ABSTRACT
This study investigated the effect of job design on employee performance in Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) South East Nigeria using a cross sectional research survey. The specific objectives of this study are to investigate how job rotation, enlargement and enrichment influence task and adaptive performance of employee in Standards Organization of Nigeria, South East Region. The target population of this study consists of two hundred and seventeen (217) staff of SON in South East Nigeria comprising Enugu, Ebonyi, Anambra, Imo and Abia State. A sample size of one hundred and forty one (141) was derived using Yamane (1962) formular. The source of data collection used in this study was both primary and secondary sources of data. Face and content validity was employed to ascertain the validity of the instrument. Cronbach alpha was used to determine the reliability of the study instrument. Frequency was used to analyze respondent demographic characteristics while linear regression and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) were used to analyze the hypotheses. The findings of this study revealed that job design has positive significant effects on employee performance in Standards Organization of Nigeria. In specific terms, it was found that job rotation and enlargement has positive significant effects on employee performance. This study has contributed to the body of knowledge on job design and employee performance as job design was found to be a predictor of employee performance in Standards Organization of Nigeria, South East Region. Another contribution to knowledge of this study is that, job rotation and job enlargement are strategies that organizational leaders can use to enhance the performance of their employees.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title
Page i
Declaration
ii
Certification
iii
Dedication
iv
Acknowledgments v
Table
of Contents vi
List
of Tables x
List
of Figures xi
Abstract xii
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 Background to the Study 1
1.2 Statement of the Problem 2
1.3 Objectives of the Study 4
1.4 Research Questions 4
1.5 Research Hypotheses 5
1.6 Significance of the Study 6
1.7 Scope and Limitation of the Study 6
1.8 Limitation of the Study 7
1.9 Operational Definition of Terms 7
CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 9
2.1 Conceptual Review 9
2.1.1 Job design 9
2.1.2 Benefits of job design 18
2.1.3 Approaches of job design 18
2.1.4 Factors affecting job design 20
2.1.5 Models of job design 26
2.1.6 Indicators of job design 35
2.1.7 Job rotation 35
2.1.8 Objectives of job rotation 38
2.1.9 Benefits of job rotation 40
2.1.10 Planning and implementing successful job
rotation 41
2.1.11 Job enrichment 42
2.1.12 Characteristics of job enrichment 43
2.1.13 Job enlargement 45
2.1.14 Benefits of job enlargement 49
2.1.15 Job engineering 50
2.1.16 Socio-technical systems 52
2.1.17 Employee performance/indicators of performance 52
2.1.17.1Task
performance 56
2.1.17.2Adaptive
performance 57
2.2 Empirical Review 60
2.2.1 Effects job rotation on task performance 61
2.2.2 Effects of job rotation on adaptive
performance 61
2.2.3 Effects of job enlargement on task
performance 62
2.2.4 Effects of job enlargement on adaptive
performance 63
2.2.5 Effect of job enrichment on task performance
64
2.2.6 Effects of job enrichment on adaptive
performance 65
2.3 Theoretical Framework 72
2.3.1 Socio-technical systems theory 72
2.3.2 Herzberg's motivator-hygiene theory 74
2.3.3 Hackman and Oldham job characteristics
theory 75
2.3.4 Process
improvement theory
76
2.3.5 Techno-structural change theory
77
2.3.6 Activity theory 79
2.3.7 Adaptive structuration theory 80
2.3.8 Goal setting theory 82
2.3.9 Application of theoretical framework 84
2.4 Gap in Literature 85
2.5 Summary of Literature Review 85
CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 88
3.1 Research Design 88
3.2 Sources of Data 88
3.3 Population of the Study 88
3.4 Sample Size Determination 89
3.5 Sampling Procedure 89
3.6 Validity of the Instrument 89
3.7 Reliability of the Instrument 91
3.8 Method of Data Analysis 92
CHAPTER 4: DATA PRESENTATION AND
RESULTS 95
4.1 Data Presentation 95
4.2 Analysis of Specific Objectives 105
4.2.1 Job rotation and task performance in
Standards Organization of Nigeria,
South East Region. 105
4.2.2 Job rotation and adaptive performance in
Standards Organization of
Nigeria, South East Region. 106
4.2.3 Job enlargement and task performance in
Standards Organization
of Nigeria, South East Region. 107
