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UNDERSTANDING REACTIONS TO JOB REDESIGN: A QUASI‐EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF THE MODERATING EFFECTS OF ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT ON PERCEPTIONS OF PERFORMANCE BEHAVIOR
Author(s) -
MORGESON FREDERICK P.,
JOHNSON MICHAEL D.,
CAMPION MICHAEL A.,
MEDSKER GINA J.,
MUMFORD TROY V.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
personnel psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.076
H-Index - 142
eISSN - 1744-6570
pISSN - 0031-5826
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-6570.2006.00941.x
Subject(s) - workgroup , psychology , context (archaeology) , job performance , autonomy , perception , job design , work (physics) , organizational behavior , knowledge management , social psychology , applied psychology , job satisfaction , computer science , engineering , paleontology , mechanical engineering , computer network , neuroscience , political science , law , biology
Redesigning jobs from a traditional workgroup structure to a semi‐autonomous team structure has become increasingly popular, but the impact of such redesigns on employee effectiveness criteria has been mixed. The present longitudinal quasi‐experimental study showed that although such a redesign had positive effects on 3 performance behaviors (effort, skill usage, and problem solving), its effectiveness also depended on aspects of the organizational context. In conditions where the organizational reward and feedback and information systems were effective, redesigning work into a semi‐autonomous team structure had no discernible effect on performance behaviors. In conditions where these systems were poor, however, such a redesign produced large positive benefits. This suggests that work redesigns that enhance worker autonomy are most effective in contexts where other supportive management systems are absent.