Design of Work Systems McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright © 2012 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All...

Design of Work Systems

McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright © 2012 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

You should be able to:1. Explain the importance of work design2. Compare and contrast the two basic approaches to job design3. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of standardization4. Explain the term knowledge-based pay5. Explain the purpose of methods analysis and describe how

methods studies are performed6. Compare the four commonly used techniques for motion study7. Discuss the impact of working conditions on work design8. Define a standard time9. Describe and compare time study methods and perform

calculations10. Describe work sampling and perform calculations11. Compare stopwatch time study and work sampling12. Contrast time and output pay systems

Instructor Slides 7-2

Quality of work life affects not only workers’ overall sense of well-being and contentment, but also their productivity

Important aspects of quality of work life:How a worker gets along with co-workersQuality of managementWorking conditionsCompensation


Temperature & Humidity

Illumination

Noise & Vibration

VentilationWork Time & Work Breaks

Safety

Occupational Healthcare

Ethical Issues


It is important for organizations to develop suitable compensation plans for their employees

Compensation approachesTime-based systemsOutput-based systemsIncentive systemsKnowledge-based systems


Time-based systemCompensation based on time an employee has

worked during the pay periodOutput-based (incentive) system

Compensation based on amount of output an employee produced during the pay period


Individual incentive plans Straight piecework

Worker’s pay is a direct linear function of his or her outputMinimum wage legislation has reduced their popularity

Base rate + bonusWorker is guaranteed a base rate, tied to an output

standard, that serves as a minimumA bonus is paid for output above the standard

Group incentive plans Tend to stress sharing of productivity gains with employees


Knowledge-based pay A pay system used by organizations to reward workers

who undergo training that increases their skills Three dimensions:

Horizontal skillsReflect the variety of tasks the worker is capable of

performingVertical skills

Reflect the managerial skills the worker is capable ofDepth skills

Reflect quality and productivity results


Many organizations used to reward managers based on output

New emphasis is being placed on other factors of performance Customer service Quality

Executive pay is increasingly being tied to the success of the company or division for which the executive is responsible


Job design The act of specifying the contents and methods of jobs

What will be done in a jobWho will do the jobHow the job will be doneWhere the job will be done

ObjectivesProductivitySafetyQuality of work life


SpecializationEfficiency vs. Behavioral approaches to job designMotivationTeamsErgonomics


SpecializationWork that concentrates on some aspect of a

product or service

AdvantagesFor management:1.Simplifies training2.High productivity3.Low wage costs

For employees:1. Low education and skill

requirements2. Minimum responsibility3. Little mental effort needed

DisadvantagesFor management:1.Difficult to motivate quality2.Worker dissatisfaction, possibly resulting in absenteeism, high turnover, disruptive tactics, poor attention to quality

For employees:1.Monotonous work2.Limited opportunities for advancement3.Little control over work4.Little opportunity for self-fulfillment


Efficiency SchoolEmphasizes a systematic, logical approach to

job designA refinement of Frederick Winslow Taylor’s

scientific management conceptsBehavioral School

Emphasizes satisfaction of needs and wants of employees


Job EnlargementGiving a worker a larger portion of the total

task by horizontal loadingJob Rotation

Workers periodically exchange jobsJob Enrichment

Increasing responsibility for planning and coordination tasks, by vertical loading


Motivation is a key factor in many aspects of work lifeInfluences quality and productivityContributes to the work environment

Trust is an important factor that affects motivation


Teams take a variety of forms:Short-term team

Formed to collaborate on a topic or solve a problem

Long-term teamsSelf-directed teams

Groups empowered to make certain changes in their work processes


Benefits of teamsHigher qualityHigher productivityGreater worker satisfaction

Team problemsSome managers feel threatenedConflicts between team members


Ergonomics (human factors) The scientific discipline concerned with the

understanding of interactions among human and other elements of a system

Three domains of ergonomics Physical (repetitive movements, layout, health, safety) Cognitive (mental workload, decision making, HCI,

and work stress) Organizational (communication, teamwork, work

design, and telework)


Methods AnalysisAnalyzing how a job gets done

It begins with an analysis of the overall operationIt then moves from general to specific details of

the job concentrating onWorkplace arrangementMovement of workers and/or materials


The need for methods analysis can arise from a variety of sources1. Changes in tools and equipment2. Changes in product design or introduction of

new products3. Changes in materials and procedures4. Government regulations or contractual

agreements5. Accidents or quality problems


1. Identify the operation to be studied, and gather relevant data

2. Discuss the job with the operator and supervisor to get their input

3. Study and document the present methods

4. Analyze the job

5. Propose new methods

6. Install the new methods

7. Follow up implementation to assure improvements have been achieved


Consider jobs that:1. Have a high labor content2. Are done frequently3. Are unsafe, tiring, unpleasant, and/or noisy4. Are designated as problems

Quality problemsProcessing bottlenecksetc.