4.2.4
Job enlargement and adaptive
performance in Standards Organization of Nigeria,
South East Region. 108
4.2.5 Job
enrichment and task performance in Standards Organization of Nigeria, South East Region 109
4.2.6 Job enrichment and adaptive performance in
Standards Organization of
Nigeria, South East Region 110
4.3 Discussion of Findings 113
CHAPTER 5: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND
RECOMMENDATIONS 116
5.1 Summary 116
5.2 Conclusion 117
5.3 Recommendations 118
5.4 Contributions to Knowledge 118
5.5 Suggestions for Further Studies 119
References
Appendices
LIST OF TABLES
3.1: Population
distribution
89
3.2: Cronbach
α instrument reliability 91
3.3: Questionnaire
administration 91
4.1: Demographics
characteristics of participants’ 95
4.2: Analysis
of job rotation research questions 99
4.3: Analysis
of job enlargement research questions 101
4.4: Analysis
of job enrichment research questions 102
4.5: Analysis
of task performance research questions 103
4.6: Analysis
of adaptive performance research questions 104 4.7: Job
rotation and adaptive performance 105
4.8: Job rotation and task performance 106
4.9: Job enlargement and task performance 107
4.10: Job enlargement and adaptive performance 108
4.11: Job enrichment and task performance 109
4.12: Job
enrichment and adaptive performance 110
LIST OF FIGURES
2.1: Goal
setting theory 83
4.2: Bar
chart showing the gender distribution of participants 98
4.3: Bar
chart showing the distribution of age bracket of participants 98
4.4:
Bar chart distribution showing
educational qualifications of participants
99
CHAPTER
1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
The
success and performance of Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) is mostly
dependent on how well the job of its employees is designed to enable them to
achieve their objectives such as the certification of industrial products, assist
in the production of quality goods across the country, setting product
standards, measurement accuracy and provision of information relating to
standards. Thus, for employees of Standards Organization of Nigeria, especially
those working within South East Regional offices situated in Abia, Anambra,
Imo, Ebonyi and Enugu States to effectively carryout the goals of the Organization,
the job must be designed in a way that it will enhance their performances and
increase their satisfaction through job rotation, job enlargement and job
enrichment (Akpa and Akinlabi, 2017). In support of the above argument,
McShane and Von Glinow (2018) contended that the three major job design
approaches that can enhance the skills and potentials of employees on jobs are job
rotation, job enrichment, and job enlargement. Teryima and
Abubakar (2018) stressed
that efficient job design will lead to more job satisfaction and employee’s
performance. Therefore, for Standards Organization of Nigeria whose main
objective is to prepare standards for products, measure materials, promote
standards, certify products; evaluate production of quality goods; and improve
measurement accuracy and dissemination of information related to standards to
the public can only achieve the above objectives if the jobs of its employees
are well designed (Uduji, 2013). It has been
shown that job design techniques such as job rotation, job enlargement and job
enrichment enhance employee job satisfaction and performance (Abid, Ambreen,
Kashif, Abdul and Abdul, 2013).
However,
job design has a critical positive effect on Organizations and employee performance.
Supporting the above argument, Aswathappa (2013) argued that from the Organization’s
perspective, the way tasks and responsibilities are grouped can affect
productivity and costs; secondly, jobs that are not satisfying or are too
demanding are difficult to fill and thirdly, boring jobs may lead to a higher
turnover. For an employee, motivation and job satisfaction are affected by the
match between job factors (content, qualifications and rewards) and personal
needs (Aswathappa, 2013). In another development, Salau, Adeniji and Oyewunmi
(2014) affirmed that employees can only derive satisfaction from jobs that they
perceive will add value to their career. It has been shown that the ability to
attain and accomplish the goal of an organization is associated with the
composition of tasks of an individual employee through a coordinated job design
that will encourage performance using various motivational methods such as job
rotation and job enlargement (Behson, Eddy and Lorenzet, 2000).
