CASE STUDY 1

A LOST HOPE

A Term Paper
By
Group C
I.M. Abeyratne (MBA / 03 / 1440)
B.Balaratnarajah (MBA / 03 / 1449)
S. M. S. Cooray (MBA / 03 / 1462)
K. N. J. De Fonseka (MBA / 03 / 1466)
L.D. Ferdinand (MBA / 03 / 1480)
S.M. B. Jayasekara (MBA / 03 / 1503)
R. Loganathan (MBA / 03 / 1521)
N.S. Mahawanniarachchi (MBA / 03 / 1523)
S. J. M. S. M. K. Samarakoon (MBA / 03/ 1551)

Course: MBA 502 Managing People

Dr. Travis Perera, Dr. Sudatta Ranasinghe &
Mrs. M. Manuratne
October 2003

POSTGRADUATE INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT

University of Sri Jayewardenepura

Table of Contents
I. INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................4
II. CAUSES OF CHANGE IN SIMONS BEHAVIOUR........................................4
III. EVALUATING NEED FOR JOB DESIGN.....................................................18
LIST OF REFERENCES..........................................................................................27

Table of Figures

FIGURE 1 SIMON'S PERCEPTUAL PROCESS....7

FIGURE 2 THE ATTRIBUTION PROCESS.9
FIGURE 3 SIMON'S ATTRIBUTION PROCESS.....10
FIGURE 4 MASLOW'S HIERARCY OF NEEDS.....12
FIGURE 5 RESPONSES TO JOB DISATISFACTION......14
FIGURE 6 HIERARCHY OF CHANEL RICHNESS.....14
FIGURE 7 THE HACKMAN-OLDHAM JOB CHARACTERISTICS MODEL OF WORK
MOTIVATION .....17
FIGURE 8 JOB CHARACHTERISTICS - THEN AND NOW....14

I. Introduction
This case is centred on Simon, who is employed as an office aid in the Community
Water Supply and Sanitation Project. It discusses his work habits and practices, and
the changes that took place in the project that in turn led to a change in Simons
behaviour. It was apparent that during the time Mr. Tillekeratne was the project
director, Simon was an outgoing, happy, motivated employee. However, after Mr. de
Silva replaced Mr. Tillekeratne, Simons behaviour underwent a dramatic change. The
first part of the study analyses the causes and effects of his behavioural change,
including his personality, perception, values, attitudes and motivation. The second
part of the study determines the causes for Simons demotivation. Many of the issues
were related to Simons job and the activities he was required to carry out. The study
further examines whether redesigning his job would increase the level of motivation.

II. Causes of Change in Simons Behaviour

Simon was a conscientious, hardworking and efficient employee. He was loyal to his
company and his superiors, and dedicated to his work. He enjoyed carrying out the
tasks allocated to him and also took great pleasure and satisfaction in taking on
additional tasks, even though there was no extra remuneration for doing so. He took
these extra duties seriously and carried them out diligently, often serving as a gobetween the administration staff and the drivers. When the project expanded and his
workload increased, he uncomplainingly took on the extra work and never grumbled
about his salary. Simon enjoyed the atmosphere in the organization. Some members
of the staff endearingly called him uncle, while others respectfully called him
Arachchi Mahattaya. He was concerned not only about his duties, but also about
his appearance. He showed a high level of commitment. He was the first person to
arrive at the office and was usually one of the last persons to go home, always waiting
until Mr. Tillekeratne was leaving office, and often making him a cup of tea. Though

