enrichment theory. Cancer-causing parasites and the enrichment theory that doesn't work

The theory of "enrichment of labor" is based on the assumption that workers should be personally interested in the performance of a particular job. "Enrichment of labor" is aimed at structuring labor activity in such a way as to enable the performer to feel the complexity and significance of the task entrusted to him, independence and independence in the choice of decisions, the absence of monotonous work, responsibility for the implementation of the task.

Today, many enterprises use the theory of "work enrichment" to eliminate the negative effects of fatigue and the associated drop in productivity.

At the same time in practical activities some shortcomings of Herzberg's theory should be taken into account. In particular, studies show that assumptions about the existence of a strong correlation between job satisfaction and labor productivity are not always justified. For example, communication with colleagues contributes to the satisfaction of the social needs of the employee. However, the same worker may consider communication with colleagues more important than the performance of the work assigned to him. Thus, despite a high degree of job satisfaction, labor productivity may not be high enough. Given the fact that social needs play a very important role, the introduction of such motivating factors as increased responsibility for the task assigned may not have a motivating effect and may not contribute to an increase in labor productivity. Therefore, motivation must be perceived to a certain extent as a probabilistic process. What motivates this employee in a particular situation, may not have any effect on him at another time. This circumstance must be taken into account when solving specific issues of personnel management.

The interaction of motives is as follows: if an employee makes the goals of the organization his personal goals (identification), then his performance of his production tasks at the same time causes personal satisfaction. Personal satisfaction, in turn, contributes to the achievement of more high results. Motivation within groups or areas of the enterprise creates the conditions for the emergence of a sense of collectivism among employees.

The considered substantive theories of motivation are based on the needs that determine the behavior of the employee. In addition to meaningful developments, there are process theories that give motivations a slightly different direction. In particular, according to these theories, a person's behavior is not only determined by needs, but is simultaneously a function of his perception and expectations, the possible consequences of the type of behavior he has chosen.

For correct analysis production activities man, first of all, it is necessary to distinguish between his ability and readiness for work. It should be borne in mind that both components are closely interconnected and interdependent. Such an approach requires careful consideration of the various factors that determine the ability and desire to work, since it is they that decisively determine the degree of labor efficiency. The skill of a person is aimed at developing labor skills, which include the acquired knowledge, mental and physical capabilities of their application, as well as such specific qualities inherent in the personality as discretion, endurance, patience, sensitivity, and the ability to adequately respond to the situation. This also includes an accurate understanding of the production process and the progress of the work performed. In other words, each employee must understand well what knowledge and abilities he must have in order to successfully solve the task, and what working conditions are necessary for this.

Frederik Herzberg (born in 1921) is one of the leading experts in the field of industrial sociology and psychology. He developed the "motivational-hygienic theory", or work enrichment theory in Motivational Morality (1968). He singled out two groups of factors that stimulate a person to work.

First group- so called hygiene factors , or all external conditions environment. it

Wage,

Sanitary and hygienic condition of the premises,

Relationships with comrades

Physical condition during the labor process,

Job security.

These factors, which Herzberg colorfully called PEPZ - "kick him in the ass" (in the physical and psychological sense), most often cause employee dissatisfaction. They are very important, but they are not incentives, and at best they only ensure the normal course of work.

real incentives are factors of the second group, which include

    the work itself

    awareness of one's achievements

    recognition by others,

    sense of responsibility,

    understanding of one's own contribution to the results of activities,

    self-realization in work,

    success,

    career advancement,

    creative growth.

These are factors that enrich, ennoble the work. For such a noble work people are ready to endure difficult external conditions. Unlike "hygienic" factors, moral stimuli act for a long time and are more reliable. To activate the second group of factors Herzberg advises to turn to psychologists, which can prompt entrepreneurs the necessary measures. Until these measures are taken, work does not bring any joy to the vast majority of people.

Herzberg argues that it is necessary to come to an understanding that work is a joy, not a punishment. An employee who is interested in his work is not so demanding on wages and other external factors, and the efficiency of its activities is much higher. Herzberg calls on managers for the sake of human happiness, as well as in their own interests. "enrich" the work, make it joyful and thereby reveal the unprecedented reserves hidden in a person. In his opinion, labor processes should be restructured. The workers themselves must manage the course of their labor. Herzberg advises to enrich operations performed by one person, i.e. diversify them, select work according to ability, soften the nature of control, eliminate certain types of punishment, give workers difficult tasks that require creativity, recognize their successes. In fact, the worker himself must become the manager. His interest in managing his work reinforces his sense of identification with the company. Some large corporations, having familiarized themselves with Herzberg's views, proclaimed a campaign under the motto: "It's all about the work itself," recommending that their managers begin to put the new theory into practice.

