This article reports the results of a 21/2-year action research project designed to investigate the differential impacts of sociotechnical system, job redesign and survey feedback interventions on a wide array of attitudinal and performance measures in comparable units of an organization. It was found that the attitudinal effects of the interventions were quite similar; however, only the sociotechnical system intervention resulted in major productivity improvements and cost savings. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Blauner, R.Alienation and freedom. Chicago: Chicago University Press, 1964.
2.
Bowers, D.OD techniques and their results in 23 organizations: The Michigan ICL study. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 1973, 9(2), 21-43.
3.
Cronbach, L. J.Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests. Psychometrika, 1951, 16, 297-334.
4.
Emery, F., & Trist, E. Analytical model for sociotechnical systems. Unpublished. 1967. Fleishman, E. Manual for the Leadership Opinion Questionnaire. Chicago: Science Research Associates, 1960.
5.
Friedlander, F.Organization structure inventory. Cleveland, Ohio: School of Management, Case Western Reserve University, 1973.
6.
Friedlander, F., & Brown, L. D.Organization development. Annual Review of Psychology, 1974,25, 313-341.
7.
Hackman, J., & Lawler, E.Employee reactions to job characteristics. Journal of Applied Psychology, 1971, 55, 259-286.
8.
Hackman, J., & Oldham, G.The Job Diagnostic Survey: An instrument for the diagnosis of jobs and the evaluation of job redesign projects. Technical Report #4, Department of Administrative Sciences, Yale University, 1974.
9.
Hautaluoma, J., & Gavin, J.Effects of organizational diagnosis and intervention on blue-color blues. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 1975, 11, 475-496.
10.
Kahn, R. L.Organization development: Some problems and proposals. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 1974, 10, 485-502.
11.
Kimberly, J., & Nielsen, W.Organization development and change in organizational performance. Administrative Science Quarterly, 1975, 20, 191-206.
12.
Lodahl, T., & Kejner, M.The definition and measurement of job involvement. Journal of Applied Psychology, 1965,49, 24-33.
13.
Nadler, D., & Pecorella, P.Differential effects of multiple interventions in an organization. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 1975, 11, 384-366.
14.
Pasmore, W.The Michigan ICL study revisited: An alternative explanation of the results. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 1976a, 12(2), 245-250.
15.
Pasmore, W. Understanding organizational change: A longitudinal investigation of the effects of sociotechnical system, job redesign, and survey feedback interventions on organizational task accomplishment and human fulfillment. Doctoral Thesis, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, 1976b.
16.
Srivastva, S., Salipante, P., Cummings, T., Notz, W., Bigelow, J., & Waters, J.Job satisfaction and productivity. Cleveland, Ohio: Case Western Reserve University, 1975.
17.
Tolchinsky, P., & Pasmore, W. Survey feedback: A bottom up approach. Unpublished manuscript, Purdue University, 1976.
18.
Turner, A., & Lawrence, P.Industrial jobs and the worker: An investigation of response to task attributes. Boston: Harvard University, Graduate School of Business, 1965.
19.
Walton, R. E.How to counter alienation in the plant. Harvard Business Review, 1972, 50, 70-81.