he was paid overtime for these extra hours, the greater reward came by means of the
daily ride home with Mr. Tillekeratne for whom he had a deep affiliation. He was able
to speak freely with Mr. Tillekeratne, even on personal matters, and Mr. Tillekeratne
was also fond of Simon, bringing him gifts from his trip abroad. In general there was
a good understanding between these two men. Simon was very happy with the work
environment and the duties he carries out, as well as the culture, atmosphere and
people of the organization. These factors motivated Simon to perform his duties well
and be a good employee.
However, things began to change when Simon heard of Mr. Tillekeratnes impending
departure. He would have been rather taken aback that he heard the news from
Sirisena, Mr. Tillekeratnes driver, and not from Mr. Tillekeratne himself. Especially
given that Simon often shared his personal matters with Mr. Tillekeratne and felt the
two of them had a good rapport and understanding. In addition to his deep sense of
loss and sadness, the change in Mr. Tillekeratnes behaviour would have puzzled
Simon and even caused some anxiety and apprehension. As these emotions were
running through Simon, Mr. Lionel de Silva took over as project director which
triggered Simons behavioural change.
As the change in management took place, so did the culture within the project. The
open, friendly atmosphere and culture that Simon enjoyed so much, was now gone.
The existing task culture was replaced with a more stringent role culture, with job
titles, descriptions and activities strictly enforced (Handy, 1976). Similarly the
leadership style changed which affected the behaviour of the employees (Graham,
1986:113). Mr. Tillekeratne style of leadership was in the lines of McGregors Y
theory that believes that people like to work and have self direction and self control,
whereas Mr. de Silva emulated the leadership style distinguished in McGregors X
Theory which works on the premise that people are incapable of self direction and
control and therefore need management control to ensure that tasks are carried out
properly. With the change in leadership style the climate of the organization, which is
the feeling you get when you enter an organization, changed dramatically. The

flexible and friendly environment became rigid and formalized. Mr. de Silva spoke
primarily in English, while the staff was mainly Sinhala-speaking. This language
barrier inevitably led to some discomfort in the work environment resulting in the
staff members being somewhat alienated from their new project director. It would
have had a deep impact on Simon in particular, as he was accustomed to
communicating openly and frequently with Mr. Tillekeratne, and the new language
barrier would prevent him from continuing this trend with Mr. Tillekeratne. The
method of communication used by the new project director would have an impact on
all members of staff including Simon. Instead of informal methods and face-to-face
communication, circulars were sent round the office informing them of various
restrictions, rules and regulations. When communicating a decision, the choice of
communication channel should be determined in terms of channel richness. Channel
richness is the amount of information that can be transmitted during a communication
episode. (Robbins, 1996:386) This is further illustrated in Figure 1.

FIGURE 1: Hierarchy of Channel Richness

Channel

Type of

Information

Richness
Richest

Message
Non-routine,

Medium

Ambiguous
Face to face talk
Telephone
Electronic mail
Memos, letters
Flyers, bulletins, general reports
Leanest

Routine,
Clear

Source: Stephen P. Robbins, Organizational Behaviour, Seventh ed., New Jersey:

Prentice Hall, 1996, p. 148.
By

selecting

an

appropriate

method

of

communication

ambiguity

and

misunderstanding can be avoided and persons would be able to sort out any questions

or queries they may have. The circulars, removing face-to-face contact, create a cold
climate, where persons are uncomfortable and feel controlled. All these
environmental changes required Simon and the rest of the staff to drastically alter
their behavioural patterns to adapt to the new organizational culture and climate.
Another incident that would have affected Simon and the other members of the staff
is the resignation of Mr. Gunatilake, who was well liked by one and all. Two popular
and respected leaders leaving the organization so soon after each other are bound to
affect the moral and thereby the behaviour of the employees. Particularly, as Mr.
Gunatillake attempted to bring highlight the deteriorating work situation with Mr. De
Silva in order to correct the situation. Mr de Silvas reaction and Mr. Gunatillakes
subsequence decision to resign would serve to dishearten and demotivate Simon and
the rest of the staff, further changing their behaviour patterns as they feel more and
more alienated from the project.
Simons behaviour change can be attributed to the change in his perception of the
organization and his role within it. Perception can be defined as a process which
individuals organize and interpret their sensory impressions in order to give meaning
to their environment (Robins, 2001:121). This had an impact on his behaviour that is
further illustrated in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 2 Simons Perceptual Process

Environmental Stimuli
Culture
Style of Leadership
Climate
Observation
Perceptual Selection
(Internal Factors)

Hearing
Sight

Contrast between the two

Project Directors
Novelty in things happening
Personality of Simon

Perceptual Organization

Motives of Simon
Attitudes of Simon

Similarity between Simons

view and the view of the
others

Past Experience and

Expectations

Proximity chain reaction

of events

Interpretation
(Attributions)

Tardiness, absenteeism,
resignation
Boredom,
Dissatisfaction

Internal vs External Causes

Causes for success and failure

Monotonous
Simplified;
Low level skill
Response
(Covert)
(Overt)

