Difference Between Job Enlargement and Job Enrichment

Edited by Diffzy | Updated on: April 30, 2023

       

Difference Between Job Enlargement and Job Enrichment

Why read @ Diffzy

Our articles are well-researched

We make unbiased comparisons

Our content is free to access

We are a one-stop platform for finding differences and comparisons

We compare similar terms in both tabular forms as well as in points


Introduction

We all know that the primary responsibility of human resource management is to allocate each employee to the position that best suits their skills and interests. As a result, job design is a must for HR managers. The two most frequently contrasted strategies are job enlargement and job enrichment. Both job expansion and job enrichment are employed as motivational and retention strategies for staff members. But they are really different from one another. The key contrast is that job enrichment entails the vertical expansion of roles, responsibilities, authority, and activities, as well as the various hierarchical levels. In contrast, job enlargement involves a horizontal expansion of obligations and tasks across the same organizational level.

Job enlargement is a tactic used to encourage semi-skilled or unskilled workers. However, it might need to be understood as work overload with a significant pay increase. Using job enrichment for the growth and pleasure of skilled workers is employed as a reward for hard work that is often accepted. The former describes how many tasks an employee performs while working at the same job increase. On the other hand, the latter refers to incorporating specific stimulators into the scheme to make it fulfilling. When the employee has the authority to make choices and plans, a position is said to be enriched. The pros and cons can be summarized by recognizing that job enrichment is a more drawn-out, meticulous process with a high barrier to entry but ultimately results in the substantial growth of an employee. In contrast, job enlargement is a short-term solution that requires little to no time or experience to execute.

Job Enlargement Vs. Job Enrichment

The primary distinction between job enlargement and job enrichment is that the former is a method of job design while the latter is a management tool. Another difference is that job enrichment employs vertical expansion, while job enlargement uses horizontal expansion to redesign a position. A job may be enlarged horizontally by adding new responsibilities and tasks, which is meant by "job enlargement." Job enlargement aids in lessening employee boredom from repeating the same activity. Job enrichment is the vertical extension of a job, i.e., it expands the employee's roles and responsibilities. Job enrichment aids in increasing the employee's sense of challenge and satisfaction in their work.

Difference Between Job Enlargement and Job Enrichment in Tabular Form

Parameters Of Comparison Job Enlargement Job Enrichment
Meaning Job enlargement is a job design technique that involves multiplying the responsibilities connected with a single job. Job enrichment is a management strategy used to increase employee motivation by giving them more responsibility.
Objective Reduces the monotony of doing a repetitive chore. To add creativity, intrigue, and challenge to the task.
Instruction Sometimes, additional training is required for bigger occupations since there are more duties to learn. Job enrichment can occasionally make the job harder. Thus the enriched person needs the appropriate training.
Direction When a job is expanded, the person needs management or superior supervision. The employee needs less direction from management or those in positions of power when their jobs are more fulfilling.
Greater Skills The individual can acquire new, more advanced abilities to accomplish work expansion. To do the work, the individual must acquire and use a few higher-level, specialized abilities.
Concept We are increasing the size of a job's scope. We are expanding a job's variety of operations positively.
Cost Job enlargement is a less expensive procedure since a single individual handles more responsibilities, and it also requires less training. Job enrichment turns out to be an expensive procedure since the cost of the training exceeds the productivity increase.
Role Job Enlargement has a significant part in favorably affecting employee productivity. Job enrichment is crucial for employee motivation and benefits how well a task is completed.
Power and accountability While the employee's duties grow, their authority stays the same. Both an employee's degree of power and responsibility rise.
Effects following application Positive or negative effects on the employee are possible. The employee feels positive impacts.

What Is Job Enlargement?

Job Enlargement refers to the process of giving a worker more responsibilities within a single position. Management is making an effort to lessen the boredom of repetitive activity. This method involves adding a few tasks comparable to the current job. By adding variation, the work will become more fascinating for the people who hold it. Below are highlighted benefits of employment expansion: Because one person is given the entire project or the maximum amount of it when the task is expanded, it enhances worker satisfaction levels. Their contribution to that particular project is recognized in this way.

A worker's physical and mental skills are put to use in job expansion. But the positions should be expanded only to the employee's capabilities or a limited degree. It shouldn't make an employee feel stressed out and frustrated. Instead, it broadens the range of tasks, which lessens job monotony. Workers may need additional training to accomplish the new duty when it is added to the same job. When the new system is put in place, employee productivity may decline. The employee may also request a wage raise in response to the rise in job demands.

Benefits Of Job Enlargement

There are a variety of benefits linked to employment expansion, some of them are as follows:

  • Increased job responsibilities aid in reducing employee boredom.
  • It aids in the employee's acquisition of new jobs and abilities.
  • Third, it aids the company in boosting workplace efficiency.
  • Finally, job expansion helps the employee link fully to work and gives them a sense of purpose in carrying it out.
  • Workers who expand their jobs go from a manufacturing line paced by machines to one they walk. If he can change the rhythm and operate at his own pace, the workers will love his work more. This will also make him feel less worn out.
  • Larger projects make it possible to provide more helpful performance feedback. In addition, it will be much more compelling if it is connected to evaluations and corporate awards.

