Job Redesign [2.10.2f 14]
The following is an excerpt from Stress and Burnout: A Prevention Handbook for the Alcohol and Other Drugs Workforce, by Natalie Skinner and Anne Roach from National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction (NCETA), Flinders University: Adelaide, Australia. The full Stress and Burnout handbook can be found Here or through a search request Here.
At a broad level, job redesign can be understood in terms of two approaches:
- Job enrichment, focused on increasing workers’ autonomy in their own position and participation in organizational decision making.
- Job enlargement, focused on increasing the range and variety of tasks performed.
It is important to recognize that job enrichment and enlargement strategies may require additional skills or knowledge that a worker may not currently possess. Hence, workers may require further training and education to perform successfully in their redesigned jobs.
[1] Increased responsibility and skill requirements in a position effectively increase a worker’s contribution to the organization. Care should be taken to ensure that job redesign is accompanied by appropriate support and remuneration to maintain a fair exchange between the individual and the organization.
Job redesign is a complex process that must be carefully planned and implemented. Issues to be considered in the job redesign process include:
[2]
- Individual workers’ needs and preferences;
- Workers’ level of skill. Additional training may be required if job redesign substantially changes the nature of an individual’s work (e.g., time-management training may be required with increased autonomy);
- Compatibility of proposed redesign with existing working conditions (e.g., introduction of self-managing work groups with little opportunity provided for interaction and cooperation);
- Alignment of human resources and other systems with the new work design; and
- Supportive leadership and management.
For a comprehensive guide to professional development in the AOD field, refer to
Skinner, N. (2005).
Job Redesign. In N. Skinner, A.M. Roche, J. O’Connor, Y. Pollard, & C. Todd (Eds.),
Workforce Development TIPS (Theory Into Practice Strategies): A Resource Kit for the Alcohol and Other Drugs Field. National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction (NCETA), Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia. The entire Workforce Development TIPS (Theory Into Practice Strategies): A Resource Kit for the Alcohol can be found Here.
[1] Morgeson, F. P., & Campion, M. A. (2002). Minimizing tradeoffs when redesigning work: Evidence from a longitudinal quasiexperiment.
Personnel Psychology, 55, 589-612.
[2] Sparks, K., Faragher, B., & Cooper, C. L. (2001). Well-being and occupational health in the 21st century workplace.
Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 74, 489-509.
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