Attitudes
Behaviour
Source: Adapted from Lecture Notes by the Authors - Don Hellriegel Don, John W
Motivations
Slocam Jr., Richard W. Woodman, Organizational Behaviour, 9 th ed. (South Western
Feelings

College Publishing: 2001)

8

Selective perception is defined as people selectively interpret what they see on the
basis of their interest, background, experience and attitudes (Robbins, 2001:131). As
indicated in Figure 1, the environmental stimuli, in this case the change in culture,
leadership style and climate gave rise to Simons perceptual selection through hearing
and sight. The perceptual selection included aspects such as the style of the two
leaders, Simons personality, motives and attributes, past experiences and
expectations. This results in perceptual organization such as similarity of Simons
view wand the view of the others and the chain reaction of events or proximity. These
are interpreted and a results in a response in terms of attitudes, motivation, feeling
and behaviour. His interpretation of the situation caused him to act and react
accordingly. This would further explain Simons behavioural change. With the
changes in the surrounding environment in general, and the restrictions and changes
required of him in particular, his perception has changed causing him to alter his
behaviour patterns.
Simons perception and behaviour is governed by his interpretation of certain
attributes. Attribution exists when an individual implies causes to anothers behaviour
that is a reason or explanation is assigned to why somebody does something
(Robbins, 1979:99). A typical attribution process is shown in FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 3 The Attribution Process

Antecedents
Information
Beliefs
Motivation

Attributions
Perceived causes
of behaviour

Consequences
Behaviour
Feelings
Expectations

Source: Adapted from Lecture Notes by the Authors - Don Hellriegel Don, John W
Slocam Jr., Richard W. Woodman, Organizational Behaviour, 9 th ed. (South Western
College Publishing: 2001)
Simons attribution process of Mr. Tillekeratnes behaviour can be applied to Figure
2. When Simon received his job description he found that many of the tasks he had
previously been doing, had not been included. Simon could not fathom why this had
happened and perceived that possibly someone had provided incorrect information to
Mr. de Silva, which caused Mr. de Silva to restrict the activities Simon was required

10

to do. The consequence of the attribution process is the subsequent behaviour of the
perceiver in response to the behaviour of others, the impact on feelings or emotions
(how the perceiver now feels about events, people, and circumstances), and the
effects on the perceivers expectations of future events and behaviour (adapted from
lecture notes). Due to Simons attribution process of Mr. Tillekeratnes behaviour, his
own behaviour changed. He became demotivated and felt unappreciated and started
coming late to work. Thus it can be seen that Simons attribution process of Mr. de
Silva has affected his own behaviour as well. This is further illustrated in FIGURE 4.

11

FIGURE 4 The Effect on Simons Behaviour Patterns

Before the Behavioural Change

After the Behavioural Change

Attitudes
I. Satisfied with the job.

Attitudes
I. Dissatisfied with the job.

II. Active participation and

considers his performance is
important to self-worth.

II. Passive participation and

considers his performance is
not important to self-worth.

III. Encouraged to maintain

membership
in
the
organization.

III. Discouraged
membership
organization.

Behaviour

in

maintain
the

Behaviour

I. Comes to office early in the

morning.
II. Recognized as an efficient
employee by the rest of the
staff.
III. Enjoyed
working
and
ranked office work first
among all the activities.

Motives
I. Task culture.
II. More
people
leadership style.
III. Recognition

to

I. Late attendance without his

knowledge.
II. Frustrated/disappointed with
the
organizational
environment and its culture.
III. Displeased work in the
organization and decided to
consider about personal
affairs than office work.

Motives
I. Role culture.
II. More
task
leadership style.
III. Less recognition.

oriented

oriented

Source: Illustrated by the Authors based Lecture Notes by the Authors - Don
Hellriegel Don, John W Slocam Jr., Richard W. Woodman, Organizational Behaviour,
9th ed. (South Western College Publishing: 2001)

12

Motivation results in behaviour. In fact motivation is a process of arousing, directing,

and sustaining goal directed behaviour (Weiss 2001:93). There are many motivations
theories that have been defined and through them it is possible to further analyse the
change in Simons behaviour. Victor Vroom developed expectancy theory to explain
and predict behaviour and motivation. He argues that motivation is a function of
expectancy, valence and instrumentality (Weiss 2001:108).
Motivation = Expectancy * Valence * Instrumentality
Simon placed a great amount of effort (Expectancy) into his work in the belief that a
reward, in his case appreciation and acknowledgement from his superiors would be
forthcoming (Instrumentality) and on this he placed great value much more than the
overtime he was paid. In the new situation the main motivating factors, the valence
and instrumentality is missing. This results in reduced motivation and change in
behaviour.
Similarly Abraham Maslow developed the needs theory that argues that individuals
have five needs that are arranged from the most basic to the highest level (Weiss
2001:95). This is illustrated in Figure 5.

