Challenges for job design

Abstract

The previous chapters have described the characteristics of new job demands (work intensification, planning and decision-making demands, learning demands) on employees arising from a changing world of work. These new job demands have the potential to exert both positive and negative effects on employees and organizational outcomes, resulting in new challenges for job design measures. The final chapter of this book gives an overview of such new challenges and discusses consequences and recommendations for job design approaches. New demands may evoke complex patterns of positive effects, challenges and negative effects, requiring framework models that are able to deal with such complexity. The balance theory of job design (Smith and Sainfort in Int J Ind Ergon 4: 67-79, 1989) is introduced as a useful framework for dealing with complexity from a systemic point of view. Job design that takes individual needs into consideration is described as another approach which is appropriate for dealing with new demands. On the macro-level of economic developments, it is important to initiate public discussions on the potential effects of job demands in a changing world of work. The further development of political directives and revisions of employment laws are important macro-level measures. On the meso-level of organizations, various design measures ranging from improvements in knowledge management concepts to improved social support measures are being discussed. Such measures are of particular importance in the design of flexible work and new office concepts. On the micro-level of job design, approaches for dealing with autonomy demands are presented. Finally, on the level of the individual worker, strategies for self- and time management are discussed.