Human Resources and Job Design
Introduction
The performance of an organization is highly reliant on the practices of HRM in which one of the core elements is the practices of job design. Organizations such as hospitals that requires quality services and high clients satisfaction are highly necessitated to motivate their staffs through the designing of interesting and yet challenging tasks (Heizer, Render & Munson, 2016 42). Operation management is the general administration of business activities in the creation of the highest efficiency level within a corporation. This is mainly concerned with the conversion of labor and raw materials into services and goods in profit maximization. It is clear from the case that Mayfield hospital lacks effective operational management which has thus resulted in high staffs turnover, high recruitment cost, reduced consumers bases, low consumers satisfaction, ineffective supply and lowly motivated employees. Job designing can be described as the procedure through which tasks are assigned to the specific jobs with an equal consideration of the reliance of the tasks with the different jobs. HR and task designing practices are continuously due to the rapid trends changes and the need to satisfy the demands of consumers and sustain a culture that values employees performance through prioritization of a high motivational working culture (Heizer, Render & Munson, 2016). Effective HR and job design practices may result in the growth working motivation and employees satisfaction which will generally turn to improved organizational performance.
Quality management is based on ensuring consistency of the corporation’s services and products and the means of achieving them. This is important in budgeting costs, managing employee’s operations as well as consumer’s needs (Heizer, Render & Munson, 2016). Mayfield compared to HCA Hospital which is accounted to be the number one private hospital in London requires to adjust its HRM and job design. HCA strives in the delivery of quality and highly affordable services to the community. Mayfield holds the objectives but fails in delivering quality to its consumers as well as employees leading to high turnover rate and low performance. The hospital is unable to administer employees operation, controlling costs, quality as well as clients needs as necessitated by operation and quality management.
Operational management directly involves several responsibilities where the efficiency of business operations is sustained (Asgari, 2013 17). This normally involves the utilization of the lowest resources that are required meeting the necessities of consumers with the highest economical standards and addressing HR needs. This is the general administration of the conversion of labor, raw materials and technological skills in achieving operational management efficiency (Asgari, 2013 19). HRM is an essential section of organizational effective management that is particularly involved to manage individuals who work within a specific organization (Asgari, 2013 21). In short, HRM implies to persons employment, capacities development, maintaining skills as well as the compensation of employees services that are relevant to their jobs as well as the demands of the company. Mayfield is in need of effective management of its operations ranging from the issue of supply, operating cost, high turnover, satisfaction and motivation of both the consumers and the employees. The practices of job design that are best accomplished via HRM can best influence the motivation of staffs as well as their general performance by raising work efficiency via job specialization (Heizer, Render & Munson, 2016 43)
Job design in HRM is not intentionally targeted at increasing the general motivation of all employees since the effectiveness is affected by the staffs differences (Heizer, Render & Munson, 2016 47). However, the degree of employees satisfaction is normally influenced by staffs competence, the need to grow and their general satisfaction with their working surrounding and assigned tasks (Asgari, 2013 23). Based on the characteristics job model staffs are more likely to remain satisfied and highly motivated if their jobs are characterized by task identity, skills varieties, tasks importance, job autonomy and high experiences and tasks feedback (Heizer, Render & Munson, 2016 45).
Triple bottom line, an accounting framework that holds three distinct sections that are environmental, financial and social forces (Slack, Brandon-JonesJohnston, 2013). Based on the framework the performance of Mayfield can be termed as poor. In that it’s social and financial value generation is poor. The hospital operates on high cost thus decreasing its profitability and contributes less to the society as it fails to effectively address the client’s needs. Maryfield hospital can improve its general performance through the utilization of job design approaches in increasing employees motivation, improve performance, satisfaction and reduce the rate of turnover which increases the costs of operation. Operational management should ensure that there is efficiency in all the involved operations in the organization without affecting the stated budgets (Slack, Brandon-JonesJohnston, 2013 14). However, human resources being the most significant aspect of the organization should be managed at all costs by fully addressing the employees needs. The hospital’s culture should support job autonomy to allow the employees to retain their motivation and high performance. This can be achieved through the utilization of job rotation, job enrichment, job enlargement and optional tasks schedules which includes reduces working period, high communication and flextime (Slack, Brandon-JonesJohnston, 2013 17). Job rotation can best be described as a practice of job design where employees are shifted from a particular job task to a different one. This is however done based on the experience, skills and the competence they hold. This strategy can help in reducing tasks boredom and assist in the growth of a more flexible workforce. Through this the hospital management can generate multi skilled workers thus reducing the turnover rate and the cost of rapid recruitments (Slack, Brandon-JonesJohnston, 2013 32).