13

FIGURE 5 Maslows Needs Hierarchy

Selfactualization
Esteem

Belongingness and Love

Safety and Security

Physiological

Source: Maslows Hierarchy of Needs website 1

This hierarchy assumes that the lowest unsatisfied need becomes the most dominant
one (Weiss 2001:96). In the current setting it could be seen that both esteem and
belongingness and love are affected. Simon greatly valued the recognition and
responsibility he received, and developed a great amount of self-confidence given the
additional tasks that were assigned to him. He enjoyed the young secretarial staff,
drivers and administration staff asking him for help as it made him feel important and
useful. He felt a sense of prestige at being referred to Arachchi Mahattaya. The
removal of these tasks lowered or perhaps even removed his esteem. In addition to
this, the feeling of belongingness and love also reduced. Simon valued being referred
to as uncle by members of the staff. In addition, Mr. Tillekeratne often brought
Simon little gifts when he travelled abroad. There are several aspects of these two
needs that are no longer in existence in the current organizational set up. The
1

http://web.utk.edu/~gwynne/maslow.HTM
14

elimination or reduction of these factors results in a negative impact in Simons

behaviour.
Many times people will exhibit behaviour problems when they are seeking to avoid a
task. This is referred to as task avoidance 2. Simons behavioural change is cause in
part by his trying to avoid the new situation in the organization. His response to the
change included coming late to work, and even the decision to use up his leave
entitlement, something he had not done in the past. These could be considered
extreme changes in his behaviour and is a clear indication of his trying to avoid the
situation at hand.
Simons attitude towards his job has significantly changed resulting in changed
behaviour patterns. An attitude is an individuals characteristic way of responding to
an object or situation. It is based on his experience and leads to certain behaviour or
the expression of certain opinions (Graham, 1986:83). An attitude is not passive, but
rather it exerts a dynamic or directive influence on behaviour.3 Denhardt, Denhardt
and Aristigueta (2002) identify three attitudes around which most of the research on
in Organizational Behaviour has been conducted. This no doubt indicates the
significance of these attitudes with regards to behaviour. The first of these is job
satisfaction, which means the feeling you get from your job of enjoyment or of doing
something useful.4 During Mr. Tillekeratnes tenure as Project Director Simon
enjoyed his work. He was very happy in fulfilling his official tasks as well as carrying
out additional responsibilities allocated to him. This gave him a sense of belonging
and self worth. With the tasks he performed being curtailed he lost much of the
satisfaction he previously derived from his job, leading to job dissatisfaction. The
response to job dissatisfaction is illustrated in Figure 6.

http://wilyelder.stormloader.com/behmot.html
http://users.ipfw.edu/bordens/social/attit.htm
4
http://www.vnn.vn/vnn4/practice/business/10_t3.html
2
3

15

FIGURE 6 Responses to Job Dissatisfaction

Active
Exit

Voice

Destructive

Constructive
Neglect

Loyalty

Passive
Source: Power Point Presentation on Job Satisfaction, Values and Attributes5
Simons response to job dissatisfaction falls under Neglect as he passively allows
condition to worse, such as chronic lateness or absenteeism and reduced effort.
The second attitude that influences organizational behaviour is job involvement. Job
Involvement is the degree to which a person identifies with his or her job, actively
participates in it, and considers his or her performance important to self-worth. 6
Simon placed great value in the additional tasks that he carried out. This gave him a
sense of importance and self worth. He actively participated in all aspects and took
great satisfaction in doing so. With the downgrade of tasks he felt that he was
considered to be an unskilled worker. This reduced his job involvement and greatly
affected his feeling of importance and self-worth which in turn had a negative impact
on his behaviour in that he did not perform his tasks with the same enthusiasm,
dedication and commitment as before.