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

operation by focusing on movements of the operator or flow of materials


Worker machine chart Chart used to determine portions of a work cycle during

which an operator and equipment are busy or idle


Motion study Systematic study of the human motions used to perform an

operationMotion Study Techniques

Motion study principles– guidelines for designing motion-efficient work procedures

Analysis of therbligs– 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– activity or process charts, simo charts (simultaneous motions)


In developing work methods that are motion efficient, the analyst attempts toEliminate unnecessary motionsCombine activitiesReduce fatigueImprove the arrangement of the workplaceImprove the design of tools and equipment


Work measurement is concerned with how long it should take to complete a job.

It is not concerned with either job content or how the job is to be completed since these are considered a given when considering work measurement.


Standard time The amount of time it should take a qualified worker to

complete a specified task, working at a sustainable rate, using given methods, tools and equipment, raw material inputs, and workplace arrangement.

Commonly used work measurement techniques Stopwatch time study Historical times Predetermined data Work sampling


Stopwatch Time Study Used to develop a time standard based on observations of

one worker taken over a number of cycles.Standard Elemental Times

are derived from a firm’s own historical time study data.Predetermined time standards

involve the use of published data on standard elemental times.

Work sampling a technique for estimating the proportion of time that a

worker or machine spends on various activities and idle time.


Used to develop a time standard based on observations of one worker taken over a number of cycles.

Basic steps in a time study:1. Define the task to be studied and inform the worker

who will be studied2. Determine the number of cycles to observe3. Time the job, and rate the worker’s performance4. Compute the standard time


The number of observations to collect is a function of Variability of the observed times The desired level of accuracy Desired level of confidence for the estimated job time

mean Sample

error acceptable Maximum

percentageaccuracy Desired

deviation standard Sample

confidence desiredfor needed stddev. normal of #

where

or 22

x

e

a

s

z

e

zsn

xa

zsn


nsobservatio ofNumber

timesrecorded of Sum

timeObservedOT

where

OT

n

x

n

x

i

i


rating ePerformanc PR

timeNormal NT

where

PROT NT

Assumes that a single performance rating has been made for the entire job


j

jx

x

j

j

jj

element for rating ePerformanc PR

element for timeAverage

timeNormal NT

where

PR NT

Assumes that performance ratings are made on an element-by-element basis


on workday based percentage Allowance 1

1AF

timejobon based percentage Allowance 1AF

and

factor AllowanceAF

timeStandard ST

where

AFNTST

day

job

AA

AA


Standard Elemental Times are derived from a firm’s own historical time study data.

Over time, a file of accumulated elemental times that are common to many jobs will be collected.

In time, these standard elemental times can be retrieved from the file, eliminating the need to go through a new time study to acquire them.


Procedure:

1. Analyze the job to identify the standard elements.

2. Check the file for elements that have historical times and record them. Use time studies to obtain others, if necessary.

3. Modify the file times if necessary.

4. Sum the elemental times to obtain the normal time, and factor in allowances to obtain the standard time.


Predetermined time standards involve the use of published data on standard elemental times.

Developed in the 1940s by the Methods Engineering Council.

The MTM (methods-time-measurement) tables are based on extensive research of basic elemental motions and times.

To use this approach, the analyst must divide the job into its basic elements (reach, move, turn, etc.) measure the distances involved, and rate the difficulty of the element, and then refer to the appropriate table of data to obtain the time for that element


Work sampling is a technique for estimating the proportion of time that a worker or machine spends on various activities and the idle time.

Work sampling does not require timing an activity or involve continuous observation of the activity

Uses:

1.ratio-delay studies which concern the percentage of a worker’s time that involves unavoidable delays or the proportion of time a machine is idle.

2.analysis of non-repetitive jobs.


It is important to make design of work systems a key element of strategy:People are still at the heart of the businessWorkers can be valuable sources of insight and

creativityIt can be beneficial to focus on quality of work

life and instilling pride and respect among workers

Companies are reaping gains through worker empowerment


Date post:	19-Dec-2015
Category:	Documents
Upload:	geoffrey-shields
View:	213 times
Download:	0 times

Design of Work Systems McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright © 2012 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All...

Documents