On the other hand, job enlargement involves the general increment of job tasks for each of the employees to develop their skills, motivate them and increase performance. The strategy is mainly effective as it assists in growing working flexibility as well as efficiency (Heizer, Render & Munson, 2016 44). Job enrichment is an additional job design approach which happens when the workforce is entrusted with further responsibilities in the design, scheduling, planning and coordinating of their individual work. Alternatives working schedules may also be incorporated which may be designed based on the convenience of staffs so that the private life can be balanced with work. In that, since Maryfield is faced with the issue of high turnover of the part time employees the scheduling can be changed to suit their preferences and time needs. In addition reducing the working shifts may reduce fatigue and keep the employees motivated and highly energized to work more. Autonomy and flexibility is highly required in creating better relations amid the management and staffs which may help in understanding changes needs to benefit all the involved parties (Slack, Brandon-JonesJohnston, 2013 26).
Maryfield hospital has all the important resources ranging from land, materials and machines that are required to achieve efficiency. However, it cannot be ignored that human resource remains to be the most significant resource compared to all others since they cannot operate without being operated by human resource (Mullins, 2016 4). In the context of the company, the general efficiency of HR relies on the designing of jobs based on employee’s skills, capabilities and characteristics. High performance in the organization can best be achieved via job design as a significant HRM function which will be useful in indicating functions, methods as well as the general content (Mullins, 2016 4). Continuity in the organization requires positive attitudes, skills as well as knowledge which contribute greatly towards performance. Employees performance is very essential since it determines the general productivity and efficiency of a firm. They performance is evaluated by how best they accomplish their tasks and responsibilities. Designing human resource tasks and setting specific objectives can certainly result in increased performance (Mullins, 2016 6).
Job design as a significant HRM practice can motivate performance growth. Mayfield hospital has the need of satisfying both the staffs and its clients and increasing performance simultaneously (Slack, Brandon-JonesJohnston, 2013 26). From the statistical reports attained from most organizations jobs that are accurately designed can result in a positive effect on both staffs satisfaction as well as performance quality. This develops the proposition that jobs that are well defined are effective in enhancing satisfaction, performance as well as motivation of all employees (Slack, Brandon-JonesJohnston, 2013). It is highly significant to conduct job design in Mayfield hospital as a practice of managing operations so that the existing stress on Jerry can be decreased, motivation enhanced, increase clients and staffs motivation through high performance and quality services and increase the general performance in the organization for effective competition within the healthcare industry in UK.
Fish Diagram Analysis
Control Cost Equipments
Task People Responsibilities
Based on research individuals with autonomy and a favorable working culture are likely to be highly motivated and satisfied which makes the suggestion that design management practices in the organization are the core determinant of the efficiency (Boddy, 2008 8). The manner in which Mayfield’s hospitals jobs have been designed and allocated holds a huge influence on the high dissatisfaction and employees happiness. Job enrichment can best be accomplished through offering the workforce with autonomy and supervision from an informative administration. This involves constant communication with employees on the changes as well as the general performance within the organization (Boddy, 2008 8). High productivity is the desire of all the organization and this cannot be achieved with low employee’s performance. Focusing on productivity without addressing HR needs may results to jobs dehumanization which erodes employee’s qualities and leads to dissatisfaction. Job design concepts can be effective in solving turnover, less performance, motivation as well as satisfaction issues is practiced adequately. Motivation and satisfaction can be categorized as the most vital factors that determine performance and the general productivity of the corporation (Boddy, 2008 14).
The management should attempt to design the workers jobs in a manner that is technically, economical and behavioral realizable for both the employees and the general organization. The organization via job design can attempt to raise the levels of the general performance and productivity through offering rewards that are not connected to money for increased satisfaction (Hill, Roche & Allen, 2007 23). This is in the general sense that personal accomplishments to increased responsibility and difficulties and responsibilities in an individual’s work can best be compromised with greater satisfaction and motivation. Job design effectiveness is at most times influenced by social, environmental as well as behavioral features. An effective job design will be of great use to the organization since it will help in the raise of satisfaction and high productivity. This however, necessitates the combination of several tasks towards the accomplishment of the job. A person is bound to a accomplish a primary responsibility which is made of different functions which therefore requires adequate description and setting of the anticipated objectives (Hill, Roche & Allen, 2007 9). On the other hand, the functions of tasks is the general division that exists amid the workers team which means that they must work relatively to achieve the common core goal of the organization. In the challenging or those tasks that requires more energy turnover is a likelihood and this can best be eliminated through encouraging job rotation. In such challenging tasks the involved functions should be divided evenly among the involved persons (Hill, Roche & Allen, 2007 14).