classwork.busadm.mu.edu/classwork/SINGH/ old_%20courses/MANA
%20156/chap03.ppt
5

http://www.sidsnet.org/pacific/usp/mpa/courses/Mg201/990825/tsld064.htm
16

The final attitude that is considered important in organizations is organizational

commitment. This is a strong belief in and acceptance of organizational goals and
values, a willingness to exert considerable effort on behalf of the organization and a
strong desire to maintain membership in the organization 7. Simons commitment was
unmatched by others in the organization. He was the first to come to work and very
often one of the last to leave. He did whatever he could to contribute towards
organizational goals and placed great emphasis in maintaining a good rapport with all
levels of staff. However, Simon could no longer identify with the new climate and
culture of the organization, resulting in level of commitment reducing. This had a
detrimental impact on his behaviour in that he no longer went out of his way to
achieve organizational goals, and his willingness and effort reduced dramatically.
Simons behaviour was affected by the removal or non-existence of the factors that he
valued in the organization. Values represent basic convictions that a specific mode of
conduct or end-state of existence is personally or socially preferable to an opposite or
converse mode of conduct or end-state of existence (Rokeach, 1973:5). Values
generally influence attitudes and behaviour. Simons work values reflected those of
the Protestant work ethic, placing emphasis on hard work and loyalty.8 He greatly
valued the affiliation he had between the different staff members and the Project
Director. Other aspects of his job that he valued included the additional tasks he
undertook such as answering the phone and greeting customers, as well as intervening
on behalf of the drivers and the administrative staff. It was evident that he valued the
work itself, given that he uncomplainingly took on a heavier workload when the
project expanded without grumbling about his salary. The feeling that these sacrifices
had gone unnoticed and unappreciated would affect his value system and behaviour
patterns. The removal of the things that Simon valued has led him to feel unvalued
and unimportant which had a detrimental impact on his behaviour.

http://www.sherpahigherperformance.com/model.cfm.
classwork.busadm.mu.edu/classwork/SINGH/ old_%20courses/MANA
%20156/chap03.ppt
7
8

17

There are many factors that contribute towards the change in Simons behaviour.
Some of these factors are external influences where Simon was compelled to alter his
behaviour to blend in with the new project setting. However, there were several
changes that took place within Simon, like changes in his personality, attitudes,
values etc that also impacted his behaviour. All in all it was a combination of both
internal and external influences that resulted in his behavioural change.

III. Evaluating Need for Job Design

Simons behavior underwent a total transformation under the new Project Director.
He started coming to work late and was considering using up his leave entitlement
something he had never done in the past. He seemed to lose the enthusiasm he had for
his job and no longer derived satisfaction from the tasks he had to do. When an
individual undergoes such a transformation it is worthwhile examining the behavior
pattern and the causes for such a change, so that corrective and preventive measures
may be taken to get that person back on track. Solving behavior problems consists of
knowing or finding out the function of the behavior (the motive) and figuring out a
way in which the sequence of the problem behavior steps may be interrupted and/or
providing a way for the individual to fulfill the motive without exhibiting the problem
behavior.9 Simons behavior pattern is typical of a person lacking motivation. Job
dissatisfaction, task avoidance, absenteeism, lateness etc., are all traits of a
demotivated person.
It is important to establish what exactly occurred in the organization and within
Simon himself that lead to his demotivation. This would serve as a guideline or
indicator as to what steps need to be taken tore-motivate him. While Simons initial
apprehension took place on hearing of Mr. Tillekeratne impending departure and the
change in the organizational environment, the situation escalated when he was handed
his job description. As is the norm, the job description listed out the activities that he
9

