Albert's group effort: implications and conclusions on transforming section content

¶ … job is largely an outgrowth of the industrial revolution's efficiency demands. There was a widespread notion of substitution of machine power for people power, management specialists Adam Smith and Fredrick Taylor have given their remarkable contribution in creating positive correlation between specialization and efficiency (Litterer, 1969). Among the management experts and managers the popularity of specialized and short cycle jobs have climbed its peak. Job specialization was initiated in organizations by breaking down jobs into its lowest level and designing jobs for each part. It evolves specialization, expertise and improved quality. Job specialization implication is seen in workplace in manufacturing and assembly lines where workers were specialized for specific task for the whole shift.

In job specialization the same task is repeated whole day long. The benefits of job specialization can be drawn from the concept of 'Division of labor' proposed by Adam Smith. Smith had a strong conviction that improvement in the productivity through division of labor in an organization and the real essence of job specification is based upon (Niederhoffer, 2006):

Increased Efficiency: Efficiency in the work is achieved when the task is performed repetitively. Labors are skilled to perform their specified functions and continuously functioning in similar capacity will enhance their work performance and work creativity. Job perfection is achieved as the same kind of job is performed all day long with similar skills and aptitude.

Reduced Frictional Cost: When the employees are specialized to perform the job and are doing it perfectly repeatedly then the level of production wastage is reduced and cost of production is in control. The division of labor based on gender has also contributed to the reduction in the cost by separating the physical effort required jobs for men and domestic, cottage industry and small enterprises job for women.

Technical expertise: Job specialization has been productive to the organization when seen from economics perspective also. The return on investment is increased with the maximum utilization of material resources and machines. Employees when trained to work with the specified machines they are able to achieve production capacity on the desired timeline. Profitability of the firm increases irrespective of the fixed cost increase in the organization due to technological advance and innovation. The cost of replacing old machines or technology with the new one is capitalized when the production capacity from them is enhanced though job specification.

Management Benefits of Job specialization: Beside the production, manufacturing, economical and technical benefits that is created with job specialization, organizations are also confronted with managerial benefits in job specialization. Job specialization required special training for skills learning and development therefore it creates sense of value in employees and creates conscious of responsibility and accountability for the job. When employees take responsibility for their job it enhances level of motivation in them and enhances job satisfaction. Specialized jobs have high job security since lot of investment is being made for the training and skill development of employees.

However, job specialization is also responsible for many obstacles to growth in an organization. The obstacles to growth that overshadow the benefits of job specifications are:

Obstacle in multi-tasking: In the dynamic competitive environment, job specialization hinders individual to exhibit their creativity in various operation which is profitable for companies.