Herzberg believes that "job enrichment" theory is a model of democracy in the workplace. It clearly traces the trends of humanistic psychology, an appeal to the value of each individual, the desire to reveal its creative potential.

As demand evolves, solvent needs expand, and quality characteristics consumers, there is a need for a new type of worker - one who could quickly and flexibly respond to changes in the economic environment. Such an employee does not need strict regulation of his labor operations, he needs democratic management in the form of defining the main functions with maximum freedom to choose the method of solving the problem and responding to changes in demand. Accordingly, work related to the enrichment of labor becomes the main way of organizing production.

The enrichment of labor was originally born in the 1940s and 1950s in response to the high level of specialization, simplification and monotony of labor characteristic of the rigid assembly line. As opposed to it, in the subsequent enrichment of labor occupies a dominant place in the organization of a modern company, which consolidates the transition to democratic management and such an employee as factors of the company's competitiveness in post-industrial era new stage.

The theory of "enrichment of labor" is based on the assumption that workers must necessarily be interested in the quality performance of the work of a particular profession. It is the desire to satisfy the need in development and improvement encourages the employee to constantly improve labor productivity and professional skills.

The essence of the theory is the need to expand the work not only "horizontally" (by adding similar functions), but also "vertically", providing additional freedom in decision-making. “Vertical” expansion is expressed in the “enrichment of labor” with more meaningful and creative functions by, for example, combining several sequential operations at one workplace, entrusting an employee with a whole cycle of operations, providing relative autonomy in performing work, etc.

To achieve this goal, any work performed must have three distinctive features, and above all, it must be rational, necessary, meaningful. An employee, on the basis of his own system of values, his own consciousness, must understand the importance and necessity of the work performed. Nothing does more harm than doing unnecessary work. Any assigned task must impose certain reasonable requirements on the employee both in terms of the quality of the labor expended and its effectiveness.

Job enrichment is the practice of enabling workers to have greater responsibility and greater control over the performance of their work. People who do enriched work have more opportunities to work at higher levels of complexity and responsibility, and have more opportunities for self-control as opposed to external control.

The enrichment of labor is associated with such an organization of labor, which includes a more diverse content of work and requires more high level knowledge and skills. The methods of labor enrichment include: individual methods and group methods.

1. Individual methods are a process of enrichment of labor directly at the workplace individual worker and associated with:

increasing the responsibility of the employee for the results of their activities, achieved by shifting part of the management tasks directly onto the shoulders of the contractor;

the use of a flexible conveyor, that is, such a schedule of production operations that allows the employee to quickly readjust the machine when a new task arrives;

expanding the range of operations that an individual worker performs, which is achieved by combining several production cycles into one system;

understanding the meaning of the work performed through a broader view of the work, covering general policy firms in the market, the attitude of consumers to the company's products, the role of customers and suppliers;

greater freedom of action of the individual in the workplace, including the independent choice of the range of production and production tools in accordance with the requests of either the next stage of the production process, or directly to the consumer.

2. Group methods of labor enrichment are applied to many employees of a given production cycle or unit within the firm. They make it possible to expand the understanding of work for workers, identify the place of each worker in the production process, and contribute to the implementation of the initiative of workers in achieving growth in labor productivity, reducing costs and improving product quality. These methods include:

autonomous work teams- the allocation of one production site to the independent disposal of one work team with a full cycle of management with a flexible work schedule and remuneration;

quality mugs- independent production organizations workers in order to find ways to improve the quality of the company's products, whose members can take part in the management of all production process firms and management of which are completely at the disposal of employees;

programs for retraining and advanced training of workers at all levels and all parts of the production process;

cooperation between trade unions and management in the form of negotiations at the conclusion collective agreements work, determining the system of remuneration of employees and the participation of trade union representatives in the highest management bodies of the company;

a greater guarantee of work reliability (permanent employment), which gives the employee confidence in his need for the company, increases his loyalty to the company, and hence to his activities.