http://wilyelder.stormloader.com/behpsy.html
18

was expected to do in his job capacity. The description did not include any of the
additional tasks that Simon had previously enjoyed carrying out such as answering
the phone, meeting customers, liaising between the drivers and administrative staff
etc. While Simon was not necessarily trained to do these additional tasks and may
even have lacked the professionalism required; he carried them out diligently, with
great enthusiasm and pride. He likened the tasks listed in his job description to that
which is usually assigned to an unskilled laborer and felt unimportant and
unappreciated. This feeling was strengthened by the fact that he uncomplainingly
took on a heavier workload when the project expanded, never grumbling about his
salary. All in all this was a demoralizing experience for Simon as he draws a
comparison between when he previously did and what he is now expected to do. Had
Simon not been used to carrying out these tasks previously, the probability is that
there would not have been a problem or a loss in motivation with the new job
description. However, having been used to carrying out and having placed so much
value in the additional tasks, the removal had a large impact on him psychologically
as well as emotionally. He felt as though he were being punished and could not
fathom the cause or justification. Many possibilities came to mind, including the
possibility that someone may have given the wrong impression to Mr. de Silva
regarding Simons work. The fact that he contemplated and analyzed the situation at
such length further indicates what a large impact the removal of these tasks had on
Simon. As Simon did not experience the same rapport and understanding with Mr. de
Silva as he did with Mr. Tillekeratne, he was not able to openly communicate and
discuss these issues with Mr. De Silva. This only served to heighten the problem. It is
evident when analyzing the demotivating factors that the majority of them relate to
Simons job and what he is required and expected to do, as well was what he is no
longer permitted to do. Therefore to re-motivate him it is necessary to design, or in
contemporary terms, to re-design his job in a manner where he feels his abilities and
skills are put to good use and he feels like he is making a valuable contribution.

19

Hackman and Oldham presented a job characteristics model of work motivation that
indicates the impact the design of an individuals job has on his motivation and
performance. This is further illustrated in FIGURE 7.
FIGURE 7 The Hackman-Oldham job characteristics model of work motivation
CORE JOB

CRITICAL

PERSONAL AND

CHARACTERISTICS

PSYCHOLOGICAL

WORK

Variety of skill

STATES
Experienced

OUTCOMES
High internal work

Identity of the task

meaningfulness of the

motivation

Significance of the task

work

Autonomy

Experienced

High-quality

work

performance

responsibility for work

outcomes
Feedback

High

Knowledge

of

results

satisfaction

with the work

from work activities

Low

turnover

and

absenteeism
Moderated by employee
growth-need strength
Source: Adapted from Lecture Notes by the Authors - Robert B. Denhardt, Janet V.
Denhardt, P. Maria Aristigueta : Managing Human Behavior in Public Nonprofit
Organizations (Sage Publications: 2002)
When applying Simons current job characteristics to the above model several issues
can be identified which would explain Simons decreased motivation. The current
skill variety required is minimal. In fact as mentioned earlier, Simon likens the duties
assigned to him to that of an unskilled laborer in a government office. This also

20

indicates that Simon no longer identifies himself with the task at hand and feels that it
lacks significance. The combination of these factors has resulted in a sense of
meaninglessness with regards to the work he has to do. With the introduction of job
descriptions with clear-cut instructions and restrictions, the level of autonomy has
declined. This has resulted in the feeling of responsibility significantly reducing. In
Simons current job context it is assumed that there is very little feedback on his job
performance, given the current climate of the organization. When considering these
issues it is evident that the characteristics or design of Simons job is quite different
from what it used to be. A comparison between the two situations based on the above
model is illustrated in Figure 8.

FIGURE 8 Simons Job Characteristics Then and Now

Job Characteristics
Task Variety
Identity of the task
Significance of the task
Autonomy
Feedback

Previous Level

Current Level

(In Simons View)

High
High
High
Moderate-High
Moderate

(In Simons View)

Very Low
Low
Very Low
Moderate
Very Low

Source: Developed by Authors

It is evident that there has been a decline in all aspects of the job characteristics. As
depicted in the Hackman-Oldham in Figure 7 high values on theses characteristics
leads to high motivation, high satisfaction, high performance and low absenteeism
and turnover and this was the case in the Simons previous work situation. However
currently the values for all the characteristics are low which indicates that due to the
design of the job low motivation, low performance, loss satisfaction and high
absenteeism is to be expected.

21

Hackman and Oldman further developed a questionnaire that is used to determine the
motivating potential score (MPS).
MPS = (skill variety + task identity + task significance) x autonomy x feedback
3
If the motivating potential score is calculated for the two work situations the MPS for
the previous situation would be rather high whereas the MPS for the current situation
would be quite low. Correcting these motivation issues requires redesigning Simons
core job characteristics in other words it involves job redesign.
In the traditional approach job design involved fitting people to jobs. The focus was
on the job, not on the people (Weiss, 2001:298). However the modern approach is
somewhat different. Chase, Aquilano and Jacobs (1998) put it succinctly when they
say that the objective of job design is to develop job structures that meet the
requirement of the organization and its technology and that satisfy the job holders
personal and individual requirements. Job design and its impact are further illustrated
in FIGURE 9.