Disadvantages Of Job Enlargement

  • Job enlargement is typically an expensive endeavor. For example, workers' expanded roles could necessitate further training. Additionally, job expansion requires disassembling the current production line of the work system, developing a new system, and training staff members for it. As a result, there will be a lot of expenses.
  • The short-term impact of the new system's implementation on productivity might be harmful.
  • Employee unions frequently seek higher compensation due to the more significant workload.

Example Of Job Enlargement

The receptionist is in charge of answering calls from clients and dealing with their questions and concerns. After two years of doing the same thing, she grew bored. She discussed the issue with the HR manager, who intended to expand her job duties to make her job profile more engaging. A good example of job expansion Her work description was expanded to include a few new responsibilities, such as communicating with clients and conducting cold calls to attract new business for the organization. These extra responsibilities lessened her boredom.

What Is Job Enrichment?

Job enrichment is a tactic used in job design to encourage employees by giving them additional duties to make their work more enjoyable. Work enrichment refers to improving a job's quality and making it more fun, challenging, and creative. The person in the position is given duties, and the authority to organize, manage and make crucial choices. The need for supervision will now decrease, or it might even be claimed that the employee will take over the duties of a supervisor. Job Along with increasing employee happiness, enrichment aids in increasing productivity. Enhanced work offers greater responsibility, a wider variety of tasks, autonomy, and opportunities for professional development than regular employment.

Example Of Job Enrichment

Initially, a human resource executive kept track of personnel and phoned candidates for interviews according to the HR manager's instructions. The manager granted the HR executive some autonomy over the tasks previously given to him to enhance the value of his job description. An illustration of job enrichment The new duties included communicating with the provident fund office, providing the accounts department information about the employees' provident funds, and initial screening interview prospects. The employee becomes more effective, self-assured, and happy with their work as a result of these increased tasks that carry authority and accountability.

Benefits Of Job Enrichment

  • In a job enrichment scenario, an employee in charge of choosing which internal items to promote in the business' email newsletter may also come up with advertising experiments for their products, evaluating pricing and placement.
  • The routine daily chores that employees have to accomplish tire them. Job enrichment gives employees' responsibilities more diversity, which might lessen workplace monotony.
  • The opportunity to evaluate and assess your workers' skills and shortcomings is provided through job enrichment.
  • Employee motivation rises when they believe they are trusted with more responsibility inside a firm. As a consequence, employees may become more productive, follow management's rules and regulations better, and miss fewer work days.

Disadvantages Of Job Enrichment

  • Employees may need to be more skilled or experienced in the additional duties they are requested to accomplish when given a deeper set of activities through job enrichment. Lack of training may be detrimental to both employees and companies and result in issues like decreased productivity.
  • The main drawback of job enrichment is an increased burden on the employee.
  • Only some people at your company are qualified to participate in job enrichment. Those who seek more authority but have yet to prove they can handle it may get resentful and hostile toward management and the staff members involved in the job enrichment process.
  • Due to a lack of training, desire, or understanding of their new tasks, some employees perform poorly when their jobs are enhanced. Conversely, employees who perform poorly may believe they lack competence.

Main Difference Between Job Enlargement and Job Enrichment in Points

  • Work enlargement is a job design method in which the number of tasks carried out by a single job is raised. Job enrichment is a motivating strategy management uses to broaden the various studies carried out by a particular position to improve it.
  • While job enrichment entails modifying the current employment to raise the standard of the work, job enlargement involves quantitatively expanding the range of activities performed by the job.
  • Job Enlargement lessens monotony and boredom while working endlessly on a single activity. On the other hand, jon=b enrichment increases the job's creativity, excitement, and challenge.
  • While job enrichment calls for new skills, job enlargement does not.
  • When a job is expanded, tasks are added horizontally or at the same level. Contrarily, job enrichment entails the vertical extension of tasks like task control and execution.
  • More monitoring is needed for job expansion than for job enrichment.
  • While employment enrichment will benefit, job expansion may have negative consequences.
  • While job enrichment fosters employee happiness and productivity, job enlargement helps workers feel more accountable and valued.
  • In the event of job expansion, authority does not change, and employees are not given more discretion. Contrarily, job enrichment gives employees additional autonomy and decision-making authority.
  • The outcome of job expansion is uncertain and may be favorable if workers become more motivated or adverse if they feel overburdened with work. On the other hand, the consequence or result of job enrichment is often good and promotes employee fulfillment and self-actualization.

Conclusion

Employees are very motivated by both job enrichment and job enlargement. While job enrichment improves employees' morale and happiness, job expansion boosts workers' productivity and skills. Job expansion is ideal for unskilled or semi-skilled personnel in small and medium-sized enterprises. Job enrichment is suitable for large, centralized firms because it gives individuals greater authority, making work more accessible and productive. Job enrichment allows the job holder to plan, manage, and make decisions. It aids in their development and growth, unlike employment expansion, which is essentially a management gimmick to raise the burden of current employees. Without being aware of his expanded function and duties, the job holder feels content that his tasks have been enhanced.

References

  • https://theinvestorsbook.com/job-enlargement-vs-job-enrichment.html

Category


Cite this article

Use the citation below to add this article to your bibliography:


Styles:

×

MLA Style Citation


"Difference Between Job Enlargement and Job Enrichment." Diffzy.com, 2024. Wed. 27 Mar. 2024. <https://www.diffzy.com/article/difference-between-job-enlargement-and-job-enrichment-1086>.



Edited by
Diffzy


Share this article