Book Description

Job and Work Design equips readers with a sound understanding of research, theory, and the practical aspects of job design. This volume critiques the theory and research that provide the foundations of our current understanding of job design, pointing to a need for methodological improvements and a broader conceptual focus. The authors examine recent innovations in manufacturing technologies, techniques, and philosophies and how these affect work design and research and practice. The authors also look at wider trends in manufacturing and elsewhere, such as teleworking, downsizing, the development of a contingent workforce, and the changing composition of the workforce. The volume describes how the redesign of work has implications for wider organizational systems (such as human resources and information systems) as well as implications for multiple stakeholders (such as supervisors, support staff, management, and unions). In addition, it suggests ways to effectively manage the work redesign process, including key stages involved in redesigning work, some useful tools and methods, and the change agentÆs critical role. The book concludes with some final thoughts that draw together arguments regarding the past and future of work design theory and practice. Job and Work Design will be of interest to students and professors of management, organizational studies, industrial/organizational psychology, public administration, social and personality psychology, sociology of work, and gender issues.