22

FIGURE 9 Effective Job Design

Job Design
Techniques

Organizational
Parameters
Co-workers
Management
Structure

Moderating
Variables

Individual
Parameters
Ability
Knowledge
Needs
Values

Traditional engineering
Techniques
Specialization of labor
Activity and flow
process analysis
Worker physiology
Working environment

Behavioral techniques
Job rotation
Job enlargement
Job enrichment
Redesigning jobs
Participation

Expected
Outcomes

External
environment

Organizational outcomes
Efficiency (productivity
Quality
Goal achivement
Job
Design

Individual outcomes
Job Satisfaction
Promptness
Attendance
Longevity

Feedback for redesign

Source: Everett E. Adam Jr, Ronald J. Ebert, Production and Operational

Management, Fifth ed., New Delhi, Prentice Hall, 2003, p 298
As illustrated in Figure 9 there are various techniques and aspects of redesigning jobs.
Three vital components in Job Design is job enlargement, job enrichment and job

23

rotation10. The first is Job Enlargement that is an attempt to widen jobs by increasing
the number of operations in which the jobholder is involved 11. Thus there is horizontal
expansion of a job so that one person would perform the whole unit of work and there
would be task identity. The second element is Job Enrichment. This is planned,
desirable action to build greater responsibility, breadth and challenge of a work into a
job: giving it greater activity, allowing the employee in the job far greater freedom to
decide how the job should be done, encouraging employees to participate in the
planning decisions of he superiors and ensure that employee receives regular
feedback on his performance.12 Finally there is Job Rotation that involves having a
worker periodically exchanging jobs13 with another worker to break the monotony of
performing the same job every day. When redesigning Simons job these three aspects
should be considered and applied. Previously in addition to his official activities
Simon performed a variety of tasks such as speaking to visitors and answering the
telephone calls which provided job enrichment and enlargement. Simon frequently
assisted Mr. Perera, the Administrative Officer on matters such as checking the
running charts maintained by the drivers and issue of fuel coupons. This brought in
job rotation. The new job description according to Simon contains work an un-skilled
labourer in a Government Department could perform. His current duties are limited to
cleaning the office, arranging files, preparing tea for the staff, bringing mail etc. All
three elements so vital for job satisfaction and motivation were missing. Therefore to
increase Simons level of motivation job redesigning would be essential. The before
and after effects of job redesign is illustrated in Figure 10.

10

http://instruction.bus.wisc.edu/rdunham/MHR420/2003%20PPT/job_design_web.ppt
11
http://www.nets.kz/ilia.nets.kz/j_text.html
12
http://www.nets.kz/ilia.nets.kz/j_text.html
13

http://instruction.bus.wisc.edu/rdunham/MHR420/2003%20PPT/job_design_web.ppt.
24

FIGURE 10 The Before and After Effects of Job Redesign

Current Situation
Condition
Simplified;
Low level skill

Perception

Affective
Response

Monotonous

Boredom,
Dissatisfaction

Behavioural
Response
Tardiness,
absenteeism,
resignation

After Redesigning Simons Job

Condition
Tardiness,
Motivated;
absenteeism,
Optimum-level
skillresignation
involvement

Perception

Affective
Response

Tardiness,
absenteeism,
Varied
resignation

Tardiness,
absenteeism,
Motivated
resignation
Satisfaction

Behavioural
Response
Tardiness,
Punctuality,
absenteeism,
No or Less
resignation
Absenteeism