The decisions engaged in job design are grounded in the different components such as the specialization degree, the requirement of job content and the working surrounding in the company (Boddy, 2008 27). This is of great use for the management in addressing job analysis as well as all the involved specifications. In managing operations the manger is highly required to carry out training, orientation as well as selection based on the developed plan. During the procedure of developing decisions that are mainly aimed hiring new staffs the designs can be utilized in the determination of numerous factors value, contribution , flexibility, salary and the necessity (Boddy, 2008 28).
The approaches utilized in designing the specific jobs should not make the assumption that money is the determining motivation factor to high performance, satisfaction and quality productivity. For most off the employees , job design is essential as it develops proper grounds for fair remuneration which is aimed at motivating staffs in achieving effectiveness (Hannagan & Bennett, 2008 24). The designs of jobs in any organization holds distinct effects on motivation, commitment as well as satisfaction to the objectives of the company all in which holds essential effects on the organization’s efficiency (Hannagan & Bennett, 2008 16). Jobs should therefore, be developed in a way that promotes flexibility, growth and specialization. However, since specialization may negatively impact motivation the issue should be handled through encouraging of rotation. This increases functional variety which eliminations the sensations of detachments as well as boredom. An additional way in which motivation and performance can be enhanced is through job enlargement where employees are offered complex and yet interesting tasks which is a form of giving them extra responsibility. This can be accompanied by job enrichment where employees control over their responsibilities and duties is increased (Hannagan & Bennett, 2008 29).
Conclusion and Recommendation
It is apparent that an increase in the flexibilities of job and the restructuring to implement well described jobs results in increased performance. Workplace variability is associated with numerous potential advantages that may impact positive Mayfield’s performance. Designing responsibilities as well as tasks for all the employees can help the hospital in increasing their morale to perform the assigned tasks, satisfaction, motivation as well as the capability of attracting highly skilled employees and also gain the capability of retaining them. The organization is therefore, recommended to utilized the job design strategies which are rotation, enrichment and engagement in increasing working flexibility while minimizing the operational issues. Job design is highly effective since it encourages equity as well as flexibility. In that the achievement of high performance is not a responsibility of some employees rather it depends on the capability of working together to coordinate activities which significantly satisfied the necessities of consumers and increases working morale. In order for the clients and the workers to be satisfied sustainability is a necessity that can be achieved through increased teamwork, high coordination and the mentoring of employees development towards quality performance.
Job design should be accompanied by goal setting in that they are essential HRM variables that are interrelated in shaping the performance of employees. A valuable and a satisfying job is effective in offering employees with accurate and clear specifications of the anticipated tasks and the assigned tasks of their particular jobs. This would permit the management in the identification of the anticipated status. The management should focus on the evaluation of workers performance to compensate their services as a form of motivation. Increasing their pays may not generally improve productivity because despite the fact that it influences motivation and high satisfaction it fails in fueling quality performance. This may not therefore, impact the need for achieving consumers satisfaction as required. Job rotation will reduce employees turnover since boredom will be eliminated and employees will highly appreciate the wider exposition on more activities to develop their skills. This will help the operation management in maintaining low operating expenses thus providing high engagement and enrichment. The corporation should also stop on focusing on productivity rather than on HR which is a primary determinant of the general success. HRM and strategic planning on job designs should be adopted in the organization in setting specific targets and descriptions for every job. HR is the most significant resource in the organization and should thus be treated as one.
References
Asgari, N. (2013). Managing Operations, Job Design and Scheduling. University of Roehampton, London.
Boddy, D. (2008). Management: An introduction. Harlow, England: FT Prentice Hall.
Hannagan, T., & Bennett, R. (2008). Management: Concepts & practices. Harlow, England: Financial Times/Prentice Hall.
Heizer, J., Render, B., & Munson, C. (2016). Operations Management: Sustainability and Supply Chain Management. Pearson Education
Hill, N., Roche, G., & Allen, R. (2007). Customer satisfaction: The customer experience through the customer's eyes. London: Cogent.
Mullins, L. J. (2016). Management and organisational behaviour. Harlow: Pearson Education Ltd.
Slack, N., Brandon-Jones, A. Johnston, R. (2013). Operations Management. Harlow: Pearson Education Ltd.
