The report details ways in which work is being organized to make it more pleasant and rewarding but warns that success depends on the cooperation of workers and the general public. (Author)

Recognition of the importance of the workplace derives from the pervasive influence of work on adult development, the substantial scale of education and training carried out at work, changes in the nature of work and occupations, and new forms and content in worker education. (SK)

Job design or redesign (intended to create a more meaningful working environment that meets the needs of people as well as the organization) is discussed in terms of job rotation, work simplification, job enlargement, job enrichment, and other concepts relating to successfully redesigning other's jobs as part of effective management. (TA)

From research findings on job design and redesign, the authors conclude that all individuals may not approve job enrichment programs which may actually decrease job satisfaction. Although job satisfaction may increase with age, individual differences and other variables make research results inconclusive. (MF)

Companies that use the type of evaluation described should be able to match employee and jobs more accurately while increasing knowledge of their critical employee's needs. (Author)

Describes the use of job enrichment techniques as tools for increased productivity and organizational change. The author's motivational work design model changes not only the job design but also structural elements such as physical layout, workflow, and organizational relationships. Behavior change is more important than job enrichment. (MF)

Conceptualizes job characteristics theory as a model of person-environment fit. Explores the potential costs and benefits of person-job congruence, using recent developments in the person-environment fit literature to suggest ways in which characteristics of jobs and characteristics of individuals may influence one another. Discusses implications…

Three technical reports and abstracts of colloquium papers are presented as part of a research project concerning the specification and testing of alternative models of intraorganizational career mobility among nonteaching professionals in universities. This project phase involved: the development of a model of evolving jobs as an alternative to…

Bridging the gap between theory and practice, the author through a case-study approach of industries in the United Kingdom and Europe has identified motivation techniques resulting in job enrichment. The book is written in the belief that work is more efficient when it is enjoyable and that human beings will become obsolete unless allowed to…

The report describes the Job Diagnostic Survey (JDS), an instrument designed to measure the following classes of variables: (1) objective job characteristics, particularly the degree to which jobs are designed so that they enhance work motivation and job satisfaction; (2) personnel affective reactions of individuals to their jobs and work setting;…

Diverse opinions are held by workers, union officials, and labor researchers about the importance of the quality of working life to workers. Major issues in this debate focus on the following questions: (1) Is there a workers' movement to improve the quality of working life? (2) Do workers seek meaning and self-fulfillment in their jobs? (3) Can…

The 1980s have been a period during which important private experiments with innovations have occurred in employee participation, work redesign, and the introduction of new technologies and new systems of production. It is now time to move beyond the experimental stage. The following four interrelated policy initiatives should guide public efforts…

The traditional systems used to produce goods and services in this country are being challenged by evolving alternatives. The focus of these new alternatives is on the human element in the work force. Studies in adult work attitudes indicate that a more humanistic system is needed to promote productivity. Inherent in the human condition is the…