Work design is a human resource management (HRM) activity aimed at improving employee motivation and their work outcomes, as well as organizational effectiveness. It permeates and integrates key HRM functions of employee planning, recruiting, selecting, training, developing, and motivating. As opposed to inadequate work design which can stifle employees at work, optimal work design enables organizational efficiency and an array of individual positive attitudes and behaviors such as increased job satisfaction and innovative work behavior.

The aim of this course is to introduce students with basic work design strategies and techniques, and how to apply them in order to stimulate desired employee behavior and work outcomes (creativity, innovativeness, performance, satisfaction, etc.). Additionally, current issues such as work-life balance and flexible work arrangements, generational differences, job sharing, technological changes, and impact of social media will be discussed in the context of work design. Finally, course participants will learn to align work design with other HRM activities and understand the role of work design in relation to organizational design (strategy, structure, technology, culture, and processes).

During these course students will develop:
a) advanced professional knowledge,
b) creative thinking and application of new knowledge,
c) spoken and written communication skills,
d) teamwork skills,
e) analytical skills.

More precisely, at the end of this course students will be able to:

• understand the role of work design and job analysis in human resource management
• conduct an analysis of work in organizations and differentiate between individual, group, and team work design
• understand the effects of work and job design on employee motivation
• use different strategies of work design and job redesign in order to achieve desired outcomes (innovative work behavior, creativity, job satisfaction, etc.)
• understand current challenges in work design (COVID-19 and flexible working arrangements, work-life balance, new jobs, ageing workforce etc.), as well as new findings related to these challenges
• understand the contextual determinants of work design and its role in organization design.

In order to pass this course, the students are expected to attend 80 percent of the total class hours.

Students are encouraged to attend all classes. In order to pass this course, the students are expected to attend 80 percent of the total class hours or at least 5 full sessions.
In case students miss more than 20 percent of the total class hours (more than 2 sessions) due to medical reasons, quarantine requirements etc., please contact the course instructor as soon as possible at mmaric@efzg.hr for additional assignment. Additional assignment will be designed individually based on attendance and current situation. Additional assignment will give students who missed class due to medical or other valid reasons the opportunity to pass this course.

• Pre-reading materials for 3 sessions
• In-class interactive lectures (7 sessions)
• In-class assignments (individual)
• In-class team presentation (group)
• In-class case studies
• In-class group work quiz
• One home assignment
• Optional resources (web page with course materials, links and videos)

Students will be assessed based on four components. The final grade composes of these four components according to their respective ponder weights listed in brackets below:
a) class participation (5% of the final grade)
b) in-class work (35% of the final grade)
c) home assignment (15% of the final grade)
d) final written exam (45% of the final grade)