A leader who decides to increase the level of labor motivation of his subordinates by enriching their work often faces serious difficulties. These difficulties are due to the specific features of the professional activity, which is performed by his subordinates, it is not always clear how it is possible to achieve the enrichment of the labor of one or another category of personnel.

Purposeful work to influence the work motivation of subordinates through the enrichment of their work will be easier if you know the principles underlying such work and their impact on work motivation.

Since there is not and cannot be a universal recipe for how to enrich different types works, it is useful to get acquainted with general principles that can be applied in different situations.

labor enrichment worker need

Table 1 - The needs of workers, which are directed by the main principles underlying the enrichment of work

Consequently, the conditions for enriching labor are independence, responsibility, significance, feedback, the right to manage resources and working conditions.

However, there are certain limitations and difficulties associated with the enrichment of labor. The difficulties that prevent the use of labor enrichment to influence the labor motivation of workers are associated with those individual characteristics (features) that determine the susceptibility or immunity of people to various aspects of labor enrichment.

Some workers are not attracted to the enrichment of labor. If they enjoy work, it is not necessarily the result of the content of work or the formal organization of work; it rather depends on relationships with colleagues. The question arises: which workers respond more positively to job enrichment?

One study showed that these are people with a high need for achievement, as enriched jobs provide more opportunities for success. For people who care little about success, the enrichment of work strains and does not bring them satisfaction.

For some workers enrichment may not be of any interest due to limited communication opportunities. Workers admit that assigned work can be unpleasant and boring, but if the enrichment of work involves a reduction in social contacts, a decrease in the possibility of communication, then this may be completely unacceptable for them.

The introduction of enrichment programs can have a negative impact on many workers, causing them to fear failure due to the increased complexity and responsibility of the work they perform and unwillingness to depend on the results of other people's work, since enrichment involves greater degree cooperation.

For many workers, low accountability, security, and relative independence are more important than the opportunity for empowerment and growth in enriched work.

Thus, work enrichment is a valuable method of influencing work motivation, but management should use it selectively, taking into account the individual characteristics of subordinates and situational variables.

Theory of labor enrichment Recommends that each work should have at least 6 factors that together ensure its attractiveness:

Employee accountability for performance;

Awareness by the employee of the importance and necessity of the work performed;

Possibility of independent distribution of resources in the process of work, control over resources;

Availability feedback, the possibility of obtaining information about the results of work;

Possibility professional growth, acquisition of new experience, advanced training (work should not be routine);

The ability of the employee to influence working conditions.

Job characteristics theory says that the likelihood of a positive psychological state in an individual increases in the presence of 5 significant aspects of work: diversity, completeness, significance, independence, feedback. In the United States, methods have been developed to identify the employee's reaction to various components of work using self-report methods, analysis of labor attitudes. Based on the assessment of the characteristics of the work by the employee and other experts, the indicator of motivational potential is calculated, the value of which is the higher, the more attractive the job, the more satisfaction it brings to the employee. Low values ​​of this indicator indicate the need to redesign the work.

These things, in fact, are within the competence of each leader, they are associated with a competent, humanistic, individualized organization of labor. If it is necessary to perform routine work that does not contain all the necessary elements of attractiveness or does not correspond to the professionalism, inclinations, inclinations of the employee, the requirement to apply the motivation theories discussed above comes first.

Based on the proven fact that satisfaction with the content of work increases productivity and results, modern American scientists examine work attitudes (attitude towards work) using methods such as:

Definition of a descriptive work index;

Definition of the index of organizational decisions;

Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire;

Job satisfaction scale, subjective job analysis method, etc. *.

*Sink D.C. Performance management. - M.: Progress, 1989. S. 378.

For example, employees' self-reports, presented in the form of a "Diagnostic Job Evaluation" and "List of Aspects of Work", are examined as a manifestation of the response to job characteristics (according to the relevant theory). Special research methods make it possible to quantify the parameters of the work, such as the required variety of skills, the completeness of the work, its significance, independence and responsibility, combined with a certain freedom in choosing the methods of doing the work, the presence of feedback to obtain an assessment of the results of efforts. The data obtained are used to calculate the "Indicator of the motivational potential of work" (PMP) according to the following formula:

A low PMP indicates the need to redesign work.