In
line with the above, employee performance in Standards Organization will not be
sustainable if the job design approaches are not properly utilized. It is
against this premise that the researcher investigated the effects of job design
on employee performance in Standards Organization of Nigeria, South East
Region.
1.2 STATEMENT
OF THE PROBLEM
Standards Organization of Nigeria is
a government agency saddled with the responsibility of ensuring among other
things, that no fake or substandard product exist in the in the Nigerian
market. But a visit to the various markets, especially in the South East, the
existence of fake and substandard products is on the increase and very visible.
Thus, the people in essence have not felt the impact of the organization which
maybe as a result of low productivity. The problems of job dissatisfaction in
most organization including Standards Organization of Nigeria South East
Regional offices seem to have resulted in employees’ low performance, ineffectiveness,
inefficiency, inability to learn new skills which result in poor service
delivery; work stress which causes death or body system breakdown, absenteeism
and lateness are common maladies noticeable in most government agencies. One
possible reason for this development is that employees in some organizations
including Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states offices of Standards Organization
of Nigeria viewed their jobs as probably lacking some motivational ingredients which
most agencies of government used to have. Having established the above view, it
was also observed that human resource department of SON employed job design
mechanisms to motivate its employees across geographical zones. These
mechanisms are job rotation, job enlargement and job enrichment.
It is based on the above significance
of job design motivational tools that human resource department of SON ensures
that every employee job is rotated, enlarged and enriched so that employee
performance on task as well as when there is changes can be enhanced.
On another hand, employees that find
it very difficult to adapt when there is an introduction of new methods or
technology cannot perform very well in the midst of economic turbulence (Hawa,
2018). In support of the above argument, Teryima and Abubakar (2018) opined
that organization that fails to implement job design will spend more money in training
its employees in the future. Salau,
Adeniji and Oyewunmi (2014) also added that for any organization
to make positive progress in terms of performance as well as retention of its
employees, job design is the key to do so.
However, in order
to find out if job design motivational tools actually motivate employees in
SON, this study, therefore investigates the effects of job design on employee
performance by using job rotation, job enlargement and job enrichment as
indicators of job design while task performance and adaptive performance represent
the indicators of employee performance in Standards Organization of Nigeria, South East Region (Abia, Anambra, Imo,
Ebonyi and Enugu states)
with the preceding objectives hereunder.
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The main objective
of this study was to investigate the effects of job design on employee
performance in Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON), South East Region.
Specifically, the study sought to;
i.
Ascertain the
socio-economic characteristics of the respondents from Standards Organization
of Nigeria, South East Region.
ii.
Investigate the effects
of job rotation on task performance in Standards Organization of Nigeria, South
East Region.
iii.
Examine the effects of
job rotation on adaptive performance in Standards Organization of Nigeria,
South East Region.
iv.
Investigate the effect of
job enlargement on task performance in Standards Organization of Nigeria, South
East Region.
v.
Ascertain the effect of
job enlargement on adaptive performance in Standards Organization of Nigeria,
South East Region.
vi.
Examine the effect of job
enrichment on task performance in Standards Organization of Nigeria, South East
Region
vii.
Investigate the effect of
job enrichment on adaptive performance in Standards Organization of Nigeria,
South East Region.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Based on the specific objectives, the
following research questions were raised.
i.
How does job rotation
affect adaptive performance in Standards Organization of Nigeria, South East
Region?
ii.
How far has job rotation
affected task performance in Standards Organization of Nigeria, South East
Region?
iii.
To what extent has job
enlargement influenced task performance in Standards Organization of Nigeria,
South East Region?
iv.
How far has job
enlargement affected adaptive performance in Standards Organization of Nigeria,
South East Region?
v.
