JOB ROTATIONS IN THE ORGANIZATION

Job rotation is the lateral movement of personnel between a variety of jobs and tasks, each requiring a unique set of abilities and responsibilities. Job rotation, sometimes called cross training, is one of the many ways to learn on the job and a formal executive development initiative. (Huang.H.J,20).

People acquire a variety of abilities and dedicate time to mastering each one. Rotating job duties enables employees to better comprehend the various phases involved in producing a good or providing a service, how their own efforts affect the caliber and effectiveness of production, as well as how each team member contributes to the process. Therefore, job rotation enables people to gain experience in various business areas and, as a result, broaden their perspective. (Huang.H.J,20).

According to the Bennett (2003) ,job rotation as a planned placement of employees among various duties within a period. This process helps the workers build skills and have job independence that can result to increased motivation and output.

Job rotation is a strategy that a firm adopt to give employees opportunity to learn several things from different tasked performed (Mohan & Gomathi,2015).

Figure 01: Job Rotation (Source: The Human Capital Hub,2023)

Types of Job Rotation

According to the Bennett (2003) There are two types of job rotation:

1.Within-functional rotation

Rotation between positions with equal or comparable degrees of responsibility and within the same operational or functional area is referred to as "within-function rotation."

2.Cross- functional rotation

Cross-functional rotation is defined as "movement between positions in various organizational divisions over time." The person or new employee would rotate through a number of occupations in different departments as opposed to a number of jobs that are in the same group and are closely related to one another. This method offers the person or new employee options for growth, and similar techniques can be utilized by the business to collect information about their abilities, interests, and potential to determine their final placement.

According to the HRHelpBoard(2023),There are two types of job rotation based on the way the job profile of the employee is changed by the organization.

1.Task rotation- A task rotation is typically offered to individuals who have physically or cognitively demanding jobs. In these situations, the employees are moved from a tough job to one that is less demanding in order to give them a respite from the daily grind.

2.Position rotation- When a position is rotated, the employer may alter the employee's title, department, or location. The individual will have the chance to pick up new abilities, information, and viewpoints on the workplace as a result. Additionally, there are two types of this: function rotation and cross functional rotation. The employee's duties and work environment stay the same during a function rotation. While undergoing cross-functional rotation, the employee's level and duties are modified.

 

Benefits of job rotation

 

According to the Tapi.C(2023) following are the benefits of the job rotation

 

Reducing Monotony of the Job

The primary goal of work rotation is to lessen the monotony and repetition that come with a job.  

Succession Planning

'Who will succeed whom' is the central idea of succession planning. Creating a pool of workers who can be promoted to senior positions when someone retires or departs the company is a crucial part of job rotation.  

Creating Right - Employee Job Fit

The productivity of a company's workforce directly affects its performance. They can produce the most if they are positioned properly, which will maximize output. As a result, one of the primary goals of job rotation is to place the right individual in the correct position. 

Exposing Workers to All Verticals of the Company

Multiskilled workers can define and frame quality problems and apply relevant solutions at the moment of occurrence by switching roles and sharing responsibilities. This increases productivity.

Testing Employee Skills and Competencies

Job switching can help to improve both social and individual human capital. 

 

Developing a Wider Range of Work Experience

Managers train employees in advance to have a wider range of work experience and build various skills and competences through job rotation. It is essential for a person's complete growth.

 

Disadvantages of job rotation

 

According to the HRHelpBoard(2023), following are the benefits of the job rotation

 

Costly and time consuming

The employee training programs are expensive and the job rotation takes a lot of time.

Disgruntled employees

Employees may occasionally feel at ease and well-suited in their current position; in this scenario, job rotation can result in job unhappiness.

Not all round solution

Job rotation cannot address other problems including employee alienation and a lack of connection to business culture.

Not applicable to all industries

The practice of rotating jobs is inappropriate in the industry where highly skilled workers are needed to carry out the job.

Can lead to loss

Employees may make mistakes while working since they are learning new skills throughout job rotation. These mistakes could be quite expensive for the company.

 

 Conclusion: The systematic switching of personnel between jobs within a company to meet different human resources goals is known as job rotation. Job rotation is regarded as a powerful instrument for implementing HR strategy successfully. It involves placing people in the ideal environment so they may produce the best results possible. This is the greatest method for locating a high-value employee's immediate successor within the company in the highly competitive world of today.

References:

Huang, H. J. (1999). Job Rotation from the Employees’ Point of View, Research and Practice in Human Resource Management, 7(1), 75-85.

Bennett, B.(2003) Job rotation: its role in promoting learning in organizations. Development and Learning in Organizations. 17 (4), pp. 7-9 [Online] Available at: https://westminsterresearch.westminster.ac.uk/item/936wq/job-rotation-its-role-in-promoting-learning-in-organizations (Accessed on April 2023)

HRHelpBoard(2023) What is Job Rotation Meaning & Definition in HRM.Help Board. [Online]

Available at: https://www.hrhelpboard.com/hr-policies/job-rotation-policy.htm [Accessed on April 2023].
Human Capital Hub(2023). Job rotation and why every employee needs it.The Human Capital Hub [Online]Available at: https://www.thehumancapitalhub.com/articles/Job-Rotation-And-Why-Every-Employee-Needs-It [Accessed on April 2023].
Tapi,C(2023). Job rotation and why every employee needs it.The Human Capital Hub [Online]Available at: https://www.thehumancapitalhub.com/articles/Job-Rotation-And-Why-Every-Employee-Needs-It [Accessed on April 2023].

