Optimizing the interaction of technical, social and organizational factors in work groups—an application of the multidimensional classification method

Abstract

This paper suggests a new multidimensional classification method for finding design rules for work groups from the viewpoint of optimizing the interaction of technical, social and organizational factors in work groups. It is called the contingent multidimensional classification method (CMDC)

For classifying tasks, the CMDC evaluates three kinds of similarities.

(1)Similarity in the attributes of tasks.

(2)Similarity in the effects of tasks.

(3)Similarity in the attributes of worker and supervisors being assigned the tasks.

The effects are measured by such effectiveness indexes as job satisfaction or work performance.

Several design rules are needed to adapt to various situations, because there is no single best rule for designing effective work groups. The diverse design rules for determining interrelationships among constituent units of the work group—task, worker and supervisor—can be found by examining the properties of ‘similar task types’ resulting from classifying tasks by CMDC