The practical implementation of theories related to the content and working conditions takes the following forms*:

job change (rotation) - systematic rotation allows avoiding one-sided loads, monotony, ensuring versatile qualifications and wider use of personnel;

expansion of the field of activity - combining several homogeneous work steps or production tasks into one larger one production task, i.e. horizontal expansion of the field of activity;

enrichment of the content of the work - vertical expansion of the field of activity due to the inclusion of tasks for preparation, planning, control, etc., i.e., an increase in the intellectual component of activity;

creation of partially autonomous groups - transfer of the entire complex of tasks to one working group, which independently organizes work within itself and regulates the use of personnel (toyotism).

*Personnel management in a social market economy/Under scientific ed. R. Marr, G. Schmidt. - M.: Publishing House of Moscow State University, 1997. S. 226-229.

Engagement need for belonging promotes goal management method, when the goals of the organization and the reasons for making important decisions are known to employees, and the employee’s own tasks are very clearly set and related to the achievement of the overall goals of the organization.

Let's show some modern ideas about motivation economic activity in domestic sociology *.

*Lapygin Yu. N., Eidelman Ya. L. Motivation of economic activity in the conditions of the Russian reform. - M.: Nauka, 1996.

According to the prevailing ideology in the country, work- the process of conscious purposeful human activity, its impact on natural objects in order to create material and spiritual benefits to meet personal and social needs (dictionary of political economy).

Modern sociologists use the term "economic activity" including in its composition the following types, activity types:

Entrepreneurship;

Organization, management, control;

Intelligent maintenance of the economy;

Hired labor;

consumerism;

Activity in agriculture.

See also:

Frederick Herzberg- American researcher, social psychologist, specialist in the field of sociology of management and industrial sociology, a leading theorist of the behavioral direction.

It can be said that the concept of enrichment (i.e., increasing diversity) of labor has become an applied consequence of the motivational-hygienic theory of F. Herzberg. It was aimed both at expanding the content of the work of a particular worker, and at improving customer and customer service. The main elements of the concept of enrichment of labor are:

1. Direct relationship with the client. Managers can make all kinds of work more interesting by delegating to employees the responsibility for serving certain customers both inside and outside the organization. At the same time, each employee must thoroughly know the device, properties and mode of operation of the final product of the company.

2. Personal responsibility of the commodity producer and reporting. Employees of the firm must put their brand on products or sign documents when providing services, as well as keep records of quality problems and proposals for technical or organizational improvements.

3. Feedback. Managers should develop customer feedback systems so that workers can get direct feedback on the quality of work performed. This will allow you to quickly fix errors without waiting. Until the information reaches them through the usual bureaucratic channels.

4. Right of direct appeal. Managers must ensure that workers have the right to contact customers or any staff providing them directly for the information they need to get the job done.

5. Free schedule. Whenever possible, workers should be allowed to work according to their own schedule, which will require managers to plan the production process more creatively and efficiently.

6. Resource control. It is advisable to transfer machines and equipment to employees under their personal responsibility for their safety and performance. This will naturally require giving them some financial freedom and training opportunities.

7. Advanced training and acquisition of unique experience. As an employee improves his skills and gains unique experience in customer service or in the production of any product, his work must be enriched by delegating responsibility for training new employees and transferring experience to them.



Herzberg emphasized that all of the listed ways of enriching labor can rarely be applied simultaneously, but they must be constantly kept in sight as a goal when designing such an organization of work that can provide personnel intrinsic motivation their labour.

In the article "Incitement to work and production motivation", along with proposals for individual enrichment of labor, Herzberg singled out three concepts of social (group) projects of labor organization, which became popular in Japan, the USA and Europe in the second half of the 20th century.

1. Participation management. This system allows employees to discuss individual managerial problems and ways to solve them, and also focuses the attention of managers on training staff in interpersonal communication skills.

2. Sociotechnical systems. An example is the brigade form of labor organization, in which the group is given the authority to determine the mode and schedule of work and is given the opportunity to rotate jobs within the group.

3. Quality mugs. In this system, employees are given the responsibility for statistical accounting of product quality and the development of proposals for improving their production.

Herzberg wrote that although each of these social projects The organization of labor uses its specific motivators, they all seek to manipulate the behavior of workers through social approval (disapproval), that is, submission to group pressure, which leads to the averaging of personal potentials in the group. The group organization of labor is more effective for performing short-term tasks than for long-term motivation for productive work.