Mohan & Gomathi, (2015). High involvement work design and job design. Industrial and labour relations review. Vol 61 No. 3

TEAM BUILDING

A team is made up of a limited number of individuals who have the necessary competences (abilities, skills, and knowledge), who are dedicated to working together toward shared performance objectives and working relationships (Joshep,2012).

A variety of activities are included in team development that are aimed at enhancing team performance. In order to assure self-development, constructive communication, leadership abilities, and the capacity to collaborate closely as a team to solve problems, it seeks to bring out the best in a team (Fapohunda and  Tinuke. M,2013)

Teams must be able to accomplish more than individuals working alone if they are to live up to their promise and be more than the sum of their parts. Therefore, achieving team goals by the boss or other individuals working alone may be challenging or impossible. Synergy, which happens when people work together to produce fresh alternatives and solutions that are better than their individual efforts, is the key to a successful. (Fapohunda and  Tinuke. M,2013)

Team development stages

Teams go through development stages. In the middle of the 1960s, Bruce W. Tuckman created the framework that is most frequently used to describe the stages of development of a team. Despite the fact that many authors have added to and modified Tuckman's ideas, his descriptions of Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing offer a helpful framework for analyzing your own team Judith,S(2023).

According to the Deired,S (2020) The 5 Stages of Team Development

The 5 Stages of Team Development. Deired,S (2020) 

Forming: Team members first meet at this location. The introductions should be facilitated by the team leaders, who should also highlight the qualifications of each team member. Additionally, team members are given the opportunity to organize their responsibilities and project specifics are provided.

Storming: At this point, team members openly exchange ideas and take advantage of the chance to differentiate themselves and win the respect of their colleagues. Team leaders assist teams in this stage by putting a plan in place to control intra-team rivalry, facilitate communication, and ensure tasks are completed on schedule.

Norming: Teams have mastered the art of collaboration at this point. Internal rivalry has been eliminated, and roles and objectives are crystal apparent. Each person works more productively as a result of learning how to communicate ideas and solicit input from others while pursuing a common objective.

Performing: The team members have a high degree of trust and cohesion. With minimal supervision from team leaders, teams are operating at their full efficiency. Although problems still arise, teams now have methods for fixing them without jeopardizing timelines and progress.

Adjourning: After finishing a project, teams reflect on what went well and what could be improved for subsequent endeavors. Team members then move on to new initiatives.

 

Video: 5 Stages of Team Building (Source: Potential,2018)

 

Importance of Team Building in an organization

 

According to the Indeed(2023) following are the importance of team building in an organization

 

Builds trust

Trust is an essential element of an effective team. For employees to collaborate, knowing and earning trust from each other is crucial. When an organization builds trust in the workplace, it allows employees to complete their tasks and make their own decision.

 

Fosters better communication

When employees work together, they strategize the best way to handle tasks and deliver excellent results. They can divide tasks to work in small groups, share ideas, and complete the work efficiently. With proper communication, employees understand their roles and what their colleagues are doing.

 

Improve Performance

Team building involves doing activities that help foster the importance of sharing tasks in the workplace. If an employee has less work to do, they can help other teams to complete their work. This enhances the realization of project objectives, which increases the overall productivity of an organization.

 

Encourages collaboration

One of the most significant benefits of team building is the improvement of interpersonal skills among employees. When people work together, they share their good and bad experiences. This brings them closer to each other and enhances trust. It also creates a friendly working environment where employees are free to request help or willingly assist others.

Attracts new talents

Candidates often look for roles based on more than earning a salary, including how an organization takes care of employees' welfare. Potential candidates may search for a friendly working environment that helps them achieve their career goals. Team building is an ideal strategy to attract and retain talented employees as it fosters cohesion, productivity, and a happy team.

 

Encourages innovativeness

When employees work together, they can generate great ideas. Organizations that encourage open forums where creative people sit and interact are likely to foster innovations.

 

Promotes health

Team building benefits employees by fostering physical and mental health. Team building often involves events outside the office that require teamwork among employees to solve problems.

 

Promotes company culture

Team building activities help a company improve its culture. When employees communicate and collaborate, it improves their performance, helps resolve conflicts, and enhances respect for each other. As an organization recognizes more talents, it motivates others to do better in their areas of work.

 

 

Conclusion:

Team building is essential to achieve cohesion and stability in the workspace. Incorporating team building in any business ensures employees have solid relationships and feel a sense of kinship and belonging.

References:

Deirdre,S.(2020) The 5 Stages of Team Development. Team Work. [Online] Available at:https://www.teamwork.com/blog/the-5-stages-of-team-development-what-you-need-to-know/(Accessed on April 2023)

Fapohunda and  Tinuke. M.(2013) Towards Effective Team Building in the Workplace. International Journal of Education and Research, Vol. 1 No. 4. [Online] Available at:   http://www.ijern.com/images/April-2013/23.pdf (Accessed on April 2023)

Indeed(2023) the importance of team building in an organization.Indeed [Online] Available at: https://ca.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/importance-of-team-building(Accessed on April 2023)

 

Jones, S. (2012) Team Building and the Stages of Team Development. ProQuest, Vol. 15, Iss. 1, : 52-57. [Online] Available at:https://www.proquest.com/openview/6c48a1d273c248a50838fa7e171d9d57/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=2029988 (Accessed on April 2023)

Judith,S(2023) Using the stages of the team development.MIT Human Resources. [Online] Available at:   https://hr.mit.edu/learning-topics/teams/articles/stages-development(Accessed on April 2023)

Potential(2018) 5 Stages of Team Building [online] Jan,8, 2018. Available from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtpY9zwuzFM  [Accessed 27April 2023]