Job Design and Description Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Job Design and Description - Essay Example Job description and design are tools that are used in structuring an organization. In an organization, the first stride to acquiring the appropriate person with the required skills into the right position is to get the job right. In reference to Lussier, a good description and design of job supports a manager to effectively run the organization (242). Job description arises from job design. An organization’s management should clearly state the job description and design before embarking on recruitment. Each job should have various requirements or essentials. These inherent requirements are the responsibilities and chores that should be undertaken to get the job done. These requirements stipulate achievement of the result rather than how to achieve them. For instance, an employee is obliged to take minutes in meetings. In this case, it is essential for all employees to take minutes of all the meetings within the organization. Needless to say, it is also necessary to understand that not all the tasks in a job description are integral prerequisites. For instance, though making coffee is not an essential receptionist’s task, he or she may be required to make some coffee for guests. It almost goes without saying that the job design and description is the foundation for getting the best and brightest employees. Job Design The ability of an organization to succeed in its goals depends on how well it can identify the various activities that must occur and the quality of the individuals selected to perform them. It is the responsibility of the management to ensure that both activities and personnel are appropriate. By carefully analyzing the purpose, responsibilities and qualifications of each job, the selection process can be made more efficient and fruitful (Lussier 242). Lussier defines job design as â€Å"the process of laying out job responsibilities and duties and describing how they are to be performed† (242). Designing a job requires answeri ng such questions as â€Å"what activities are necessary to accomplish organizational goals?† Answering this simple question is apparently more complex than one might expect. It requires detailed information in order to be useful. The goal is to be as comprehensive as possible in listing the tasks. Being too brief or too broad creates more work later in the process (Lussier 243). For example, a task for a circulation service point position should be more than â€Å"check out materials.† Job design should consider organizational requirements, individual worker attributes, health, and safety. Job design is a broad concept that not only involves human relations but also job satisfaction, motivation and interpersonal issues. Organizations can best achieve their objectives by designing work that motivates workers to attain their full capability (Lussier 243). A deep understanding of job design requires an understanding of behavioral science, organizational behavior, psychol ogy, human resources management, economics, and operations management. The process by which jobs are designed includes three sub processes: job analysis, job description and job segmentation. These subprocesses are related and their relationship is very essential in job description. Long before recruiting and selecting employees begin, the organization needs to carry out an analysis (Lussier 243). This analysis consist of â€Å"observing and studying a job to determine its proper