Question 1
It is said that job expansion has both a vertical component and a horizontal component. Explain, with reference to such terms as job enrichment, job rotation, job enlargement, and employee empowerment.Question 2
What impact did the Hawthorne studies have on human resource strategy?Answer 1
Vertical expansion gives employees more planning and/or control over their work, which is job enrichment. Horizontal expansion adds tasks, through job rotation or job enlargement. Job enrichment relates primarily to increasing the cognitive or intellectual requirements for the job. Job enlargement relates primarily to an increase in the number of tasks to be performed. Job rotation implies a formal arrangement for job switching among a particular group of workers within a specific set of jobs. Employee empowerment is the practice of enriching jobs so that employees accept responsibility for a variety of decisions normally associated with staff specialists.Answer 2
The Hawthorne studies introduced psychology into the workplace. They proved that there is a dynamic social system in the workplace, and that this social system can be more important than physical working conditions.