design theory have not kept pace with the changes occurring in the organizational landscape. We propose a theoretical framework that specifies five categories of work design variables that span individual, group and organizational levels of analysis. Specifically, we propose an elaborated model of work design that includes: systematic consideration of antecedents of work characteristics; expansion of the traditional range of work characteristics to include aspects salient to the modern context; extension of the range of outcome variables beyond the existing narrow focus on affective reactions; analysis of the mechanisms, or processes, that explain why work characteristics lead to particular outcomes; and consideration of contingencies that moderate the effects of work characteristics. We argue that the particular choice of work design variables should be guided by theory and an analysis of the organizational context.

Attitudinal and Behavioral Effects of Autonomous Group Working: A Longitudinal Field Study

This article reports on a longitudinal study of autonomous work groups at a new and an established minerals processing plant. The results of the study support the proposition that employees in auto...

Empowerment, Performance, and Operational Uncertainty: A Theoretical Integration

L’accession au pouvoir est presentee comme une recette universelle pour ameliorer la performance au travail. On defend ici l’idee qu’il existe deja des arguments forts pour penser que cette conviction est des plus discutables, et que l’impact de la participation dependra du degre de l’incertitude operationnelle qui prevaut. Notre point de vue s’appuie sur une analyse des idees qui emergent conjointement de cinq domaines, a savoir les theories des organisations, la structuration du travail, le management “zero defaut”, le management des facteurs humains et celui des ressources humaines. On met en evidence les consequences theoriques et pratiques de nos investigations et certaines des pistes a suivre pour approfondir la reflexion. Empowerment is being promoted as a general recipe for enhancing work performance. We argue that there are already strong grounds for suggesting that this universalistic assumption is flawed, and that the effectiveness of empowerment practices will be contingent on the degree of operational uncertainty that prevails. This argument is supported by an analysis of ideas in common emerging from five different areas of inquiry, namely those concerned with organisational theory, work design, total quality management, human factors, and human resource management. We identify the theoretical and practical implications of our analysis, and some of the lines of investigation required to develop the ideas further.

Predicting integrity with the HEXACO personality model : Use of self-and observer reports

Recent research has suggested that a six-dimensional model of personality called the HEXACO framework may have particular value in organizational settings because of its ability to predict integrity-related outcomes. In this series of studies, the potential value of the HEXACO factor known as Honesty-Humility was further examined. First, the empirical distinctness of this construct from the other major dimensions of personality was demonstrated in a high-stakes personnel selection situation. Second, Honesty-Humility was found to predict scores on an integrity test and a business ethical decision-making task beyond the level of prediction that was possible using measures based on a traditional Big Five model of personality. This finding was also observed when Honesty-Humility was assessed by familiar acquaintances of the target persons. The applicability of the HEXACO model within industrial and organizational psychology was then discussed.

Job design, opportunities for skill utilization, and intrinsic job satisfaction

Arguably, job designs that provide for high levels of employee control also provide increased opportunities for the development and exercise of skill. Perceived skill utilization has consistently been found to be amongst the strongest predictors of job-related affective well-being, yet is frequently neglected in studies of work redesign. In this article, a theoretical framework linking the key job characteristics of perceived control and perceived cognitive demand to perceived skill utilization and intrinsic job satisfaction is presented. Results from one cross-sectional study and one longitudinal study are reported that support the mediational influence of perceived skill utilization on the perceived job control – job satisfaction relationship only. The relationship between perceived job demand and perceived skill utilization was mixed but no mediating effect was evident. It is argued that the level of both perceived demand and perceived control dictates the nature of the joint influence of both job characteristics on perceived skill utilization and work attitudes such as job satisfaction.

Production uncertainty as a contextual moderator of employee reactions to job design.

A number of authors in the job design field have proposed production uncertainty, the degree to which a qualified incumbent faces unexpected problems in the course of job performance, as a possible moderator of the effectiveness of job design. However, empirical support for this view is limited and has not been explicitly recognized within mainstream job design theory. This study of production operators in a waste water treatment setting provides further empirical support for production uncertainty as a contextual variable influencing job design outcomes, demonstrating that the relationship between job control and affective outcomes (job satisfaction and intrinsic motivation) varies with the level of production uncertainty.

Multi‐skilling: A Discussion of Proposed Benefits of New Approaches to Labour Flexibility within Enterprises

Using current Australian experience as a reference point, the costs and benefits of multi‐skilling are critically analysed. First, an attempt is made to identify key organisational elements involved in programmes of multi‐skilling at enterprise level. Secondly, some of the proposed benefits and possible costs associated with such developments are identified and discussed. Finally, some suggestions for future research and practice in the area are raised.

Global organizational communities of practice: The effects of nationality diversity, psychological safety, and media richness on community performance

Organizational communities of practice (OCoPs) are used increasingly to capitalize on valuable distributed knowledge and to fully engage the innovation potential of employees. OCoPs have become increasingly global in their reach, relying of necessity on virtual forms of interaction to engage the participation and expertise of a global workforce. An unanswered question is whether the performance of such global OCoPs may be predicted to benefit or suffer owing to their nationality diversity. Using data from over 200 members of 30 global OCoPs in a Fortune 100 US-based multinational mining and minerals processing firm, we found that nationality diversity was curvilinearly (U-shaped) related to community performance. We also found that the curvilinear relationship was moderated by psychological safety and the extent of rich communication media use. Specifically, the arc relating nationality diversity and performance became more positive at the higher end, and less negative at the lower end, to the extent that communities reported higher psychological safety and richer communication media use.

Work Design and Supervisory Practice: A Model

In this paper it is argued that contemporary theoretical approaches to work design and redesign neglect the role played by supervision, and that this has been an impediment to both research and practice. From an examination of the literature in the area, relevant aspects of supervisory behavior are identified and a model presented which relates job characteristics to supervisory practices. Finally, the model is discussed in the context of leadership research.

Self-Management Efficacy as a Mediator of the Relation Between Job Design and Employee Motivation

Existing job design models have been criticized for being able to explain affective outcomes more consistently than they do those of task motivation and performance. This study presents an empirical test of several propositions relating to the role of task-related efficacy beliefs as mediators of the relation between job design and task motivation and performance. We begin by highlighting gaps in job design theory, particularly in respect to performance within contemporary work contexts with their increased emphasis on self-management, and draw on social cognitive theory to describe the role of self-management efficacy beliefs as a mediator between job design and task motivation. We hypothesize that self-management efficacy will be a first-level outcome of jobs offering opportunities for self-management and also that these beliefs will mediate the relation between opportunities for self-management and task motivation. We tested these hypotheses in a cross-sectional field study (N = 270). The results support the need to differentiate between paths from job design that lead to affect and paths that lead to task motivation. There was a strong direct relation between skill utilization and affect (job satisfaction) and task motivation. In contrast, self-management efficacy mediated the path between work method control and task motivation, and the relation between work method control and affect was not significant. Finally, we discuss implications of these results for future research and practice.