Boredom,
Dissatisfaction

Boredom,
Boredom,
Boredom,
Dissatisfactio
Dissatisfaction
Dissatisfactio
n
n
Source:
Adapted by Authors from Everett E. Adam
Jr, Ronald J. Ebert, Production
Monotonous
Monotonous
Simplified;
Monotonous
Simplified;
Monotonous
and
Operational Management,
Fifth ed., New Delhi,
Prentice Hall, 2003,
p 298
Low level skill
Simplified;
Low level
Simplified;
Response
Low level
skill
Low level
(Covert)
skill
Response
skill
As mentioned in the preceding section, one of the reasons for Simons demotivation
is
(Overt)
Response
(Covert)
Response
directly linked to Victor Vrooms
Expectancy Theory
on. Simon associates
little or no
(Covert)
(Overt)
(Covert)
Attitudesor instrumentality in his current job. By redesigning Simons job,
valence
Behaviour
(Overt)
Attitudes
(Overt)
incorporating job enlargement and job enrichment,
the
valence
and the
Behaviour
Motivations would improve
Attitudes
Attitudes
instrumentality
and his expectancy will increase, leading
to increased
Motivations
motivation.
Feelings
Behaviour
Behaviour
Feelings
Motivations
Motivations
Admittedly, while redesigning Simons job will increase his motivation, it is unlikely
that job redesign alone willFeelings
be sufficient to restore his motivation levelFeelings
to that which
it was during Mr. Tillekeratnes tenure as Project Director. However, the redesign will
facilitate an improvement in attitude, behaviour and motivation, resulting in a more
productive and satisfied employee.

25

IV. Conclusion
Many different aspects impact a persons behaviour. It is important to try and
understand what makes people behave the way they do so that managers and
organizations may effectively and efficiently manage their employees.
The factors that influence a persons behaviour could be either internal or external to
the individual and may result in either positive or negative behaviour patterns. Simon
was initially a very happy, motivated employee taking great pleasure in doing taking
his official duties as well as taking on additional tasks in which he placed great value.
However, when a change of management took place the internal and external factors
influenced Simons behaviour.
Simons behaviour was detrimentally affected by both internal and external factors.
Initially it was the change in the environment such as the leadership style, climate and
culture that impacted his behaviour. He no longer felt comfortable in the organization
with stringent rules, regulations and procedures. Once he received his job description
and realised that many of the tasks he used to perform and used to value greatly had
been taken away from him. This led to job dissatisfaction and demotivation and
resulted in changes in his personality, perception, values, attitudes and motivation that
in turn led to his behavioural change.
There were several attributing factors that lead to Simons being dissatisfied with his
job and being demotivated. Theses included the changed organizational environment,
lack of autonomy, reduction in skill variety and task identification etc lead to low
performance and low motivation. With things he valued be removed, he felt
unappreciated and demotivated. He could no longer identify with the organizational
culture and goals. While not all of these were job related, a majority of the factors
were cause due to the problem with his new job description and design. By enlarging
and enriching his job, he could once again take pride in his work and in himself and
be a motivated employee.

26

List of References
Adam Jr., Everette E. and Ebert, Ronald J., Production and Operations Management:
Concepts, Models and Behaviour, 5th ed. (Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1992)
Chase Richard B., Aquilano Nicholas J. and Jacobs F. Robert, Production and
Operation Management: Manufacturing and Services, 8th ed. (McGraw-Hill, Inc.
1998)
Denhardt Robert B., Denhardt Janet V., Aristigueta Maria P., Managing Human
Behviour in Public Nonprofit Organizations (Sage Publications, London, 2002)
Hellriegel Don, Slocam John. W. Jr., Woodman Richard W., Organizational
Behaviour, 9th ed. (South Western College Publishing, USA. 2001)
Robbins, Stephen P., Organizational Behaviour: Concepts and controversies, 5th ed.
(Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1979)
Rokeach, Milton, The Nature of Human Values (New York: Free Press. 1973)
Weiss, Joseph W., Organizational Behaviour and Change: Managing Diversity, CrossCultural Dynamics and Ethics, 2nd ed. (Cincinnati: South-Western College Publishing,
2001)
Lecture Notes and Hand Outs from Dr. Travis Perera
classwork.busadm.mu.edu/classwork/SINGH/ old_%20courses/MANA
%20156/chap03.ppt
users.ipfw.edu/bordens/social/attit.htm
web.utk.edu/~gwynne/maslow.HTM
wilyelder.stormloader.com/behmot.html
www.sidsnet.org/pacific/usp/mpa/courses/Mg201/990825/tsld064.htm

27

www.sherpahigherperformance.com/model.cfm.
www.vnn.vn/vnn4/practice/business/10_t3.html

28