What is the effect of job
enrichment on task performance in Standards Organization of Nigeria, South East
Region?
vi.
What is the effect of job
enrichment on adaptive performance in Standards Organization of Nigeria, South
East Region?
1.5 RESEARCH
HYPOTHESES
From the research
questions above, the following null hypotheses were formulated.
HO1: There is no significant effect
of job rotation on adaptive performance in Standards Organization of Nigeria,
South East Region
HO2: Job
rotation does not have a significant effect on task performance in Standards Organization
of Nigeria, South East Region.
HO3: There is no significant effect
of job enlargement on task performance in Standards Organization of Nigeria,
South East Region.
HO4: There is no significant
effect of job enlargement on adaptive performance in Standards Organization of
Nigeria, South East Region.
HO5:
There is no significant effect of job enrichment on task performance in
Standards Organization of Nigeria, South East Region
HO6:
Job enrichment does not have a significant effect on adaptive performance in Standards
Organization of Nigeria, South East Region
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE
OF THE STUDY
Significance of this study is divided into
theoretical and empirical significance.
For theoretical significance, this study
will benefit the academia, students in the Department of Industrial Relations
and Personnel Management, Business Administration as a reference material for
further research purposes. Human resource management and Business
Administration scholars will find this study interesting especially as it will
contribute positively to literatures on job design, indicators of job design;
employee performance and its indicators. The academia and postgraduate students
in the Department of Industrial Relations and Personnel Management including
Business Administration Department will have the opportunity to know the
theoretical framework underpinning job design and employee performance in this
study. This study will open the gap between various trends of studies on job
design that have been investigated in different industries to future
researchers to examine.
The empirical significance of the study is
that policy makers in Standards Organization of Nigeria, Federal Government
Agencies and Ministries will be enlightened on how job design can improve
employee performance through job rotation, job enlargement and job enrichment. Recommendations
that will be made in this study will enable managers, administrators in
Standards Organization of Nigeria to understand that job design can also be
used as an instrument of employee motivation which in turn enhances performance
in the workplace.
1.7 SCOPE
OF THE STUDY
The content scope
of this study covered literatures on job design, indicators of job design,
approaches, and benefits of job design. The study will cover performance,
employee performance, indicators of employee performance, and empirical reviews
of past studies on job design as well as theoretical framework that underpin
the study.
The geographical
scope of this study covered Standards Organization of Nigeria, South East
Regional offices in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo State respectively.
Geographically, these states are bounded with South-South states on the South and
North-Central States on the North.
The unit scope of
the study focuses on the employees of Standards Organization of Nigeria, South
East Regional offices in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo State. This is
because the employees are the individuals that will provide adequate
information with respect to how job rotation and job enlargement has enhanced
their performance.
1.8 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
Conducting
a research in Nigeria has not always been an easy task, and this research work
is no exception. In the course of conducting this research work, the researcher
experienced some limitations such as prompt cooperation of respondents and measurement
error. These limitations would not affect the outcome of work negatively, since
the research adopted measures and relied on estimation techniques used by
existing works which had and overcame such limitations.
1.9 OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS
Adaptive performance:
This refers to employee performance during emergencies, crisis situations, change
in technology and work methods which he/she is expected to adjust to.
Job: This refers to a set of tasks performed by an employee in the
workplace.
Job design: This
refers to the process of defining how work will be performed and what tasks
will be required in a given job.
Job enlargement: This
refers to expansion of the number of different tasks performed by an employee
in a single job
Job enrichment:
This involves adding more motivators to a job to make it more rewarding. Job
becomes enriched when it gives job-holder more decision-making, planning and
controlling powers.
Job rotation:
Job rotation is a management approach where employees are moved from one or
more jobs at regular intervals of time in order to expose them to all verticals
of an organization.
Task performance: This
refers to the degree to which an employee increases his/her effort to an
organizational task under the influence of his/her knowledge, capacity, and
role in the organization.
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